After Pulse: Roxy Santiago

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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.

Pulse: Don Price

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Don Price was the sexton at Greenwood Cemetery at the time of the Pulse Nightclub massacre. He got a call from the mayors office the weekend of the shooting. He had been out at the beach watching a Space X launch. He returned to met with the mayors office. The mayor wanted to know if Greenwood could handle the 50 burials. The mayor also wanted to see the area of the cemetery that could accommodate the families on about Sunday afternoon. It was announced that the families would not have any cost of burial at Greenwood. People thought that meant the burials were free, but there were costs. Several anonymous law firms underwrote the burials paying families for the plots. 50 spaces were set aside. The section that was set aside had just opened up two months earlier, so it was easy to send the mayor photos and plot maps since it was just surveyed.

The cemetery worked with the state. The cemetery map became a war board. Funeral homes had to be called each day and reports sent to the state. The cemetery kept track of every funeral and service. Men’s dress suits and flowers were donated to families. Almost 21 victims were buried in Puerto Rico.  It is possible some of them will return to Greenwood because of hurricane Maria. Families have been displaced and families may want their loved ones back in America. These were 21 year old kids. We ended up burying 4 in Greenwood. Others were buried in, Tampa, Texas and North Carolina.

He met with families that did not understand everything going on.  They didn’t live in Orlando and suddenly they had to decided if they should bury their loved one at Greenwood or back to Puerto Rico. He had to give each family their options and let them decide. Services started Saturday. It was the first time the cemetery had multiple holes open at once. Tents were put up and families were kept separate from the holes. It was chaos.

People who come in the cemetery want to know where the Pulse section is even today. There are 49 bricks set aside for a memorial at the cemetery but that project was put on hold because so much is going on.  It will be put up with no fan fare.

They went out dancing on Saturday night, and Sunday morning they were gone. Half of them were out of the state by Wednesday. Some parents would not recognize the sexuality of their children. One victim was not even picked up. Greenwood had to work on trying to get him picked up. Finally, next of kin made the arrangements.

The burial site for the Pulse victims is right next to Anderson Road. Mayor Buddy Dyer didn’t want to put the burial site on display, but he didn’t want to hide this part of history. From the site you can see the lake, and downtown Orlando. But there were threats of protesting. A 10 foot chain link fence was erected down Anderson and black construction mesh was added so families with a service would not feel like they were on display. Commissioner Patty Sheehan helped Don find American flags and rainbow flags so the families didn’t have to look at the black mesh. It gave them some color. A parade permit was pulled so they could close down the third lane on Anderson and shut down the wetlands park. So if protestors showed up they could be arrested. Luckily there were no protestors.

As a cemetery they have a right to control any still or video images shot on property. News crews could shoot between funerals but not during any funerals. No burials were filmed. Don had a police officer with him to be sure media respected families privacy. Everyone was watching.

Orlando has become a more open and accepting community. Greenwood was open to all races since day one, but if you go to Winter Garden,  Winter Park or Ocoee, there is a white cemetery and a black cemetery. Everyone in Orlando was affected by this tragedy. It was an attack against our entire community. It tied us together. Don stayed away from any of the memorials after the shooting. As he said, “When it comes to a memorial, the last thing you want is for the undertaker to be standing there.”

The Year of the Rat

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The 9th Annual Lunar New Year Dragon Parade began om Lake Highland Avenue near Track Shack and the Orange Studio, and made its way down Thornton Avenue finishing at the parking lot just north of Colonial near Spiral Circle Books and More. I parked at a side street about mid way down the route and made my way over to the parade route. The first thing that caught my eye was a pick up truck parked on a lawn. The tail gate was down and a couple sat in lawn chairs to watch the parade.

Then this giant live oak tree caught my eye. It occupied multiple lots in this suburban neighborhood. I had never seen it before and was pleased that it was allowed to thrive. One of the tree limbs arched down to the ground. People were lined up on the curbs all the way down the parade rout waiting for the parade to start. I started the sketch observing the twists and curves of the Live Oak. Than I started focusing on the people sitting cur side. I didn’t catch everyone because soon enough the parade was passing by.

