From State Rep Christine Hunschofsky:
February 14, the day of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, will always be a day that profoundly impacts our community.
We will never forget the 17 whose lives were taken that day – Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Biegel, Martin Duque, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, and Peter Wang. Each one of these people left behind grieving family members and friends. For those who lost loved ones, every day is difficult, and February 14th will be especially so.
In addition to those who were taken, we also acknowledge and remember the 17 people who were physically injured on February 14 and all those in our community and beyond who were traumatized by the tragedy.
Everyone in our community on that day was somehow affected, and many of the emotions we felt on that day may resurface as we near the five-year mark. Support continues to be available to all in the community at Eagles’ Haven Wellness Center, located at 5655 Coral Ridge Drive in Coral Springs. You can contact them at 954-618-0350 or through their website at www.eagleshaven.org.
February is Black History Month and a time to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of African Americans and to recognize their important role in US History.
History was made this past year when a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune was added to the US Capitol’s Statuary Hall. Bethune was the daughter of former slaves, an influential Black educator, and a civil and women’s rights leader. She also opened a boarding school for Black children in 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman University.
This month is also a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Broward’s history and to get to know more of Broward’s prominent historic Black leaders, such as Dr. James F. Sistrunk, who was an early African American physician in Broward County and founded Provident Hospital with Dr. Von Delaney Mizell. You can find information on Black History Month events throughout Broward County Libraries at Broward.org/Library.
Our legislative session continues this month in Tallahassee, with committee weeks February 6–10, 13–17, and 20–24. You can follow all the committee meetings and bills I and others have filed by visiting myfloridahouse.gov.
As always, please feel free to reach out to our office at 954-956-5600 with any questions you may have. I will also be providing updates on Facebook at @RepChristineHunschofsky and on Twitter at @rephunschofsky.
If you wish to receive email updates, please contact Linda Beauport Linda.Beauport@myfloridahouse.gov to be added to the list. We look forward to hearing from you!
Christine Hunschofsky
District 95 includes Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Margate, and Parkland.
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