The tragic shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando has spurred countless everyday people into action. Blood donors waited for hours to help in the only way they knew how, being fed by Chik-Fil-A employees working on their day off. Vigils throughout the city and its theme parks have brought thousands out to pay respect. But Illinois’ Greg Zanis might have gone the farthest to honor the victims of the shooting. The Illinois man built 49 crosses dedicated to the lives lost and drove more than 1,200 miles from home to deliver them.
The 65-year-old man began building the crosses shortly after hearing about the shooting. Each cross features a name and a red wooden heart. Zanis installed the crosses in front of Orlando Regional Medical Center, along with markers allowing visitors to leave condolences on the crosses.
“Wait until you see these in a week,” he told CBS Miami. “You won’t even see the heart. It’ll be a major focal point.”
After they are covered, Zanis gifts them to the families of the victims. Even Florida Gov. Rick Scott — who had a polarizing response to the tragedy — was wowed by Zanis’ memorial.
Greg Zanis drove from Illinois to place these handmade crosses outside @orlandohealth. Thank you, Greg. https://t.co/8zVuXapXhW
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) June 17, 2016
Zanis has built similar memorials at the sites of the Sandy Hook and Aurora shootings. Zanis started creating these crosses in 1996 after his own father-in-law was shot in the head while at work. At the time of the Aurora shooting, he told CNN that he’d built nearly 13,000 crosses.
Zanis explained the message that he hopes people receive from his latest project to NBC Miami.
“My message today is, love your brother, love your neighbor. Don’t judge them,” he said.
(Via The Huffington Post)
