Fla. Shooting Survivors Release Original Song to Help Heal

Days after a gunman stormed their Florida school and killed 17 people, two young survivors wrote a song about their grief and healing. On Friday, those Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students released their song for the world to hear.The inspirational power-ballad is called “Shine,” and the students said on their Youtube page that it “is dedicated in loving memory of the 17 victims” of the Feb. 14 massacre. All proceeds will go toward their non-profit, Shine MSD, which helps fund recovery efforts for the victims and families affected by the shooting, as well as mental health programs centered around the arts. Students Walk Out of US Schools, Call for Stricter Gun Laws Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Pena penned the original song “as a creative outlet so our voices and the voices of those 17 could be heard and never forgotten,” Pena wrote on Twitter. Judge Enters Not Guilty Plea for Fla. School Shooting Suspect During Arraignment It’s packed with emotional lyrics that illustrate the trauma they experienced and how they are overcoming it. A single piano leads the track with rich harmonies and powerful strings filling the background. 14K Shoes Placed Near US Capitol for Child Gun Victims Garrity and Pena were moved to record and released “Shine” after performing it at the Feb. 21 CNN Town Hall event along with several other students.”What started as a personal healing journey quickly grew into an anthem met with an overwhelming response,” their website says. “Sawyer, Andrea, their families and friends realized the power of healing through artistic expression, and the positive impact the arts has in inspiring hope and unity in the aftermath of tragedy.”Photo Credit: Terry Spencer/AP, File This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Source: NBC San Diego