Parkland survivor plans livestream fundraiser to support families of the Jacksonville shooting victims
It's been nearly a week since the mass shooting at a Madden NFL 19 esports tournament in Jacksonville, Florida claimed the lives of two people and injured 11 others. But in the face of tragedy, the gaming community refuses to give in to fear.
On Monday, professional gamer and shooting survivor Shay "Young Kiv" Kivlen, will play again publicly as part of an esports livestream put together by Cameron Kasky, the 17-year-old mass-shooting survivor and student activist who co-founded the March For Our Lives. He was a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a mass shooting killed 17 people earlier this year
The livestream, hosted by Twitch's online fundraising platform Tiltify, will also feature special guest Mike Evans, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and all proceeds will go toward the Jacksonville Fallen Gamers Fund to support the families of Eli "TrueBoy" Clayton and Taylor "SpotMeplzzz" Robertson, the two victims of the attack.
"After the Jacksonville shooting, I was brought right back to home," Kasky said in a phone interview. "It hit me where it hurt and I thought the best thing I could do for these people —especially because I was reading that there might have been some financial troubles for some of the victim’s families — is just help raise money."
"I don’t think that anybody in this country should have to worry about burying their child who was shot playing a video game."
"I don’t think that anybody in this country should have to worry about burying their child who was shot playing a video game," he said.
When Kasky heard about the shooting, he decided to get in touch with Kivlen, one of the world's top Madden players who lost one of his best friends in the shooting. The two decided the best way to honor the memory of the gamers who lost their lives would be "to do what they did best, and put on a sports livestream."
They then reached out to Evans who "jumped" at the opportunity to help, and agreed to play Madden and several other games against Kivlen on Monday, despite the fact that Kasky predicts Kivlen will "rip him to shreds."
Ultimately, Kasky says he wanted to thank Kivlen for his immense bravery in returning to the game so quickly.
"We're a family, and this is what we do. We come together and help each other out."
"The whole community is thankful for Shay’s ability to, after losing somebody he cares so much about in a shooting where he was targeted, just come out and do something good," Kasky said.
Kivlen, who says he hasn't been able to pick up a controller since the tragedy, said in a press release, "True was one of my best friends, and it's unthinkable that someone from our own community would turn against us."
"But, we're a family, and this is what we do. We come together and help each other out. I'm asking everyone to please spread the word and make a contribution to help these families in this incredibly difficult time."
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In addition to Monday's livestream, Madden publisher Electronic Arts recently donated $1 million to a Jacksonville Tribute fund that supports "the victims, including the families of Taylor Robertson, Elijah Clayton, and all those who were affected."
EA also plans to host another livestream on Thursday, September 6 in hopes of bringing the gaming community together again. More details on the official EA livestream will be released in the coming days, but you can learn more about how to donate during Monday's livestream here.
Topics Activism Gaming Social Good
Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
