This autumn marks one year since October 25th, 2023, and LA Metro Magazine views this as a time for reflection on the positive interactions and unselfishness displayed to those who were affected by the worst mass shooting in Maine history. The following article illustrates how business and government entities came together to assist and empower our traumatized community.

 

Aftermath

In the immediate aftermath, the city of Lewiston rallied around its residents, demonstrating an outpouring of support and unity. Angelynne Amores, Director of Marketing & Communications, was one of the many at the forefront of the response.

“It was scary and chaotic because of the frenetic nature of the situation,” Amores says. “What was comforting was that the Lewiston Police were well-trained and were calm—making me feel that things were going to be ok.”

As fear spread through the community, Amores issued a shelter-in-place order.

“We asked that people, wherever you are, were to stay there,” Amores recalls.

In the days and weeks that followed, the city witnessed an extraordinary display of compassion and resilience. Government agencies, from local to federal levels, put aside bureaucratic red tape and worked tirelessly to support those in immediate need.

David St. Pierre, Chief of Police for Lewiston, states that even though it was a time of immense sorrow, it was also a time of incredible strength. St. Pierre also recalls how first responders – police, fire, and ambulance – worked tirelessly to provide aid and comfort to those affected and how the community came together in a truly inspiring way.

 

A resounding cry for change

Matt Webster, Director at The Maine Association of the Deaf (MeAD), noticed a much higher volume of hearing people reaching out to learn how to support the deaf community since October 25th.

“One of the biggest things from this tragic event is that we feel that we’re finally being heard,” Webster maintains. “Many people donated time and items to support the deaf community, and our events have seen a noticeable increase in attendance.”

MeAD received a grant to help provide interpreters for community events, counseling, and website enhancement. On October 27th, MeAD built its website to be a communication center for the community. MeAD has also shifted its focus to be more inclusive of the hearing community, providing paid interpreters and captioning at all of its events.

“During the aftermath of the tragedy, the community stepped up,” Webster asserts.

The Maine Association of the Deaf has been invited to present in front of over 30 attorney general’s offices handling crime victims to share why the deaf community’s impact is far greater than how tragic events would impact hearing people.

“The National Association of the Deaf, Sorenson Communications, and Rochester Institute of Technology are working on a national emergency preparedness/response format for interpreters and agencies involved,” explains Webster. “We are also working directly with the Criminal Justice Academy to better prepare officers to communicate with the deaf community.”

 

Community rallies

The Chamber of Commerce has set up myriad fundraising initiatives, benefiting not only the victims’ families and survivors but also businesses that have seen a decline in revenue since the shootings.

“We coordinated five different donor-advised funds and raised approximately 1.4 million dollars specifically for victims and families within the first 2 ½ months,” Shanna Cox, President and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, confirms. “We also enacted the Small Business Relief Fund, which was supported by the Maine State Chamber and Blue Triton, housed in Connecticut where the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred.”

“Immediately following the tragedy, we had the Battle of the Bridges football game, where the high schools of Lewiston and Auburn competed against each other, put together by Jason Fuller, Athletic Director of Lewiston High School,” Chief St. Pierre says. “He put a lot of effort and time to get the community together to support the city of Lewiston.”

The game, held on Nov. 1, 2023, drew nationwide interest, with comedian Will Ferrell posting a video in support. The event was attended by hundreds of fans and featured a performance of the National Anthem by famed recording artist James Taylor. HPA Production Services donated their time and effort to run sound for the event. Before the kickoff, the Edward Little and Lewiston players held a banner that said, “Lewiston Strong” and the word “Family.”

On January 19th, the “Battle of the Badges” fundraiser was held at The Colisee, where the Lewiston Police faced the Boston Fire Department in an exhibition hockey game. The Boston Bruins donated jerseys to the teams and victims and have a link to donate on their website, pledging at least $100,000.

“More important than the money raised is showing how people get together,” Chief St. Pierre shares. “We show how resilient we are as a community, no matter what happens.”

 

Nourished by kindness

Sometimes something as simple as the gift of a meal has immeasurable value.

“The business community felt their pain and wanted to help,” says Amores. “When pizza shops and sandwich shops donate food for police officers, it just means the world to them.”

Paul Landry, owner of Fish Bones restaurant in Lewiston, shares a serendipitous series of events coordinated by Cox and her staff.

“On Friday, I reached out to Cox, who informed me that there were a lot of folks in town, staying at the Hampton Inn, with little to no food service options given the lockdown,” Landry relates. “We figured it was the right thing to do—that is what Lewiston is really about.”

Knowing that the Hampton Inn does not have a restaurant facility and that vending machines are empty due to the lockdown, Landry provided their guests—many of whom were FBI and other law enforcement personnel—with food that Fish Bones would otherwise have discarded.     “We reached out to the manager at the Hampton Inn and offered to send over sandwiches, salads, and hot food selections so that the Hampton guests would have sustenance,” Landry humbly proffers. “I would not necessarily classify this as anything else but helping a hospitality associate and their guests dealing with the same issues as the rest of us.”

