Survivors of the Parkland, Florida school shooting will be given $1.63 million, with families of the slain each receiving $400,000.
The money is provided from a GoFundMe campaign that was started in honor of the shooting victims. It raised $10.5 million from an estimated 37,000 donors. The Broward Education Foundation teamed with a committee designated to make decisions on the victims’ behalf to plan and announced the payout breakdown.
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Student survivors of the shooting have also raised millions of dollars through the March for Our Lives advocacy movement, according to the Times Free Press.
Additionally, about 450 students who were inside the school building where the shooting took place will be given $2,500 and over 1,000 students will be given $1,000.
According to a statement provided by the foundation managers, payments to the victims will begin on July 16.
The foundation added that recipients did have to apply for the financial support, and that nearly all applicants were approved. There were a little over 100 applicants who were not approved, but no reasoning was provided as to why.
However, the group adds that 100 percent of the donations are going directly to victims of the shooting and their families.
“These gifts are given without any restriction on their use,” said Broward Education Foundation Board Chairperson Christina Fischer. “The families and recipients are in the best position to determine how these funds would be most beneficial to their healing.”
One victim’s father, Andrew Pollack — whose daughter Meadow was killed in the tragic shooting — revealed that he is not keeping the money for himself, but, rather, is gifting it to Meadow’s brothers and her boyfriend.
“It will help my kids when they’re starting out their lives and it will make their sister happy,” Pollack said. Notably, the grieving father has raised more than $400,000 on his own for the purposes of building a playground in Meadow’s honor.
Other members of vicitms’ families said they were grateful for the donations, but opted to not speak on the record.
“You can’t put a price tag on the incompetence that led to the murder of my daughter,” Pollack added, expressing an understanding for why other families would choose not to speak publicly. “It’s really disheartening for me to know all these people that committed these acts and no accountability.”
