Remembering Parkland

On Feb. 14, 2018, the unthinkable happened in Parkland, Florida. A former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 14 students and three staff members, while also injuring 17 others. For the families and friends of the victims, the senseless tragedy thrust them into the public spotlight and forever changed their lives.

Over the past five years, many of the victims’ families have worked tirelessly to honor the memories of their loved ones. Several have also joined forces to advocate for school safety by launching organizations that strive to end the cycle of gun violence in schools, such as Stand with Parkland (standwithparkland.org).

In January 2023, The Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation (parkland17.org) began raising money to create a public memorial to honor the victims of the Parkland school shooting. Tony Montalto, father of Gina, one of the students killed that day, is vice-chairman of the nonprofit and said in a news release that the memorial will be located in the 150-acre preserve that borders Coral Springs and Parkland.

Memories and legacies of the students and staff who lost their lives that horrific day live on through scholarships and foundations that inspire change and provide meaningful impact. Here are their stories.

Jaime Guttenberg

It’s impossible to find a photo of Jaime Guttenberg, 14, without a smile on her face. Whether performing in a dance competition or snuggling with one of her family’s Goldendoodles, Jaime’s joy was contagious.

Her father, Fred Guttenberg, remembers his daughter as someone who always wanted to lift others. She volunteered with special needs children and dreamed of becoming a pediatric physical therapist.

“In my last photo of Jaime, she’s holding our four-month-old Goldendoodle puppy, Cooper,” Guttenberg says. “In the days and weeks following her death, Cooper and our older dog, Charli, saved us by providing unconditional emotional support.”

Wanting to help other families affected by gun violence, Fred and his wife, Jennifer, launched the nonprofit Paws of Love (orangeribbonsforjaime.org/paws-of-love) in November 2022.

“Paws of Love is a tribute to Jaime’s love of dogs and provides families affected by gun violence by giving them a support dog from Moss Creek Goldendoodles and providing veterinary care, grooming and everything needed for their dog’s first year,” Guttenberg says.

On Feb. 25, the 1st Annual Orange Ribbons for Jaime Gala will be held at The Loft at Congress in Boca Raton. Tickets are available at orangeribbonsforjaime.org, with proceeds going to Paws of Love.

Since 2018, the Guttenbergs have operated Orange Ribbons for Jaime (orangeribbonsforjaime.org) to support causes that were important to their daughter. Each year they also award 14 scholarships to students in three categories: dance, helping hands and all abilities.

Fred also speaks at schools, churches and other venues across the country. In 2020, he authored the book “Find the Helpers,” about the people he’s met since Jaime’s death and how each have helped him in his fight against gun violence. His second book, “American Carnage: Shattering the Myths That Fuel Gun Violence,” examines the myths surrounding guns and gun violence and will be released in May 2023.

Chris Hixon

Chris Hixon, 49, was the athletic director and wrestling coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A Navy veteran, Chris lost his life attempting to disarm the school shooter.

Debra (Debbi) Hixon, his wife of 28 years, fondly remembers her husband as someone with a zest for life who served both his students and his country, joining the Reserves long after he left active duty. The couple met in 1988 at a friend’s wedding when she was 21 and Chris was 20.

In the years since his death, Hixon, a teacher, and mother of two sons, has traveled the country advocating for school safety, responsible firearm ownership and better mental health services. She also serves on the board of Stand with Parkland and with 4FNow (Fewer Firearms, Fewer Funerals), 4fnow.org, a group founded by Parkland shooting victims that buys back firearms to keep the community safe.

Two years after her husband's death, Hixon was approached to run for the Broward County School Board and in November 2022 she was named vice chair (she was first elected to the school board in 2020).

“My goal is to ensure no other family has to go through what we went through,” she says.

To honor her husband’s legacy and love of coaching, Hixon and her sons, Tom and Corey, founded the Chris Hixon Foundation (chrishixonathleticscholarship.com). The family holds an annual Chris Hixon 5K Run and Walk with all profits funding scholarships for student-athletes at the schools Chris worked at during his 20+ years in Broward County. Their 5th annual memorial run is slated for Feb. 25 (Chris’ birthday), in Hollywood, Fla.

