Michigan State University school shooting: How to help victims of attack
- GoFundMe is keeping a list of verified fundraiser websites related to Monday’s shooting
- Five have been verified
- Other funds are for scholarships or to help buy food for students
Feb. 27: MSU shooting: fourth victim identified, discharged from hospital
Feb. 22: Michigan State shooting: third victim identified, in critical condition
Feb. 20: MSU shooting victim Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez slowly recovering, sister says
Donations are pouring into fundraisers set up to support victims of the Michigan State University mass shooting on Monday.
As of Friday morning, the online fundraising site GoFundMe had verified the authenticity of five fundraisers. Another created for shooting victim Arielle Diamond Anderson has been verified by family members. GoFundMe officials said they plan to continue to update the list of verified fundraisers tied to the MSU shooting as they confirm their authenticity.
On Saturday, a new GoFundMe campaign was launched for MSU junior John Hao, an international student from China, whose roommate said Hao was paralyzed from the chest down by a bullet that severed his spinal cord and injured his lung. His roommate said he was in the process of having the account verified by GoFundMe.
“The MSU community is in our thoughts and we are here to help in whatever way we can in the coming hours, days and weeks,” said GoFundMe spokesperson Ese Esan.
Related:
- Michigan State shootings: MSU to pay victims’ hospital bills, funeral costs
- Michigan State professor details terror of mass shooting in Room 114
- Michigan State University shooting updates
- MSU shooting victims: Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez identified by family
- Michigan State victims: Brian Fraser, Alex Verner and Arielle Anderson
- Michigan State students from Oxford hope to ‘survive long enough to graduate’
- Michigan State University shooting 2023: Resources to cope, tips to discuss tragedy
Police say Lansing resident Anthony McRae opened fire in MSU’s Berkey Hall and then the MSU Union on Monday night, killing three and injuring five others before fleeing campus and eventually fatally shooting himself.
McRae killed MSU students from suburban Detroit: Junior Arielle Diamond Anderson, a 19-year-old graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School who had planned to become a pediatrician and spent her free time on photography and creating YouTube content; sophomore Brian Fraser, 20, also of Grosse Pointe, president of the MSU chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity known for his work ethic and loyalty to friends; and junior Alexandria Verner, 20, of Clawson a star high school athlete and “perfect kid” who continued to excel academically MSU.
Police said McRae had no connection to MSU. Police say he had a history of mental health; court records indicate he had multiple run-ins with police over guns and driving offenses.
Arielle Diamond Anderson
Arielle Diamond Anderson, a 19-year-old with such a stellar academic record that she was already a junior at MSU, was fatally shot Monday while attending a class in Berkey Hall.
A fundraiser, set up by Anderson’s uncle, Timothy Davis, had raised more than $64,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
A 2021 graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School, Anderson aspired to become a doctor, family members said.
Anderson’s aunt, Kim Spivey, described her as “as close as they come” to a perfect person. A photographer and YouTube creator who treated an aunt with special needs as “her pride and joy.”
Anderson had just visited family in Harper Woods last weekend, attending a Pistons game, spending time with family.
“We appreciate any donations and all the love and support during this time,” Davis wrote. “Thank you again and be blessed.”
Brian Fraser
Brian Fraser, an MSU sophomore from Grosse Pointe, was killed by McRae in the student union.
Fraser, 20, was president of MSU’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity chapter. In a note accompanying the fundraiser, organizer Mason Moenter described him as sweet, genuine, and “loved by so many.”
Originally set up by friends to help Fraser’s family, Moenter wrote Wednesday that the fundraiser will be redirected to benefit the Children’s Hospital of Michigan and the Phi Delta Theta’s philanthropy foundation. That foundation supports Live Like Lou, a foundation that raises money and awareness for ALS disease, also called Lou Gherig’s Disease.
The newer fundraiser that redirects from the original GoFundMe benefits the Brian Fraser Presidential Memorial Scholarship. According to a scholarship page, that fund “will help future Michigan Beta presidents fund their education.”
Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez
One fundraiser directs money toward injured hospitality business major Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, who remains hospitalized. As of late Saturday afternoon, the fund had raised $423,000.
A message attached to the fundraiser for Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, written by her sister, Selena Huapilla-Perez, does not detail Guadalupe’s injuries but notes that the hospitality business major will need months of medical care and rehabilitation.
“She is a long way from returning to us as she was,” Selena Huapilla-Perez wrote.
The daughter of migrant workers, Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez is “a leader in her community and beyond,” according to her sister’s message.
The student is part of the MSU College Assistance Migrant Program, which helps migrant and seasonal farmworker students through their first year of college, and according to her sister’s message.
“Lupe is incredibly hard-working, focused, and ambitious, choosing a career path that's never been explored in our family. It allows her to travel, learn, and challenge herself. She's always one to stand up for our community and speak out for those marginalized voices like our own.”
Her family traveled from Florida to Michigan to be with Huapilla-Perez after learning she had been injured, straining their finances and leaving them unable to work.
John Hao
John Hao, 20, is paralyzed from the chest down after a bullet pierced his spinal cord and also injured his lung, according to his longtime roommate Argent Qian, also of China. The post, launched by Qian on Saturday, collected more than $130,000 by late that afternoon. Qian said the money would go toward paying Hao's medical bills and also help his parents, who flew to the U.S. to be by his side. Qian said Saturday afternoon he was in the process of having the account verified by GoFundMe.
Aimee Barajas
Another fundraiser supports Aimee Barajas, the police dispatcher who helped direct the law enforcement response as 911 calls came in.
An Eaton Rapids resident organized the fundraiser for Barajas after being impressed by her calm demeanor during the crisis.
“I was in absolute awe at her composure during one of the most tragic incidents in Michigan's history,” wrote the organizer, who called himself David L. “I have seen the recent Tiktok trend where everyone is donating $1 to random people and no one is more deserving than this young woman.”
As of Saturday afternoon, the fundraiser had raised more than $13,000.
We’ll update this post as more information becomes available.
Food for hospitalized students’ families
One fundraiser aims to purchase meals for families of MSU students hospitalized at Sparrow Hospital.
Organizer Valerie von Frank wrote on GoFundMe that she set up the fundraiser to help the families affected by tragedy at a school with which she has deep ties. She is working with the hospital to create an account for families to order meals, she wrote.
“I've lived through personal tragedies and know how much it means to be able to have a simple thing like a special meal in a time of crisis,” von Frank wrote.
The fundraiser had amassed more than $4,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
Michigan State University Relief Fund
Organized by the nonprofit All Together, a student group originally created to support people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, this fundraiser directs money to the Michigan State University Relief Fund.
That fund helps MSU students buy food and supplies “in order to alleviate stress or anxiety caused by the shooting.”
The fundraiser had raised more than $7,500 as of Saturday afternoon.
All Together is offering food delivery to on-campus MSU students this week as a result of the shooting. All profits from the fundraiser will go toward buying meals, and any remaining money after delivery service ends will be used for “MSU recovery projects or to the families of victims directly,” according to the organization’s website.
The State News
Donations have also poured in in recent days to The State News, Michigan State University’s student newspaper, for student journalists who have been working around-the-clock this week covering the shooting and its aftermath.
Since Monday night, State News alumni and other supporters have donated thousands of dollars directly to student reporters. Others have dropped off food and other supplies.
“It’s been overwhelming, but in a very positive way,” State News Editor in Chief Sa'Mya Overall told Bridge Michigan. “We're just very appreciative of everything.”
Michigan Education Watch
Michigan Education Watch is made possible by generous financial support from:
Subscribe to Michigan Health Watch
See what new members are saying about why they donated to Bridge Michigan:
- “In order for this information to be accurate and unbiased it must be underwritten by its readers, not by special interests.” - Larry S.
- “Not many other media sources report on the topics Bridge does.” - Susan B.
- “Your journalism is outstanding and rare these days.” - Mark S.
If you want to ensure the future of nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan journalism, please become a member today. You, too, will be asked why you donated and maybe we'll feature your quote next time!