City Commissioner Patty Sheehan passed by seated up in the back of a convertible carrying a small dragon marionette. Mayor Buddy Dyer, and Governor Jerry Demings and Commissioner Emily Bonilla also passed by. Acrobats. drum corps, and sword play streamed by in quick succession. I decided to focus on a dragon which snaked its way by quickly in spirals and circles. Another dragon passes by but this one had a large image of Bernie Sanders face taped over the dragon face. It was a rather funny reminder that elections are right around the corner.

Before my sketch felt complete the parade was over. I continued to work as the crowds dispersed. Welcome to the Year of the Rat.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan

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This post discusses the shooting that took place at the Pulse
Nightclub on June 12, 2016. It contains difficult content, so please do
not read on if you feel you may be effected. 

This article and sketch have been posted with the express written
permission of the interviewee. Analog Artist Digital World takes the
privacy and wishes of individuals very seriously. 

Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan has just won her bid for re-election when her opponent dropped out of the race. I know her as a strong supporter of the Orlando arts scene and that was exemplified by the art decorating her office in City Hall. It was encouraging to see art by local artists that I admire, and of course Patty is also an artist.

In 2016 she also had just been re-elected and sworn in. She was working on an initiative using left over campaign funds to cut back on graffiti, there was a duplex ordinance in the works, and she was battling puppy mills. Then Pulse happened and everything shifted. When something that horrific happens there is so much to do. Someone can make less than a $700 investment and do millions of dollars in damage in minutes. No one should have that kind of power, but Orlando had to deal with the aftermath. There are so many things that you can never ever prepare for. No other city or any other community, should have to go through this. It was horrific.

Pulse was formerly an Italian restaurant. It was such a pretty club. Ron Legler, was Barbara Poma‘s partner at the time it opened. Ron loved theater, one room was like the Moulan Rouge, it had a huge chandelier, a dance floor, it was beautiful. Then there was a darker bar in the back, then you had this white room. There were planters and LEDs would change the entire color of the room, it was so cool. It was so theatrical and amazing. They remodeled it a couple of times since then. Barbara’s brother had died of AIDS and that fueled Barbara’s passion and why it was called Pulse. It is unfair that something so awful happened to someone who is so good. She had to deal with much of the anger from families.

On June 11, 2016 Patty remembered going for a walk, painting, it was a typical day, but Sunday morning June 12 will stand out for as long as she lives. Her phone was off and she got up around 7:30am to 8am that morning. She went to check her phone and she thought, “Damn, my phone is blowing up.” Everybody was calling. Just then the phone rang, the house phone. It was Frank Billingsley the chief of staff. He said, “Are you sitting down?” He said “I don’t know how to tell you this but 21 people have been shot at Pulse Nightclub.” She relied, “No, no no, please tell me it is not the largest mass shooting. I’ll be right down.” She called Eddie, her police liaison. Eddie used to work off duty at Pulse. He had just stopped since he had other commitments on Sundays. Eddie picked her up. The car pulled right up to Kaley and Orange Avenue by Einstein Beagles. This was about 8:30am.

All the officers faces were ashen. It was very raw. She looked over and saw two people wrapped in tarps. Eddie didn’t want her to see that. She looked down and saw the blood. There were places where people had fallen, and you could  tell they were dragged across the street. There were bullet casings and and she thought “Oh my God, this is Orange Avenue.”  She looked down, and realized she was standing in blood. There was blood everywhere. She walked over near the club and saw Jim Young. He had been her police liaison for a few years, so they were close. She asked, “Where is Barbara?” he said,  “We don’t know yet.” She thought, “No, no, no.” She thought Barbara the club owner was inside.

Mayor Buddy Dyer and several other commissioners went into a command center for an update. It was an air conditioned tent. They said 21 people had died at the time. They were really matter of fact about it and she was devastated. They didn’t understand what she was going through. Thank god Eddie was there. She walked back out with Eddie and Jim, they were her safe emotional space. The governor was there and she just didn’t want to deal with him. He had never been supportive of the LGBTQ community. Terry DeCarlo got there. She just hugged him. Pastor Kevin Cobaris came over and asked if he could prey with them. A picture of that moment went everywhere. Joe Burbank took that picture.

