Tragedies

RAK #8: Kimberly Morris

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This is the eighth of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!

This one I did at work – I found a vending machine far away from my own desk (where people would recognize my writing) and taped enough money to it to get something to drink. This RAK is in honor of Kimberly Morris, who was a bouncer at the club. She was known as a tough girl, but one who filled a room when she entered it. Rest in peace, Kimberly.

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RAK #7: Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz

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This is the seventh of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!
I did this RAK while out to dinner with my parents – we saw a family with five adorable little kids and I decided to pick up their tab. This RAK is in honor of Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, also known as “Ommy” and who was 22 years old. He was known for making people laugh and always bringing joy to the room. Rest in peace, Ommy.

RAK #6: Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera

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This is the sixth of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!
For this RAK I donated to one of our local Little Leagues – they were running a fireworks stand to raise money and someone broke in overnight and stole almost $12,000 worth of fireworks.

This RAK is in honor of Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, who was 36 years old and married. He was known as a goofball who loved to dance and was working two jobs to get by. Rest in peace, Eric!

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RAK #5: Luis S. Vielma

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This is the fifth of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!

This was another fun one. I asked the cashier to load some money on the Safeway gift card and then for her to give it to someone who looked like they were truly having a terrible day. She and the bag boy were super excited about their “mission”.

This RAK is in honor of Luis S. Vielma, was 22 years old and worked at Disney World, specifically at the Harry Potter ride. In fact, J.K. Rowling herself tweeted about his death. He was in college studying to be a physical therapy assistant and his friends and family described him as one of the kindest people they had ever met. Rest in peace, Luis.

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RAK #4: Juan Ramon Guerrero

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This is the fourth of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!

This was another fun one. If you don’t know, I’m a planner addict… in fact, right now I’m currently using TWO paper planners (stay tuned for an update on that)! I posted in one of the Facebook forums I belong to that for my 4th RAK I wanted to give away a planner system that didn’t work well for me. In order to enter, people had to comment with a random act of kindness they had performed. Kind of sneaky of me, right? I got lots of great ideas!

This RAK is in honor of Juan Ramon Guerrero, who was 22 years old and was a student at the University of Central Florida. He was at the club with his boyfriend Christopher Leinonen, who was also killed. They had planned to get married and instead, their families held a joint funeral. Rest in peace, Juan.

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RAK #3: Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo

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This is the third of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!

This was a fun one… your standard “pay for the person behind me” but with a twist. I went through the drive through at Starbucks and bought a gift card. When I got to the window, I handed the barista my note card. I then asked her to hang on to it until she came across someone having a tough day and to give it to them. This RAK was in honor of Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo (known as Omar) who was one of the youngest victims at 20 years old. He was a dancer and a barista, remembered as a ray of sunshine. Rest in peace, Omar.

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RAK #2: Stanley Almodovar III

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This is the second of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!

For this RAK, I’m sending some planning supplies anonymously to someone in one of my planning groups. Stanley Almodovar III died a true hero – shielding others from the gunfire. He was 23 at the time of his death and known for his spunk and his love for others. He was a pharmacy technician who was known to bring a smile to the faces of those around him. Rest in peace, Stanley.

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RAK #1: Edward Sotomayor, Jr.

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This is the first of 49 random acts of kindness (RAKs) that I’m doing to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Hopefully each small act puts a little bit of happiness back out in the world!

My first RAK was for Edward Sotomayor Jr. I paid for the lady behind me at the In-N-Out drive through. Eddie was 34 years old at the time of his death and was known to his friends as “Top Hat Eddie”, because he wore top hats when out at events. From all online accounts, he was super friendly, beloved among the LGBTQ community as a promoter and event organizer. He leaves behind a partner (who was at the club that night but stayed outside once the shooting started in part due to a text message from Eddie) and a large family. Rest in peace, Eddie.

Pulse

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This past weekend an armed man walked into Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando Florida, and opened fire, reigning terror down on over 300 people, killing 49 people in three hours before being killed himself.

I’ve struggled with what I wanted to say about this horrible tragedy and how to say it. Then I realized that it doesn’t matter that I’m a straight white woman… what I have to say is so much more than sexual orientation, color, and gender.

I’m so sorry.

I’m sorry that being a member of the LGBTQ community made you a target. I’m sorry that being yourself made you a target. I’m sorry you couldn’t go out for a fun night of Latin dancing without being murdered or maimed. I’m sorry that we as a nation have not done more to protect you.

I am sorry that our country has taken an event such as this and used it for political purposes. Regardless of your stance on gun control or your political party, I think it’s more important to remember that this is about HUMAN BEINGS. They ate breakfast that morning, just like you. They had hopes and dreams, just like you. They leave behind grieving mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and lovers.

This is not about religion and it’s not about guns. It’s about hatred toward another living being. And it has to stop.

Whenever something like this happens, I feel like I want to help. I know it’s insignificant, but I’m going to do what I did just after the Sandy Hook killings – one random act of kindness for each person who died. That’s 49 small acts that will hopefully inspire the recipients to pay it forward. I’ll share them along the way with a little bit about each victim. Here’s to putting some good back out in the world!

I Couldn’t Forget If I Tried

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September 11th 2001 should have been like any other day. Actually, I take that back – it should have been harder. I had just seen my boyfriend, Troy, off the night before to an overseas deployment with the Marines. I had cried my eyes out all night and was exhausted. Sometime just after 6am, the phone rang in the apartment that I shared with three friends from college. I’m not gonna lie, I was mad, asking myself who would be calling this early in the morning. I remember laying in bed for a few minutes longer and then storming out to the living room to yell at whoever it was. It was then that I saw my roommate sitting in shock on the sofa in front of the TV. Her family had called from New Jersey to let her know they were ok. For the next few hours we sat in front of the TV watching the devastation unfold. At just twenty years old, I couldn’t believe that sort of evil existed in the world. My previous experiences had only been with natural disasters (the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake) – never had I been exposed to this level of hate.

Why, you ask, is she rambling about her experience, which in comparison to so many others is completely benign?

Without a doubt, September 11th had a profound impact on who I am today. I think it’s no great coincidence that I’ve surrounded myself with firefighters and first responders. Or that my volunteer work is centered completely around educating the public about disaster preparedness and helping others.

In the days that followed September 11th, I watched America band together. I finally understood what my Grandpa had told me growing up – that this country is amazing and that it’s worth fighting for. I learned what it means to honor those who died by pressing on. I learned how proud I am to be American. The “Star Spangled Banner” means more to me, as does our beautiful flag.

Every year I dedicate my sole Facebook update for the day to some sort of memory – this year is a picture of the three firefighters raising the flag, made even more poignant now that I’m married to a firefighter. And there’s always the requisite “never forget” – I couldn’t forget if I tried. I will continue to dedicate my life to helping others, regardless of race, color, religion, or creed. That’s how I won’t forget.