BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Dozens of kids and families gathered at the Bellingham Sportsplex and hit the ice to remember 28 members of the U.S. Figure Skating community who lost their lives when their plane collided with an Army Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington D.C. last month.
“On that flight there were parents, there were coaches, there were skaters – there were skaters in the same age group as my own children. Their mothers were with them, their coaches were with them,” said Hope Bright, a board member with the Bellingham Figure Skating Club.
The victims were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
“As the news started coming out about who was on the plane and then also knowing that we have members within our community who were in Wichita and knew some of the victims of the crash, knowing that we need to be sensitive and have conversations with our small kids about what happened,” said BFSC board member Megan Briggs.
Members of the BFSC say it’s a tight-knit community and feeling the need to provide some comfort, organized a fundraiser for the victims’ families – inviting the public to skate, make a donation and remember those who lost their lives.
“We wanted to be able to capture something so that we still kind of keep it in the news that this happened. It hasn’t gone away and there’s still families grieving the loss of their loved ones,” said Bright.
Organizers say every dollar raised will go to the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund.
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