“Chris loved coaching and supporting his students,” she says. “He was a hero to us every day and we wanted to do something positive to honor him.”

Hixon says the idea for a 5K run was inspired by a 5K that her husband would run with his youngest son, Corey.

Scott Beigel

Linda Beigel Schulman cherishes the box filled with all the cards and letters that her son Scott Beigel sent from summer sleepaway camp.

“Scott attended his first summer camp at the age of 7 and continued going for the next 28 years,” she says. “He loved camp so much that even when he was teaching geography at Stoneman Douglas, he’d return each summer to work as a camp counselor.”

Beigel, 35, who was the cross-country coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, died trying to usher students into his classroom.

Two days after his murder, Schulman launched Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund (sjbmf.org) to honor her son and keep his memory alive.

“Since Scott loved summer camp and mentoring kids, it made sense to combine the two,” she says. “Through Scott’s memorial fund, we send at-risk kids who have been affected by gun violence to summer sleepaway camp. As long as they stay in school and out of trouble we continue paying their way to camp until the age of 16.”

Schulman says many students go on to become counselors-in-training and full counselors. In 2022, SJBMF awarded grants totaling $283,600 and sent 212 children to summer sleepaway camp in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. In 2023, the nonprofit will provide grants to send at-risk, underserved kids in Florida to summer sleepaway camp for two weeks.

To support the camp scholarships, SJBMF holds a bi-annual Run 4 Beigel on Long Island, where Beigel's family lives. This year’s event marked what would have been his 40th birthday. On March 5, a Run 4 Beigel (run4beigel.com) will be held in Parkland.

“We make it a real family event with a 10K run, a 5K run/walk, a 1K fun run and lots of activities for families,” Schulman says. “Last year we had over 900 participants.”

Joaquin Oliver

Manuel Oliver knows the power of Generation Z (those born between 1995-2010). He saw firsthand the leadership qualities in his son, Joaquin, 17.

Oliver says Joaquin, who moved to Florida from Venezuela with his family when he was 3, was an aspiring artist and writer who also loved basketball.

Today, Oliver, his wife Patricia and their daughter Andrea continue to fight on behalf of their son and other victims of gun violence.

“Joaquin, who was fondly known as Guac, was passionate about issues such as immigrant rights and civil rights,” Oliver says. “We decided to start a leadership legacy based on how we believe Joaquin would have worked to inspire change.”

The Olivers founded Change the Ref (changetheref.org), to give young people the tools they need to bring about change. The organization uses urban art and nonviolent tactics to raise awareness about mass shootings and to encourage change.

“We started the battle by losing the battle,” Oliver says. “We want to fight the epidemic of gun violence and to be part of the solution for younger generations.”

One of Change the Ref’s efforts is the nationwide project, Walls of Demand (wallsofdemand.com), featuring a series of powerful murals painted by Oliver, that serve as live activism graphic art. Murals created for Walls of Demand are located across the country.

Another campaign initiative was Shamecards (shamecards.org), a project that encourages people to send virtual postcards to their legislators depicting cities where mass shootings have occurred, asking, “Is this how you want your city to be remembered? Change the gun laws before they change us.”

For 2023, the nonprofit’s latest project is Building Up Strengths in Youth (BUSY), a modern version of the Freedom Riders’ vehicle, that will transport gun violence prevention groups across the country to empower communities.

Nicholas Dworet

An avid swimmer and captain of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School swim team, Nicholas Dworet, 17, dreamed of competing as a swimmer in th

e 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He had just been accepted to the University of Indianapolis on a swim scholarship. His brother, Alex, was also injured in the school shooting.

Nick swam for TS Aquatics in Tamarac and also competed on the high school’s team. As one of the fastest swimmers in his age group, Nick hoped to represent Sweden, his mother’s birthplace, in the Olympics.