“So many restaurants donated food, despite having taken financial hits from the stay-in-place order themselves—it was an incredible show of what this community is able to do,” Cox adds. “I got a phone call from Brandon Leclair at the Italian Bakery, asking how he could get 400 donuts brought to the high school.”

Luiggi’s Pizzeria and 84 Court Pizza and Restaurant were among the many food donors, while other organizations utilized their products as fundraising tools.

“Rogue Wear was so moved by what happened they devoted time, energy, and talent to make the Lewiston Strong shirts,” Amores says. “The idea of people helping in any way possible, not necessarily with dollars, was so meaningful.”

“Many people donated time and things to support the deaf community here,” adds Webster. “A small deaf-run clothing company, Sisters in Style Online, managed by Nikki Reineck, sold Deaf Maine Strong clothing and donated $25,000 of profits to the survivors.

 

Vigil

A critical component of the city’s healing process occurred on Sunday, October 29th, 2023, when the vigil was held at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The City of Lewiston, State Representative Peggy Rotundo, and religious leaders of many faiths came together, and a multitude gathered outside as well as inside the facility. Once again, HPA Production Services provided sound reinforcement and a large screen so the crowd outside could view the proceedings.

“The Vigil was closed-captioned, with concessions for the deaf, inside and outside—Blais Flowers donated all the floral arrangements, Target donated the picture frames as well as tissues and snacks, and nearly 2000 people were fed afterwards,” says Cox. “All of this came together in 36 hours—an incredible joint effort.”

“A vigil has to be all-inclusive and is an important component to the healing process of anyone affected directly or indirectly by the tragedy,” Amores affirms. “So many people gathered, just taking a moment to heal, and show their care and love for Lewiston.”

 

Resiliency

The Maine Resiliency Center—the second-fastest-enacted Resiliency Center in U.S history only behind Disney after the Orlando tragedy—opened here in Lewiston—19 days after the shooting.

“This rapid response was made possible not only by the dedication and heart of our staff, but also by the incredible collaboration with community partners like Jeff Tiner of Catholic Charities, who secured $25,000 in grant funding,” says Ruby Bean, Director of Development at Community Concepts. “Also, Marden’s Stores helped stock the center with donated furniture.”

Located at 184 Main Street in Lewiston, The Maine Resiliency Center offers a place of healing and support to individuals and families impacted by the event on October 25th and the aftermath of the tragedy. The Center is open weekdays with walk-in hours from 12-5 pm, with planned activities, programming, and private appointments at other times.

“Danielle Parent, Kelsey Miller, and I rolled up our sleeves and worked tirelessly for 13 days until the center was ready,” asserts Bean. “It was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort, with students from Central Maine Community College volunteering to assemble furniture.”

“The Resiliency Center is working very hard for the victim’s families, and also the first responders – some of this has been tough on our police officers for sure,” Chief St. Pierre expresses. “They’ve organized fishing and hunting trips where the officers can relax, bond, and spend quality time.”

The decision to establish a Resiliency Center in the LA community garnered immediate support from several organizations. The Red Cross Immigrant Resource Center, Safe Voices, the District Attorney’s office, and the Attorney General’s office all pledged their efforts to fund the center. A technical team applied for an AEAP grant, and the award is expected to be received before the end of the year.

“The Maine Resiliency Center is an important component to healing and moving forward,  Amores comments. “People heal differently from the trauma of a mass casualty event, and those who may be directly or indirectly affected need a safe place to gather and decompress.”

Arthur Barnard lost his son, Artie Strout, in the shooting and was an early beneficiary of the services of the Resiliency Center.

“We have meetings there every third Friday with families from around the state who have lost kids to murder—I can’t say enough about how much they have helped everyone,” Barnard attests. “When we toured the pool hall with the FBI and counselors, that’s where I was able to connect with other families from the shooting.”

The connections made available to Barnard also allowed him to see other communities affected firsthand by gun violence and gain financial help from philanthropic organizations and individuals.

“They paid my rent for a month to help me survive financially while I pulled my mind and life together,” says Barnard. “The Red Cross worker I met there connected me with Fred Guttenberg from the Orange Ribbons for Jamie Organization, who paid for myself and my son’s wife to go to Washington last December. We met folks from Sandy Hook, Uvalde, and a lot of the families from mass shootings across the country.”

In gathering, the community finds catharsis through helping others, and Parent and the other facilitators foster this self-help mentality.

“We are seeing new relationships building among the survivor population,” says Parent. “We seek to strengthen vicarious resilience.”

 

Healing

In addition to its ongoing fundraising activities, The Chamber of Commerce is in the process of enacting a memorial that truly represents all facets of the affected communities.

“Our commitment is that the process by which we establish the memorial is as important to healing as the memorial itself,” Cox expresses.

“For folks looking to support, we are creating a volunteer network,” states Parent. “Federal grant dollars don’t cover everything— we accept donations of food and water, as well as monetary gifts.”

Just-In-Time Recreation reopened their doors on May 3, 2024, and to Parent this epitomizes the community’s reinvigoration within it’s own interactions.

“Recovering from traumatic grief doesn’t have a timeline – healing has twists and turns,” notes Parent. “It’s rewarding to think of the reopening of Just-In-Time because it is a space of joy, laughter, and fun— where relationships are built.”