It's been a rough few days for all of us, given Tampa Bay's proximity to Orlando and the interconnectedness of Florida's LGBT community.
Local organizations are stepping up to help in any way they can.
Some, like the Tampa Bay Rays, are using already-scheduled events aimed at celebrating Pride (June is Pride Month, after all) to raise money and seek blood donations to help victims of the devastating attack at Pulse, where some 49 died and over 50 were wounded Sunday morning.
Friday at Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays hosts their annual Pride night, and this year the team hopes to raise money for victims of the shooting and their families.
All open seats to the 7:10 game against the San Francisco Giants are for sale for $5 each, and all proceeds will be donated to the Pulse Victims Fund, a gofundme page set up to help victims and their families. Find tickets here.
Parking at team-operated lots will also be $5.
All attendees will also receive "We Are Orlando" t-shirts (pictured above).
Outside the stadium Friday and Saturday (starting at 4 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively), bloodmobiles will be parked and accepting donations. Those who give will receive a OneBlood t-shirt as well as two tickets to a future regular season game in 2016, which can be reserved online.
Those who want to donate blood but can't make it to either game have another option courtesy of the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs.
On Thursday, the Bay Pines V.A. Medical Center will host a Pride Celebration and blood drive at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd. The celebration takes place in the J.C. Cobb room in the main building from 12-1 p.m. (it's probably a good idea to stop there for food and drink if you're donating blood that day).
A bloodmobile will be parked in front of the building from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
While some organizations are offering opportunities for supporters to help out with blood and money donations, others recognize the need for healing in the community itself.
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is offering counseling for locals overwhelmed by the grief they feel as a result of Sunday's events.
“The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay stands in solidarity with the LGBT and Orlando communities. We are reaching out to the LGBT communities in both Orlando and Tampa to offer our support for survivors and families,” Crisis Center CEO Clara Reynolds said in an emailed statement. “The Crisis Center is here for those who are impacted by this terrible tragedy.”
Those who feel they would benefit from talking to someone in the wake of the event are invited to call 2-1-1, which in Hillsborough directs to the nonprofit's call center.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2016.