On June 12, 2016, our lives as residents of Orlando were forever changed when a man with a gun entered Pulse Nightclub and killed 49 people. Most of these individuals were part of the LGBT community.
Since then, several people from within that community, as well as their allies, have joined together for the greater good: to make sure that love and acceptance replace hatred and cruelty. This is what The Dru Project, a 501c3 organization, is intending to do.
Named after the blog he kept as a teen and young adult, The Dru Project pushes forward the legacy of Christopher Andrew Leinonen, who believed in acceptance, love and advocacy for those who deserve it. A group of his friends, as well as his mother Christine have joined forces to create this organization in his name. He won the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award in high school for starting a Gay-Straight Alliance at Seminole High School, where he attended school as a teen. We want to help other students like him start GSAs in their schools.
Through community outreach, school GSA curriculum implementation and education, we are making sure our friend Drew, his partner Juan, and the other 47 deaths were not in vain. Any tax-deductible donation, either monetary or goods received, go straight to benefit our nonprofit and help us with our mission of creating GSA curriculums as well as funding scholarships for people who exemplify Drew’s spirit and desire for unification. We hope you are able to join us on this endeavor.
How You Can Help:
1. Donate monetarily to help The Dru Project purchase funds and materials for schools.
2. Volunteer at an event. For a full events list, visit www.TheDruProject.org.
3. Spread the word. Like The Dru Project on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thedruproject to follow the progress.