Later at a press conference they said 50 had died including the gunman in the count.  There was a hush. Media are usually always talking but everybody gasped. Media are usually don’t react they are trying to be professional, but she remembered that audible gasp. Everybody was shocked. The  number was unbelievable. She just hugged Terry. So multiple politicians got up to speak and she thought , “No one had said the word, Gay, they didn’t say Latino.” So she got up there and said, “We are a gay lesbian, bisexual, transgender community and we are united. If you think you are going to destroy us you are not because we are a strong, resilient, decent, loving people. This is who we are.” She was mad because she didn’t want them to be erased.

Patty’s phone blew up after her remarks. Everyone wanted to talk to her and a PR person stepped in to handle the deluge. She was told, “You need to be the voice of this, because others will take advantage and you are going to say the right things to help your community even if they are not.” This became her roll. She started doing interviews. She was concerned about Barbara and found out that she had been in Mexico and she was coming back. Thank god she was not inside. But then she thought, she will be devastated that she wasn’t there.

She remembered seeing Christine Leinonenwho kept asking, Where is my son?” Patty could only relate “I didn’t know, and that I’m sorry. It was so hot, and people were sitting on the sidewalks crying. They had nowhere to go. They were taken to the hotel but there was too much of a scene. People
were just looking for their kids. That was so heartbreaking and there was no information yet. Finally they opened up the Beardall Center so they had somewhere to go, looking for some answer.

Then she would get shocked back into anger since CNN wanted to do an interview with Pam Bondi and Patty together. So Pam walked right up to her and said, “You know Patty we have to do something to help the LGBTQ community.” Patty responded “I look forward to the change.” She needed to  be diplomatic since State benefits were on the line and the families were going to need the funeral benefits. Patty was already set with a mic. She thought, “I can’t do this.” A producer walked up and asked if she was OK with doing the interview and she said no. The FBI brought resources, the State people brought resources, they were helping. As much some politicians did not help, Senator Bill Nelson was getting families visas and all the things that were needed. Not all families were here they had to come from other places.

Patty met Christopher Hanson on the street. She had seen him on the news. She told him he needed to go to the Center, to get help, there were counselors there. There was another young man, he came up to her between media interviews and said, “My friend is in my apartment and he has been shot. He is undocumented.” She grabbed him by the arm and said, “You have to promise me, Immigration is not going to come, ICE is not going to come, promise me you will take your friend to the hospital.” Stuff like that was heart breaking. Patty went from media tent to media tent. Her goal was to talk about the LGBTQ community, The Latin American community, the people of color who were impacted. She wanted to talk about victims and to get blood to the blood banks, and to raise money to help. Equality Florida had a Go Fund Me already in place. She wanted to be sure people gave to a trusted source. There were many scams afterwards.

She had been on the street from 8:30 in the morning until 11:30 that night. She stayed the next day all day as well. It was so hot. Her feet were burnt from the soles of her shoes. It was a frenzy. She finally got back to her office later that week. She expected a pile of complaints about the streets being closed, hundreds of people were being inconvenienced. There was only one complaint from a guy that hadn’t bothered to renew his drivers license. Everyone else was offering help. There were people on the street with food. All these restaurants that were loosing business brought out food to all the people at the scene. Ace hardware was was cooking hot dogs for everybody on their grills. They were closed they lost thousands of dollars in business. The church put out drinks for everybody. We recharged our phones at the church and they put pastries and food out for everyone. Everyone was so kind. If there is a message to this, it is that love wins, that we all came together. You can never just turn the lights off, that says that darkness wins. You want to be a light to the world you want to show love. That is what Orlando did.

Equality Florida wanted to have the vigil right away. The city tried to discourage them for as long as they could, and they had the vigil that following Monday. Patty wasn’t even planning to go. She was honestly mad at them because they still had officers on the street. There were so many resources that were needed elsewhere. She decided to go just to find Eddie because there were just no cops. Should something happen she wanted to be there with Eddie to help protect people. She wasn’t planning to go on stage but when she walked up, people were clapping and she was overwhelmed. She didn’t feel worthy of the applause, because they had died. People told her she did a good job but it wasn’t about her getting attention, it was about the 49 it was the worst moment of her life. She doesn’t remember what she said. Everything said those first 4 or 5 days was all off the cuff. She wanted to tell the story of Orlando, many people have this idea of Orlando being the theme parks, but we have a downtown. As mad as she was at Equality Florida it was a beautiful thing that happened. She remembered the bells ringing 49 times. She approached a news cameraman and asked how long it took to ring the bells 49 times. It took eight and half minutes. An eternity.

