Pulse nightclub employees who lost jobs and friends after the mass shooting are now getting relief for lost wages. Pulse of Orlando, the non-profit arm of the nightclub, began distributing checks Thursday to employees who have been out of work.
“All their bills are coming due and they’re late because either they’re not making the money they were making before or they had a second job and they can’t work that job because they’re injured and so it’s immediate. The need is now," said spokeswoman Aly Benitez. The group raised more than $40,000 from its Pulse Latin night party last week. It received more than $10,000 in additional donations from online.
Its staff expect to help at least thirty-five employees pay for bills, counseling, and transportation and had received twenty-five applications for aid by early Thursday afternoon.
Terry Streeter Jr. was the first employee to receive a check. The 20-year-old had just been hired as a dancer at the club. The shooting happened his second day at work.
“I have to find at least a temporary job just so that I can pay my bills and stuff and I’m just appreciative of all the support of the whole city. It really means a lot,” he said.
Pulse of Orlando is planning additional fundraisers in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Miami.