Hello everyone, I'm writing this e-mail because of the tragic events that took place at Pulse Night Club in Orlando this past weekend. For those of you who are unaware of what took place, you can follow this link<http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36511778> to find out what transpired (it's a BBC article of the specific events that took place that evening). The attack left 49 people dead and 53 people severely injured. Now, those of you who know me well know that this tragedy deeply affected me this past week. The issues at hand are very near and dear to my heart. I have been working tirelessly since I found out what happened to see what ways those of us here in Indiana can help, and I have come up with a few ways everyone can help. 1. Writing Letters of Support Tuesday (6/21/16) -Friday (6/24/16) of this upcoming week I will have paper, pens, markers, and other arts and crafts available on one of the tables near the computer lab on the 2nd floor, at the front desk near Stacey, and in the basement office in the SEM suite. I will also be walking around with the supplies throughout the week if you would like to fill out a card. Please feel free to write letters of support to the families of the victims of the attack, get well cards for those injured, or just general thoughts for the people of Orlando. We will be mailing these to the LGBT center in Orlando on Friday June 24, which has direct links to the families. I will send out another e-mail early next week as a reminder for those of you who might forget. 2. Water/Canned Food/Non-Perishables Drive The local red cross in Orlando has been running out of water and other necessities for individuals who would like to donate blood and for those just generally in need. We will be doing a canned food and bottled water drive in the front office (near Stacey's desk) to help alleviate this issue Tuesday (6/21/16) to Friday (6/26/16). We will be shipping the stuff down on Friday afternoon. However, if you would rather directly donate to the local area or if you forget to bring stuff to the front desk I would suggest that you order water off of amazon in bulk<https://www.amazon.com/Nestle-Pure-Life-Purified-Water/dp/B00COR1HHW/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1465845430&sr=8-4&keywords=water+bulk> or buy bulk canned goods on amazon<https://www.amazon.com/Chef-Boyardee-Overstuffed-Italian-15-Ounce/dp/B003XUJ564/ref=sr_1_3_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1465845666&sr=1-3&keywords=canned+food> and ship them to: The Center Orlando 946 North Mills Avenue Orlando, FL 32803 3. Donating to one of many groups helping the situation There are several groups that you can donate to (if you choose). First and foremost it is important to note that the victims are in a unique situation (many of them are disowned by their family for coming out and are still in need of a funeral). There are more than I list below, but I did the best I could. I. Equality Florida GoFundMe<https://www.gofundme.com/pulsevictimsfund> As I write this e-mail this gofundme has over $2.1 million in donations. However, please keep in mind that many of the victims do not have families to help pay for the medical bills for the emergency surgeries and thus they will need all of the money they can get. This is a state-wide group that is going to help the victims and has been well advertised across social media. II. Pulse Tragedy Community Fund GoFundMe<https://www.gofundme.com/OrlandoUnited?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&utm_content=CTA_view_campaign&utm_campaign=donation_receiptv5> This gofundme is a little more close-to-home. This is the one set up through the local LGBT center in Orlando specifically (the Center Orlando). It has almost $250 thousand in donations to help the victims' funerals, hospital bills, etc. This is the gofundme I decided to donate to. III. Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando<http://www.petallianceorlando.org/pet-alliance-to-shelter-victims-pets/> The victims of the shooting who left behind pets are being sheltered through this organization in Orlando. If you would like to donate - follow the link - and help them take care of the animals displaced by this tragedy. ----------- Finally, I just want to say thank you for your time. There isn't much we can do all of the way up in Indiana, but I believe anything we can do will help the families of the 49 people killed in this horrific tragedy. Yours, Matthew Korey