“Since his death, we’ve heard stories we’d never heard before of how Nick inspired and helped his teammates train and practice,” says his mom, Annika Dworet. “Rather than remember how he died, we wanted to celebrate how Nick lived.”

The family, along with Nick’s girlfriend Daria and her father started the Swim 4 Nick Foundation (nicholasdworetfund.org) holding fundraising events including an Ocean Race and a free swim clinic to help local swimmers improve their strokes. On March 26, the first Run4Nick 5K/10K will be held. Proceeds from the events go towards scholarships to student swimmers who are headed to college.

“In the future, we’d like to donate to swim programs in underserved areas to purchase equipment including swim goggles and caps for students who couldn’t otherwise afford them,” says his dad, Mitch Dworet.

His parents remember Nick as hardworking, goal-driven, but also lovable and empathetic.

In 2019, a magnolia tree, bench and plaque with a photo of Nick was installed at the Coral Springs Aquatic Center. The plaque features one of Nick’s inspiring quotes: “I will train as hard as I can in and out of the water. Even on my hardest days, I swear to give it my all and let nothing stand in my way.”

Alyssa Alhadeff

Alyssa, 14, dreamed of being on the U.S. Women’s national soccer team. She had played competitive soccer since the age of 3 and was a star soccer player and captain of the Parkland Travel Soccer team. Alyssa also played on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas varsity soccer team and enjoyed volunteering with children at a local homeless shelter. After high school, Alyssa wanted to be a therapist and work with teens.

“After her death, my husband Ilan and I decided pretty quickly that we wanted to do something to address school safety,” her mother, Lori Alhadeff says.

Her parents launched Make Our Schools Safe (makeourschoolssafe.org) and worked to pass Alyssa’s Law, legislation that mandates all public schools be equipped with panic alerts to directly notify law enforcement in the event of a school security emergency. Alyssa’s Law has passed in New Jersey and Florida and Alhadeff hopes the legislation will ultimately be passed nationwide.

“This campaign, not only honors Alyssa, but all the victims of Parkland,” she says.

The nonprofit also awards scholarships to students and holds fundraisers throughout the year including a tennis round robin each December. In 2023, they will hold the 4th Annual Make Our Schools Safe Live for Alyssa Gala at the Parkland Golf and Country Club and their 3rd Annual Make Our Schools Safe Golf Classic is set for Nov. 3 at The Country Club of Coral Springs.

In 2018, Alhadeff, a former teacher, joined the Broward County School Board and in November 2022 she was voted Chair of the Broward County School Board.

“Having a position on the school board gives me a seat at the table and a voice to help other students and their families who are concerned about school safety,” she says. “I also want to be Alyssa’s voice and keep her memory alive.”

Meadow Pollack

Meadow, 18, loved her friends, family and cats. She had just been accepted to Lynn University in Boca Raton and planned to become a lawyer. Her father, Andrew Pollack, authored the book, “Why Meadow Died: The People and Policies that Created the Parkland Shooter and Endanger America’s Students” and founded Meadow’s Movement (meadowsmovement.org), fighting for increased school safety. In 2020, Princess Meadow’s Playground opened at Betti Stradling Park in Coral Springs to honor Meadow’s memory and as a tribute to her love of the outdoors.

Carmen Schentrup

Carmen, 16, loved playing the piano, violin and guitar. A National Merit finalist, Carmen had been accepted to the University of Florida honors program and dreamed of becoming a medical researcher and finding a cure for ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. In her memory, Carmen’s family created the Carmen Schentrup ALS Research Fund and Memorial Award that provides scholarships to other talented musicians. (schentrup.com). Carmen’s mom, April Schentrup, became a gun violence prevention activist and a volunteer with Moms Demand Action.

Aaron Feis

A 1999 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Aaron Feis, 37, was the school’s assistant football coach and a security guard who died trying to protect his students. He’s remembered for his love of family — including his wife, Melissa and daughter, Arielle — football and sense of humor. To honor Feis and his fellow staff members, the Orange Bowl Committee (orangebowl.org) created the Orange Bowl Beigel-Feis-Hixon Valor Award, given to a South Florida student-athlete who demonstrates courage and commitment in the face of adversity.

