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4 Ways to Help the Victims of the Orlando Shooting

By Nicole Levy | June 15, 2016 3:13pm
 Mourners at a memorial gathering for victims of the Orlando shooting at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn Tuesday.
Mourners at a memorial gathering for victims of the Orlando shooting at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn Tuesday.
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Getty/Spencer Platt

Tragedies such as the mass shooting that killed 49 people and wounded at least 53 more in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday can leave individuals feeling helpless, especially those who live more than 1,000 miles away from the site of the attack.

New Yorkers may not be able to donate blood for use at the hospitals where the survivors are being treated, but they have held vigils in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, and they can donate money to the funds below:

► The OneOrlando Fund 

Established by the non-profit Strengthen Orlando and backed by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, the fund is intended to "provide a way to help respond to the needs of our community, now and in the time to come, after the effects of the Pulse tragedy," according to its website

Money donated will go toward nonprofits supporting victims and their families, and the LGBTQ, Hispanic and other affected communities. It will also be directed in such a way as to address the "underlying causes of this tragic event," the website says.

Equality Florida's Pulse Victims Fund 

Florida's LGBTQ civil rights organization has raised more than $4.3 million in the last three days. Its current goal is to raise $5 million.

"Every penny raised will be distributed directly to the victims and their families," the group says on its GoFundMe page. "We are working with a team of attorneys and experts, including the National Center for Victims of Crime, which deployed funds in both Chattanooga and Aurora, to ensure funds are distributed correctly."

New Yorkers may also consider donating time or money to the following local organizations:

► The New York City Anti-Violence Project

The group, founded in Chelsea in 1980 in reaction to violence in the neighborhood against gay residents, serves the city's LGBTQ and HIV-positive communities with direct client aid, community organizing and public advocacy. You can support survivors of violence by working as a volunteer for the organization's crisis intervention hotline.

► Latino Pride Center

Launched by the New York City-based Hispanic AIDS Forum in 2013, the Latino Pride Center initially served gay and bisexual Latino men. Its stated mission is to "creat[e] health and human services programs that affirm individuality, sexual identity and diversity; build family and community life; advocate for equality and justice; and support the pursuit of happiness free of oppression and violence for all people." You can make a donation online here.