GoFundMe Campaign for Orlando Shooting Victims Raises $1.5M in 24 Hours
A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $1.5 million in 24 hours for victims of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting that left 50 dead and at least 53 wounded in Orlando, Fla.
Equality Florida, an LGBT civil rights organization, started the crowdfunding campaign early Sunday morning with a $100,000 goal. The campaign, called "Pulse Victims Fund," quickly exceeded that goal and subsequent goals of $500,000 and $1 million, reported Mic, prompting Equality Florida to raise the goal to $2 million. More than 38,000 people have contributed to the campaign so far, with total donations at $1.6 million and counting as of this writing.
The charity did not specify how funds would be used, but said on the GoFundMe page that it was working with "attorneys and experts" to ensure donations are properly distributed to victims and their families. GoFundMe verified the campaign, which has been shared more than 22,000 times on Facebook.
"We have received a steady stream of emails and messages from those seeking to help or to make sense of the senseless," the charity said in a statement on the campaign page. "We make no assumptions on motive. We will await the details in tears of sadness and anger. We stand in solidarity and keep our thoughts on all whose lives have been lost or altered forever in this tragedy."
