Campaign of Hope
On Wednesday February 14, 2018, the day’s Valentine’s day and Ash Wednesday celebrations were forever marred by the senseless school shooting that took place in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Florida.
17 people, students and faculty members, lost their lives due to this futile act of violence and thousands more are left facing the consequences of this tragedy.
The impact of this horrific event quickly reverberated throughout the world. It doesn’t take long for one to realize why this tragedy in particular hits close to home for many people, including those in our own community.
In a world where we have been desensitized to mass acts of violence and slaughter of innocent civilians (which is becoming far too commonplace) we are forced to look on in horror and disbelief as the lives of fellow students are continued to be extinguished and their deaths are becoming the battleground for political divisions and empty promises which we realize with horrifying clarity will probably lead to no real change.
Even here in Canada, protected by stringent gun control regulations, we cannot escape the threat that millions of students face everyday, which is best exemplified by the fact that in our school we have two lockdown drills each year, in addition to two evacuation drills.
As such, we cannot forget about the scores of Marjory Stoneman Douglas students who are trying to piece their lives together after the Valentine’s day massacre.
As a community, we are being offered a chance to stand with and support our fellow students who are returning to their school in order to continue with their education.
One teacher from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High has organized a letter writing campaign, and has asked for students all over the world to send in handwritten letters of encouragement and support.
Because of the outpouring of support, they are currently requesting school's send banners, with student messages of hope and support.
This is an amazing opportunity to show our compassion and solidarity to those dealing with the aftermath of the shooting and to let them know that they are not alone in their struggles. As part of our own Lenten reflection, a banner from Holy Trinity is being created and will be available for students to sign.
Listen for announcements when the banner arrives at HT for you to sign your name and send some hope to our fellow students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Florida.
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