Church members at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Green Bay didn't even give it a second thought.
"People want to support and people want to help," said Shana Espinosa. Espinosa is the organizer behind money being raised to help a Pulaski woman and her family go to Puerto Rico so they can bury their loved one killed at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando this past weekend.
Brenda Serrano and her 3 children need to fly to Puerto Rico, where they're from, to say good-bye to Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, a brother and uncle, taken far too soon.
"As soon as i walked into my work on Monday and shared with some people that we had this local connection, people just gave me money right away," said Espinosa.
Espinosa is asking the church's pastor to get involved and now they're collecting money following a memorial service for the victims earlier this week.
"Because we had come together in prayer and support, we wanted to add action to our prayers," said Union Congregational United Church of Christ senior pastor, Bridget Flad Daniels.
Brenda Serrano didn't want to speak with NBC26 Thursday, saying the pain was still too fresh. Her brother was just 35-years-old when he was killed at Pulse doing what he loved, dancing.
"When there's a need and it's someone in our community, we as a community want to come together and want to support people because that's the right thing to do," said Espinosa.
One hundred percent of the money raised will go to Serrano so she and her three children can fly to Puerto Rico.
If you're looking to donate to the family there are several ways you can do so.
- You can donate cash or check directly to Union Congregational United Church of Christ (716 S. Madison St. Green Bay, WI 54301)
- PayPal (www.paypal.com) using Shana Espinosa's email address: Brokn4Him@aol.com
- GoFundMepage 1. This page was set up to help with funeral expenses and helping the family travel to the funeral
- GoFundMe page 2. This page was set up by the victim's partner. The purpose of this site is to raise money for their son to help him go to college as well as pay for funeral costs.
