UPDATE: By Tuesday evening, Sheyla Marimon said the organizations surpassed its fundraising goal of $1,000 by $39 at the end of Tuesday. Over the two days, 66 preorders for a dozen donuts were sold and 15 cards were written to the hospitalized shooting victims.
Sheyla Marimon was sitting in her car Wednesday, scrolling through Facebook, when she saw the news of the Parkland shooting on her feed.
She remembers hoping there were no casualties, but then, authorities announced 17 victims. Her heart dropped.
Two days later, a perturbed Marimon was still thinking about what had happened close to her home in Doral, which is only 40 miles south of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, so she decided she needed to help.
She came up with the idea of selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the law school courtyard through Thursday this week to fundraise money for Broward County schools. After she called the doughnut company and received approval from one of the school’s deans, Marimon and eight law student organizations got to work.
“We could argue all day,” she said. “But we could also do something that might make a little bit of a difference and might help these people.”
The students’ goal is to raise $1,000 for the fund. By Monday afternoon, $756 was raised and 48 boxes of donuts were sold, said Marimon, the president of UF’s chapter of Florida Association of Women Lawyers.
Students and faculty can buy presale Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts and raffle tickets for various local gift cards to benefit the families and victims of the shooting. Participants can also write cards to the victims and their families.
Organizers will be fundraising from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, but pre-orders for donuts will end 10 a.m. Wednesday, Marimon said.
One box of a dozen glazed doughnuts is being sold for $8 presale, which includes one raffle ticket. Students can also buy raffle tickets for $2 each.
At 12:30 p.m. Thursday, winners of the raffle will be revealed and pre-ordered donuts will be available for pickup, Marimon said.
All the money raised will be donated on behalf of the law school to a fund set up by the Broward Education Foundation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Marimon said. This fund is dedicated to providing relief and financial support to the tragedy’s victims and their families.
Marimon will mail the cards Friday to the hospitals where the victims are staying. About five have been written so far, she said.
Marimon said this is not a political issue — it’s a human being issue. When students don’t feel safe going to school, something they have to do every day, there is a problem, she said.
If she can just alleviate the burden on one of the victims’ families through the fundraiser, then the efforts would be worthwhile, she said.
“To help is our responsibility as human beings,” Marimon said.
Paul Cuffe, a 24-year-old UF second-year law student, bought five raffle tickets Monday afternoon. He said while he didn’t personally know anyone directly affected by the tragedy, he thinks it’s horrific and has no place in society.
“I hope that they feel the love and support from the University of Florida down to South Florida,” he said.
Organizations in the Levin College of Law are creating cards and raising money for victims of the Parkland Shooting through selling donuts. Sheyla Marimon, 24, second-year law student and Andres Perotti, 24, second-year law student are working to garner support. They had reached $400 of the $1000 goal at the time that this photo was taken.