Cara Loughran

A fan of all things Disney, Cara, 14, loved spending time at the beach, butterflies and dancing at the Drake Irish School of Dance in South Florida. An excellent student, Cara’s family founded the Cara Dances on Memorial Scholarship Fund (caradanceson.net), that provides educational scholarships to graduating South Florida Irish dancers who are going on to college.

On their Facebook page, Drake Irish Dance South Florida remembered her by saying. “Cara was a beautiful soul and always had a smile on her face.”

Gina Montalto

Gina, 14, was an artist, avid reader, Girl Scout and a member of the school’s Color Guard. She also loved sports including skiing, soccer and tennis. According to her family, Gina was active in her local church, enjoyed volunteering, cooking and fashion. Gina’s family established the Gina Rose Montalto Memorial Foundation (ginarosemontaltomemorialfoundation.org) to keep her memory and spirit alive. The foundation provides nursing and other scholarships and funds causes Gina supported including the Girl Scouts. Her father, Tony Montalto, is president of Stand with Parkland.

Helena Ramsay

The 17-year-old student was a voracious reader who fostered cats and represented her home country of England in her school’s Model United Nations. Helena planned to start college in 2019 and The Helena Ramsey Soaring Leader Scholarship was named in her honor with the intent of keeping her vision of a better world alive. The scholarship is awarded annually to students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who plan to pursue a degree in environmental sciences or political science or are model UN members. (bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarships/helena-ramsay-soaring-leader-scholarship).

Martin Duque Anguiano

A member of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Martin, 14, wanted to become a Navy SEAL. He loved his classes, friends, watching "Star Wars" and playing soccer. In his time as an ROTC cadet, he earned numerous awards for conduct, leadership development and more. After his death, his family was presented the ROTC’s Medal of Heroism. His high school’s ROTC program now offers scholarships to honor Martin, as well as Peter Wang and Alaina Petty, who were also gunned down that day.

Luke Hoyer

A natural athlete, Luke, 15, loved basketball and planned to try out for his school’s football team. To honor his love of sports and his giving attitude, his parents, Tom and Gena Hoyer and siblings, Abby and Jake, launched the Luke Hoyer Athletic Fund (voicesbroward.org/2018/11/08/the-luke-hoyer-athletic-fund) to cover sports-related costs for local students who couldn’t otherwise afford to participate.

After Luke’s death, Gena heard from another mom who expressed her gratitude to Luke for playing basketball with her 10-year-old autistic son when no one else would.

Alex Schachter

Alex, 14, had a love for music and played the baritone and trombone in his school’s marching band and the trombone in the school orchestra. Alex dreamed of attending the University of Connecticut and always wore a UConn sweatshirt. After his death, the university made him an honorary Husky. To honor his memory, Alex’s family launched the Alexander Schachter Scholarship Foundation Fund (alexschachter.org) to support both his high school’s marching band and improve safety in schools. His father, Max Schachter, founded Safe Schools for Alex (safeschoolsforalex.org) to make school safety a priority and launched the school safety dashboard, an online tool that presents school statistics on bullying, attacks and weapon possessions.

Peter Wang

A member of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Peter, 15, died trying to help his classmates escape the shooter. After his death, Peter’s family was presented the ROTC’s Medal of Heroism. Peter dreamed of attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was posthumously admitted into the academy, where he would have been in the class of 2025. the day after he was buried. To honor Peter, his family established the Peter Wang Foundation, a nonprofit that awards scholarships to disadvantaged students (peterwangfoundation.org).

Alaina Petty

Alaina, 14, loved her dogs, music and volunteering after Hurricane Irma with the “Helping Hands” group through the Mormon church. A member of her school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), Alaina’s family was presented with the ROTC’s Medal of Heroism after her death. Her father, Ryan Petty, has become a school safety activist and he and his wife, Kelly Petty, founded The Walkup Foundation (walkupfoundation.org) to improve school safety. In 2020, Ryan was appointed to the Florida State Board of Education.