Parkland victims’ families keep memories alive
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — “I can’t imagine what you are going through,” people often say to Jennifer Montalto.
“You are right,” she thinks to herself, “you can’t. You shouldn’t have to imagine, but I have to live that life that is unimaginable.”
Montalto lost her 14-year-old daughter when a gunman shot Gina while she worked on a project in the hallway at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day 2018.
The five-year commemoration of that day is particularly hard for Montalto, who usually shies away from talking publicly about her loss.
“Losing Gina is torture … it’s not something I would wish upon anyone in any circumstance,” she said. “It’s not just that she is gone. It’s the way she was taken, the notoriety, the violence, the things he did to her.”
During the sentencing trial of the gunman in October, Montalto said she learned new details about how Gina was killed. Those revelations set her back.
“Up until the trial, I told myself it was quick, fast, she never saw it coming,” Jennifer said. “That’s not the case, far from it. It’s been an adjustment in my mindset.”
“Knowing that I don’t get any more memories of her, that it stopped at 14 … that’s the hard thing to still justify,” she said.
The Gina Rose Montalto Memorial Foundation is the family’s way of channeling their grief into something positive.
“It keeps her present in our lives,” Jennifer said. “We take that ugliness away and focus on her, what she could have been, what she could have contributed, and try not to dwell on anything negative.”
The foundation helps students with the cost of college by awarding STEM and arts scholarships, including a new nursing scholarship. There also is a scholarship in the works for someone entering the mental health field. The foundation sponsors the annual silver award showcase for Girl Scouts in Gina’s honor and funds a Gold Award Scholarship. It also made a donation to the children’s library in Parkland. Every spring, the foundation hosts an Egg My Lawn event, an Easter egg hunt fundraiser.
“These are causes Gina supported,” her mother said. She was a member of her school color guard, a Girl Scout; an active church member; and a talented artist. She loved young children.
“The foundation is a way to help keep Gina’s light shining by helping others attain their goals,” said Tony Montalto, her father. “The loss of a child never leaves you. The best we can hope for is to find a way to work around that pain every day.”
Of the 17 victims — 14 teens and three adults — a variety of charities have formed to help their memories to live on. Over the past five years, those charities have expanded their missions and offered new ways to donate.
“Everyone chooses to honor their loved one in whichever way they choose,” Montalto said.
Some of the charities to honor Parkland shooting victims:
› Meadow’s Movement honors Meadow Pollack, with its fundraising efforts going to “Princess Meadow’s Playground,” a subset of Betti Stradling Park in Coral Springs , Floridathat was named for Meadow, who used to play there as a child.
› Carmen Schentrup ALS Research Fund honors Carmen Schentrup, who had planned to become a medical researcher and discover a cure for ALS. The research fund in her name continues to grow exponentially and donate to the most promising research. A teacher at Stoneman Douglas also set up the Carmen Schentrup Memorial Award, a music scholarship for high-achieving soloists.
› The Chris Hixon Foundation honors Chris Hixon and provides scholarships to student athletes with good grades and volunteer hours at each of the three schools where Hixon worked as an athletic director. The foundation hosts an annual memorial run fundraiser every February.
› Orange Ribbons for Jaime honors Jaime Guttenberg and donates to charities that were important to her. Those include the Broward County Humane Society, where she volunteered; the dance company Jacob’s Pillow; and the Paley Institute, where she dreamed of being a physical therapist. It also is dedicated to pursuing commonsense gun-safety reforms. The charity’s newest initiative is Paws of Love, providing emotional support dogs to people affected by gun violence.
› Make Our Schools Safe honors Alyssa Alhadeff and works to encourage school-safety initiatives. Its success include the passage of Alyssa’s Law, legislation addressing law enforcement response time when a life-threatening emergency occurs.
› Safe Schools For Alex honors Alex Schachter and provides the most current school-safety best practices and resources to students, parents, school districts and law enforcement. The organization is raising funds to take its school-safety dashboard nationwide.
› Change the Ref honors Joaquin Oliver and uses urban art to expose the harsh effects of mass shootings in America. The organization encourages young people to get involved, fight for their values and beliefs, and have their voices heard. It currently has a penalty flag for change campaign underway.
› Peter Wang Foundation honors Peter Wang, a member of the JROTC who held the door open for fellow classmates during the shooting. The charity set up a scholarship to help disadvantaged students as well as make donations to organizations he supported.
› WalkUp Foundation honors Alaina Petty and works to create a speaker’s bureau of school safety experts as well as develop educational seminars and effective behavioral threat assessment programs. ›
Luke Hoyer Athletic Fund honors Luke Hoyer and gives children the opportunity to experience a sport by providing equipment, uniforms, practice gear and travel fees.
› The Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund honors Scott J. Beigel, the geography teacher and cross country coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It sends at-risk, underserved children touched by gun violence to summer sleep-away camp. It has just formed a partnership with Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches and sent 20 at-risk, underserved children affected by gun violence to the Ranch by tapping a $15,000 grant.