Nearly a week after the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, nearly $4 million has been raised for the families of the victims.
Following last week’s mass shooting at the hands of a trans-identified gunman that left two students dead and 18 more between the ages of 6 and 15 injured, several fundraisers have been launched on the online crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to raise money for the victims and their families.
The fundraisers have raised a combined total of nearly $3.9 million as of Tuesday afternoon.
A fundraiser spearheaded by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, titled “The Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund,” has raised nearly $725,000 to “provide financial support to the Church of the Annunciation for the needs of the church and school and to provide support to those affected by the tragedy.”
Another campaign created to support “families who need assistance with medical bills, burial and funeral costs” has secured over $500,000 in funding, far exceeding its $10,000 goal.
The Catholic United Financial Credit Union has raised over $170,000 for the victims of the mass shooting. Most of the fundraisers established in the wake of the tragedy were spearheaded to cover the medical costs of a specific victim.
Sophia Forchas, a 12-year-old student at Annunciation School who was shot during the attack, has received over $690,000. Those donations will help cover the costs of her medical care, recovery and trauma counseling for the young girl and her brother, who witnessed the attack but escaped unharmed. The money secured from the fundraiser will also go towards “family support services and therapy” and “lost wages for the family.”
A fundraiser on behalf of Victor, another student injured in the attack who has since been released from the hospital, has received over $338,000 in donations. More than $315,000 in donations have poured in to support Lydia Kaiser, who is in serious condition after sustaining an injury during the shooting.
Genevieve Bisek, an 11-year-old Annunciation student who was shot in the neck, has secured nearly $200,000 for her medical care and recovery. Endre, a 13-year-old Annunciation student who asked the surgeon tasked with treating him, “Can you say a prayer with me?” has received over $225,000 in donations.
More than $150,000 has been raised to cover the medical expenses of Vivian St. Clair, a 9-year-old student who was shot multiple times.
A fundraiser on behalf of injured student David Haeg has also brought in over $150,000 in donations. A student named Weston has received more than $65,000 in donations to cover the costs of surgery to remove a bullet fragment in his neck.
Two fundraisers have been set up for 10-year-old Harper Moyski, one of the two children who lost their lives in the mass shooting. One fundraiser has brought in more than $60,000, while the other has raised over $278,000.
“In memory of Harper, they wish to eventually donate to an organization on Harper’s behalf,” one of the GoFundMe campaigns reads. “For now, the resources raised here will aid in the long, unmapped road to recovery for the Moyski family.”
It is unclear if there is any fundraising effort to support the family of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who also died in the shooting.
On Monday, the police updated the casualty total to reflect that at least three more students were injured in the shooting, bringing the total to 18 students between the ages of 6 and 15 wounded. Three adults in their 80s were also injured during the mass.
Two children and one adult remain hospitalized at the Hennepin County Medical Center, officials told the media. One of the two children is in critical condition, NBC affiliate KARE 11 reported Monday.
Principal Matthew D. DeBoer and Priest Fr. Dennis Zehren said in a joint statement that they are “navigating an impossible situation” with the school community.
“No words can capture what we have gone through, what we are going through, and what we will go through in the coming days and weeks. But we will navigate this — together,” they said.
While many public figures called for thoughts and prayers, former White House press secretary under former President Joe Biden and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki received pushback last week for suggesting that prayer “is not freaking enough.”
Vice President JD Vance defended the effectiveness of prayer in response to Psaki’s X post.
“We pray because our hearts are broken,” Vance said. “We pray because we know God listens. We pray because we know that God works in mysterious ways, and can inspire us to further action. Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
