It is NEVER easy to hear of another mass shooting, especially the one this past Wednesday at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Celebration Parade. The people of Kansas City and the players, coaches, and staff on the Chiefs deserved an epic celebration. It is absolutely remarkable for the Chiefs to win three Super Bowls in the past five years, including two in a row, and to hear that their well-deserved celebration was marred by not only a shooting, but a mass shooting that killed an innocent bystander and injured 22 people- more than half of which were children- is incomprehensible.
On a personal level, while it's certainly hard to hear about these shootings and it hurts my heart so much that they have become all too commonplace, this one in particular hit me extra hard because it was a radio DJ that was killed. I did not know Lisa Lopez-Galvan, but from what I have read about her, she was a well-known, well-loved member of the radio community in Kansas City. There have been multiple stories posted about her in radio trades over the last couple of days, and she sounded like an absolutely incredible woman! Radio is a very tight knit community and I am sorry I never got to meet her, but I am more sorry that this woman was not only a fellow DJ, but she was a MOTHER and a wife of 22 years. She was also an aunt to two girls and a boy injured in the shooting. And from what I have read, she was a friend to anyone and everyone that came in contact with her. Absolutely heartbreaking.
I do tip my hat to Taylor Swift. Taylor was not at the parade. Taylor had already left for Australia for the next leg of her Eras Tour, but upon hearing of the tragedy, Taylor generously donated $100,000 to the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan. In fact, there have been a lot of generous donors to Lisa Lopez-Galvan's family, to the tune over over $251,000 as I write this Friday right around noon. While no amount of money can ever bring Mrs. Lopez-Galvan back, there is a certain amount of comfort in knowing that a financial burden in this senseless tragedy is something that her family will not have to deal with.
If you want to donate to the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, here is the link