Aurora philanthropy
Unsurprisingly, in the wake of the Aurora shooting thousands of people have rallied round to support the victims of the movie theatre massacre.
Many small fundraising websites have appeared, too, to help with individuals’ medical and funeral expenses – notably one for 27-year-old Matt McQuinn, who died shielding his girlfriend from the bullets.
Probably the largest online response, however, has been from GivingFirst.org (part of the Community First Foundation), which has donated part of its website to non-profits including the Aurora Mental Health Center, the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance and the Bonfils Blood Center Foundation, which are all providing support to the victims. Donations received via the website will be match-funded from a new specially-created fund set up by the Governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper.
And Warner Brothers, the studio responsible for the film The Dark Knight Rises (during the screening of which the shooting took place, leaving 12 dead and 58 wounded), has pledged to make a large donation to the victims, out of their substantial profits (reputed to be almost $161 million in just three days).
But regardless of the film’s success, this is an issue that will run and run. For the families and friends of the victims, the night of 20 July 2012 will forever be etched into their memories. It’s good, though, to see that even events such as this have a compassionate flip-side. Aurora will be remembered, too, for the wave of philanthropy it prompted.
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