Patty lost half her friends to AIDS between the age of 25 and 30. she
dealt with some horrific things in her life, but it prepared her so she
could be on that street to try and help those families.  Don Price put aside 49 cemetery plots at Greenwood Cemetery in case they were needed. There was a family with a divorce, and the dad took all the money and he buried his son in a paupers cemetery. So they are trying to get him back to Orlando but he has to be cremated and they are Catholic, there are all these issues.  It is still going on. It was great of the hospital to forgive the bills. But there is continuing care. The money raised by the one fund was enough to bury victims but it wasn’t enough to help the most horrifically wounded victims. There are about ten of them that have injuries that are going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Patty has become friends with a lot of the survivors. They are amazing, beautiful, loving, and forgiving people. They
did not deserve what happened to them. Many people have moved on. One
survivor went to work and sat down and the incision in his stomach
opened up. He doesn’t get to move on. We are still healing from Pulse. We
are probably never going to be the same.

Orange County Regional History Center Auction

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The Orange County Regional History Center is getting a major redesign in the next few years with modern digital interactive displays and is basically being overhauled from head to toe to improve the experience. Several months ago the large ceiling mounted display in the lobby was dismantled. Alligators, manatees, huge mosquitoes, and other Central Florida flora and fauna came down. The manatees were sitting in the loading bay for the longest time.

The History Center decided to hold an auction to sell off items from the old displays to help raise money for the multi-million dollar renovations and improvements they are planning. This was a sketch opportunity I could not miss. The room was packed when The History Center’s chief curator, Pam Schwartz, and I arrived. I immediately tucked myself away behind some tables set up to hold items in the auction. To my right was a large steam engine train. To my left was a Conestoga wagon, some camping vehicles, a mermaid, some mastodon tusks, and a model of a theme park water slide.

I had seen this auctioneer in action before, he was highly polished and kept the action lively. The bidding was fast and furious. In the aisles were people who would yelp whenever someone bid. The guy closest to me had a thick New York accent and he was hilarious and gracious. The lots wold be sold as groupings, for instance, if you wanted a manatee you needed to buy three manatees. If you wanted a pink flamingo, you would have to buy 5 flamingos. The museum for some reason had quite a few antique toy robots. The cheapest item of the day was a set of golf clubs in a bag for only a dollar. Patty Sheehan bought a hilarious looking green frog wearing a crown modeled after a character at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Brendan O’Connor brought home an antique robot.

After the bidding on the larger items, everyone who was left gathered at a back table to bit on smaller items. It was fun to watch as people struggled to take home the large items purchased. A wife scolded her husband for trying to carry a five foot model space shuttle all on his own. The women who brought the manatees, gators, and some large metal leaves were planning to create a Florida themed back yard pool area. The leaves would function as decorative access block for an outdoor shower. She and her partner were just out running errands at 7-11 when they decided to go to the auction.  Having never been to an auction before they were surprised with all they brought home.

As a fundraiser the auction turned out to be a huge success. Pam pitched the idea as a joke at one of the meetings since they thought most of the items should have been thrown out. Now they are being tenderly refurbished by their new owners. Two large Corinthian columns and the 4 foot high flamingos remained behind as the auction space quieted down. People must have planned to pick these items up later when they had a large enough truck to transport them.

Kiss My Art

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Boris Douglas Garbe and Marla E. Smith were live at Maxine’s on Shine (337 North Shine Avenue Orlando FL). Boris and Marla joined forces to host a syndicated talk show called Kiss My Art, and this was a live taping of that show. Their guest for the evening was Chris Fioravantti. Chris was sporting a signature jacket that was given to him by commissioner Patty Sheehan. It was covered with day of the dead skulls. Before taking to the stage he vogued in it for admirers in the audience. Chris is a podcaster himself so he is used to conducting interviews with local guests.


