A vigil for victims of gun violence is scheduled for Sunday night in Eugene. The gathering will include musicians of all ages and benefit those affected by the Umpqua Community College shootings in Roseburg.
In the aftermath of that mass shooting, Jane Brinkley wanted to help the community heal. The thirteen-year-old sought to incorporate three things that deeply affected her own life: music, healing, and community.
That’s when she suggested to her mom an event that includes music.
Brinkley: “Gun violence is very proliferate in our country so I think we’re a little bit desensitized to it. But once a shooting happens so close to where I live, just a couple miles away, it really felt more real and I felt more affected by it.”
The benefit concert will feature local performers like the Sugar Beets and Mayor Kitty Piercy is scheduled to speak. Audience members are asked to donate between $5 and $20, all of which will go to UCC victims’ families.
Brinkley and her friend, Quinn Hansen, also an 8th grader, will emcee the event.
The vigil begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the First United Methodist Church.
