The Parkland community is paying tribute to the 17 victims killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018, with Saturday marking eight years since the tragedy.
Survivors and families of the victims of the Parkland school shooting still struggle to talk about it til this day. Tony Montalto lost his daughter, Gina, during the tragedy.
“We miss her every day. Her bright smile. Her laughter,” Montalto said.
The Eagles Haven Wellness Center has held a dove release every year since it opened, a year after the shooting. The center was created to honor the survivors and victims, and to provide support for anyone impacted by it.
“There is no timeline for grief, and when you lose somebody. You’re gonna need constant support for the long term,” said the center’s director, Rebecca Jarquin.
She tells CBS News Miami that it has helped nearly 4,000 people since it opened.
“Given the fact that mass shootings continue to happen, it constantly impacts this community,” Jarquin said.
Also, on this eight-year mark since the shooting, people are still coming to the memorial outside of the school to pay their respects.
People stood in silence at the memorial and dropped off flowers. Montalto says these events should be focused on remembering the victims, instead of what happened that tragic day.
“It’s not how they were taken from us that we need to remember. It’s who they were. Who their lives were. Their legacy should be the smiles and the laughter. Not the end,” Montalto said.