Boris and Marla sat on opposite sides of Chris and each asked him questions in turn. Boris confided that he had experienced bullying as a kid so he was interested in a traumatic story from Chris’s past. Chris related that he kept to himself in school. On a trip on his bike he noticed several kids bullying a gay fellow student. He knew of him but they were not particularly close. He decided he had to act so he shouted out for the bullies to stop. When they didn’t he hopped off his bike and got into the middle of the fight. He started getting blows to his head and had to close his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he was on thee ground and he found that the kid he had come to help, had joined the bullies in hitting and kicking him while he was down. In hind sight he didn’t blame the kid. It was his way to survive the incident.


Chris also found out later in life that he was adopted. His adopted family was in the audience and there were some ties between the father who abandoned him and his adopted family which made his telling of this story all the more brave. Today Chris works as a Dog groomer which he loves, but someday he hopes that the podcasts he creates can lift him up so he can live a financially stable existence. After the interview was over, I found a card on my table that announced that The Experience will be coming this February.  

As Chris stated, “At my core I am an artist. I play the guitar, the ukulele, and the
piano. At one point I studied audio engineering, but podcasting is my
true passion. When I was approached by Kyle Eagle and Boris Garbe in
late 2018 to start my own podcast I jumped at the chance!!!” So, be sure to put, The Experience on your radar. It is now on mine.

Fisher Fiesta

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Fisher Miga was the little Pomeranian pup who brought joy to so many in his recurring role as the dog behind Dog Powered Robot. I was back stage for the very first performance of that epic show and still remember the wild and boisterous laughter from the crowd. Every artist was given the same 3 minute song to act as the inspiration for their performance and Dog Powered Robot blew the concept wide open. I peeked out from behind the back stage curtains to catch a glimpse of the wild reception.

The Fisher Fiesta was a low key party to celebrate the dog who made so many people smile.

Fisher was diagnosed with cancer, on top of the other health issues he was dealing with, and his humans, Evan and Christie Miga wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to pet his little head before his ailments got worse. He was doing great given his circumstances, Christie and Evan described the last months as bonus time. Every day that Fisher was happy and comfortable was a gift.

He definitely seemed on his game, begging for treats and greeting people as they arrived.  The whose who of the Orlando Theater Community showed up to pet the little guy. I of course struggled with one last sketch. By the end of the party, Fisher retired to Christie’s back room studio where he had a comfy spot under her art table. City Commissioner Patty Sheehan was there discussing big green eggs and smoking meat in the kitchen with Pam. Photo albums were out showing the vast collection of magazine articles and clippings about the famous Pomeranian and Dog Powered Robot. I was proud to see some of my framed prints among the archives.

When Pam and I finally left, people were still arriving. Opera director Eric Pinder was parking as we pulled away. That little puppy lived an operatic life. Evan announced on Facebook on March 31, 2019 that they had to let Fisher go on Saturday morning.
He passed peacefully in a small park in Christie’s arms, looking into Evan’s
eyes, and surrounded by love. The cancer got the best of him over that last week. Fisher was a world traveler, a performer, a therapy dog, and a friend to so many. He is, and forever will be, deeply missed. I am publishing a book about the past 10 years of Orlando Fringe and he appeared so many times in my sketches, being one of Fringe’s biggest stars.

Pulse 2 Year Memorial

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June 12, 2018 marked 2 years since the massacre of 49 people at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Barbara Poma the owner of the club held a vigil at the nightclub to honor those lost. She founded Pulse for her brother who was gay and died from Aids. The name of the club was meant to keep his pulse alive. Now that Pulse is looking to keep 49 other peoples memories alive as well. An interim memorial was installed on the site featuring landscaping and design from Dix Hite Partners. A large photo mosaic mural was wrapped around the the building. The mural incorporates hundreds of photos pulled from the Orange County History Center‘s collection.

Pam Schwartz and I went to the memorial on June 12, 2018 just before sunset for the memorial and celebration of life. I decided to stop and sketch the iconic Pulse sign since I figured it might be difficult to get a view of the stage. Pam ended up sitting close to the stage since she is involved with the Pulse memorial task force. The base of the sign had been encased in a solid plastic case which lit up as it grew dark. People could sign the plastic with whiteboard markers that were supplied. These messages could be periodically erases so new messages could be added. A father stood his small daughter on his shoulders so she could sign high up.

