ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando hosted a memorial event on Wednesday for the 49 lives that were taken during the tragic Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2016.
The Remembrance Ceremony was held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. on June 12, the day that marks eight years since the tragedy that forever impacted the Orlando community took place. It is an opportunity for the community to come together each year to remember the victims, families, survivors, first responders, trauma teams, and everyone else who was impacted by the incident.
These services are just a few of the events being held to honor the memory of the Pulse victims, and just a few examples of how the city is stepping up to continue the efforts of the OnePulse Foundation, the original organization that oversaw the memorial project but was dissolved last year.
Another significant initiative is The Prayer Ribbons Memorial Exhibition that opened for display at the Orlando City Hall Plaza on Monday. Created by the Provincetown Community Compact in Massachusetts, the colorful collection of ribbons features the names of each of the 49 people whose lives were taken on the tragic night in 2016. It is a testament to their loving memory, and a reminder of the resiliency of the Orlando community, as well as the support the city received from cities across the nation during its darkest time. The ribbons will be on display until June 16.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer additionally announced last Friday the formation of an advisory committee to help plan and create the permanent Pulse memorial. City officials are looking for experts in fields of engineering and design, as well as a diverse group of individuals who were affected by the tragedy, both directly and indirectly. Applications are open until June 23 and can be found on the Pulse Orlando website.
Mayor Dyer’s announcement was followed by the annual CommUNITY Rainbow Run on Saturday. This eighth annual 4.9K run was held to honor the victims and celebrate how the Orlando community came together in the weeks following the tragedy. The event proceeds went towards the Orlando United Pulse Memorial, a project within the nonprofit organization Strengthen Orlando, to help fund the construction the permanent memorial the mayor formed a committee to create, according to Pulse Orlando.
To learn more about the remembrance events or to learn more about the foundation’s efforts, visit the Pulse Orlando website.
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