After Pulse: Roxy Santiago

Posted on by Thor

Roxy Santiago became involved after the Pulse Nightclub massacre helping the community. Th month before the tragedy she had been asked to be on the board of the Center. Her start date was to be June 28, 2016 but Pulse happened. She was also a volunteer with the Red Cross action disaster team.

Roxy woke up at about 5AM on June 12, 2016 because there were so many updates on her phone. A message said, “I hope Kay is OK.” Kay, a good friend was dating a bartender at Pulse. She scoured the internet and saw what had happened at Pulse. She couldn’t believe it at first.

She decided to text The Center. She decided that is where she needed to go to help out. She arrived about 7:30AM. She opened her laptop and started to find out what was needed, water food. She worked through Human Rights Campaign, Democratic Caucus, and her own Facebook. The phones were blowing up. Water was needed at the blood bank and then there was an immigration issue. It was four days of non- stop communication and gathering of resources.

At 9:30AM she had to go down to Pulse and do a live interview on TV representing The Center. There was so much going on that there wasn’t even a moment to shed a tear. After a hug you might well up but then you would have to get back. There was a real bond between the seven of so people who were there for the four days. A men’s clothing store donated the clothes for the funerals. So many elements came together that you normally do not thin about. Golden Chorale donated a refrigerator truck for the water. The truck couldn’t handle all the water, so The Track Shack let them use their warehouse space to store it. Whatever came in, went right out the back door to families.

Days later she went home and there was a program on TV where Lady Gaga read the names. For the first time tears flowed. She pulled herself back together and went right back to the Center. At the Dr. Phillips vigil she helped Patty Sheehan with the Spanish section of her speech. She didn’t make it to Lake Eola.

For the one year remembrance she wore the angel wings and went to Pulse at 2AM. That experience made her heart feel a little better and it kept her going. The work was ongoing.

Bosphorus

Posted on by Thor

A friend of Pam’s came to Orlando for a nursing conference at the convention center. She was staying on International drive so we picked her up and took her to Bosphorus down by Dr Phillips. Bosphorus (7600 Dr Phillips Blvd Suite 108 Orlando, FL 32819) is well known for its large puffy Lavas or hollow bread. While Pam and her friend were catching back up I started to sketch before the food arrived. We ordered an appetizer sampler with A combination of humus, babaganoush, sauteed eggplant, tabbouleh, esme, tarama, haydari, and stuffed grape leaves. There was a pile of pita wedges to dip and try a bit of each.

After we ate, we decided to go to a bowling alley on International Drive. Pam and her friend needed socks so they went shopping at Walgreen’s. No one would ever want to put on bowling alley shoes without socks. Who knows where those shoes have been or what they have seen. While they were inside I remembered I had socks in my bag that I save as back up paint rags. I ran inside to let them know I had an extra pair of socks. I often take my Crealde students to a bowling alley in Winter Park, so I have grown accustomed to sketching the gestures of different bowlers when they release the ball. The Winter Park alley hosts leagues so I get to see some really talented bowlers. However I have not bowled for probably 20 of so years. The bowling alley on international drive seemed smaller than the lanes I have grown accustomed to sketching. At the end of each alley are TV screens plying advertisements and lights project the American flag onto the lane itself. Anyway I account my low score to these visual distractions. Actually each of us won one game that night. so no one went home feeling like a looser.

Though we avoid International Drive like the plague, I have to admit it was a fun night out.

Kids invade the Orange Grove.

Posted on by Thor

With construction complete on the New Kids Town in the Orlando Science Center, (777 East Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803) I returned on a Saturday to the Orange Grove to see how kids like the new play area.To say the liked it is a understatement. Kids love this play area. Parents waited by sitting on d bench that separated a much smaller toddler’s play area from the orange grove. A bicycle that looks like a tractor is used to power a conveyor belt lift that brings the orange balls up to an elevated ramp. A hand peddle powers a second lift. All of these balls roll it a large water tower with the Dr. Phillips logo on it. Some balls then roll down other ramps to fall behind the bulbous plastic trees where holes allow the “fruit” to be picked. When the water tower is full of balls, an alarm goes off and warning light flash. Kids learn like Pavlovian pets to run to the tower where all the balls fall all at once out of the tower. Kids hold up collecting trays and their bare hands in hopes of catch in as much as they can.

There are conveyor belts that transport the balls through machines this must act as cleaners. A truck can be loaded up to transport the “fruit” to market. It is amazing how competitive Kids become to gather up as much “fruit” as they can. The final stop is y fresh fruit market. A girl rushing towards the market with a box full o oranges knocked the sketch boo out of my lap without missing a beat. Besides the oranges, there over other pillory fruits like watermelons. Several parents returned to there waiting be n and the wife signaled over to me to let me know they were in the same spot to be sketched.