Several of the Sisters of  Perpetual Indulgence stood on the far side of the sign. They wore black nun habits and one wore a rainbow veil held in place by Mickey Mouse ears. The angels were out in force although I doubt all 49 were there with their PVC and bed sheet fabric wings. Jen Vargas was an angel and she sat in her electric wheel chair wearing the large wings. She has been through surgery and seeing an angel in a wheel chair seemed appropriate for the occasion. A teenage daughter hugged her mom in front of me. Barbara Poma spoke, but her voice was so soft I couldn’t catch a word.

Politicians took to the stage. Each had a set script which was interpreted in Spanish on a teleprompter so Spanish speaking members of the audience could understand what was being conveyed. County Mayor Theresa Jacobs went off script and the planned interpretation had to stop. County Commissioner Patty Sheehan was in the crowd early on,  but she disappeared before all the political speeches. One man had sound muffling ear phones on and he shook and hugged his dog. I thought he might be crying, but I think he just isn’t used to being out in public.

Blue and her dancers performed on the stage which unfortunately I couldn’t see since the crowd was so thick. A chorus sang a bilingual Somewhere Over the Rainbow medley that incorporated songs from Wicked. The song Changed for the Better was included and it is a song I have found inspiring since the day I first saw the show. A rainbow formed across the club and cell phones rose in tribute to record the moment.

Trash 2 Trends: An Evening of Recycled Fashion.

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The third annual Trash 2 Trends held at Sea World‘s Ports of Call, is a fundraiser which  brings
the fashion and art of local artists together with the environmental
community to promote sustainability in an innovative way. The show
features local designers who create runway looks from items headed to
the landfill. Money raised went to Keep Orlando Beautiful, whose mission is to engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community  environment through litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling and beautification  efforts.

There were complimentary appetizers during the cocktail hour, and a dessert
and coffee bar was be provided during intermission for all guests. This is always a fun evening with some outlandish and quite beautiful designs created. Judges included City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Maxine Earhart, Flora Maria Garcia and designer Nailuj Villarroel.

The most Avant Guard design was in black, white and silver with very pointy over the top sun glasses, by designer Brittany Mikell. The most wearable award went to Nancy Alanso for an elegant white gown. The best use of material, by Gail Warner had a skirt made from hundreds of soda 6 pack holders. The Top Design award went to Christina Woodman for a black blouse and white skirt combination that was offset with a sharp 45 degree angle at the waist.  The audience choice went to Helaine Schneider for a poofy Van Gogh starry night themed dress.

The next Trash 2 Trends:

Date: Saturday, February 3, 2018

Location: SeaWorld’s Ports of Call, 7007 Seaworld Drive, Orlando, Fl 32821

Time: 7 – 10 p.m.

Attire: Cocktail

Pulse Memorial and Candlelight Vigil.

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The parking lot of Christ Church Unity Orlando (771 W Holden Ave, Orlando, Florida 32839) was full and we were directed to park on the grass. This vigil happening one year and three days after the Pulse Nightclub massacre was going to be crowded. The invitation noted that no backpacks were allowed in the sanctuary. I decided to use my iPad to sketch so I could leave my bag of watercolor art supplies behind.

A harp player set the mood as we entered the sanctuary. Governor Rick Scott entered with his entourage. Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan was also in attendance. The evening was a celebration of life, honoring and remembering the lives so tragically taken in the Pulse Nightclub shooting. It was to be a time of healing, love, and unity for all. The names of the victims were read aloud during the ceremony.

 Pastors from several churches were in attendance along with Terri Stead-Pierce, Senior Pastor of Joy Metropolitan Community Church. Joy has been an open and accepting place of worship for the gay community for over 30 years. After Pulse happened, Joy was overlooked as churches held memorial services to honor those lost. A year later and Joy is no longer being marginalized. Music offered solace as candles were handed out to everyone in attendance. The warm glow lighting each individual face.

After the ceremony, Commissioner Patty Sheehan offered me a hand-made quilt crafted by the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild. The quilt had rainbow colored hearts in bold rows of color. The Central Florida based quilters wanted to help after the Pulse tragedy and so did what they know best, which is to sew. A call to help went out to the quilting community and the response was grand.  Quilts and quilt blocks were created and sent from 22 countries and 50 states. The goal was to gather enough quilts to help not only the victims who
survived, but the families of victims who perished, as well as first
responders, nurses, police officers, etc. They started with a goal of making about 100 quilts and have now made over 2000.