PARKLAND, Florida — The U.S. Army has given medals to three Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets killed in the Parkland school shooting last week, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. 
 
 The Medal of Heroism was presented to the family of Alaina Petty at a memorial service on Monday, the Army said, and will be given to the family of Peter Wang during his memorial service today. Martin Duque’s family will be given the medal on Saturday, the Army added. The medal recognizes cadets whose performance “involved the acceptance of danger and extraordinary responsibilities.” 
 
 All three students were allegedly killed by a fellow JROTC member, Nikolas Cruz, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday. 
 
 During the shooting, Wang, 15, held open a door to allow his fellow classmates to escape to safety. Students told the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “He is so funny, caring and selfless.’’ Wang’s older cousin added, “He is so brave.” 
 
 Petty, 14, was “excited to be part of the female color guard team and every day she would come home and tell me all the fun things she had learned,” Petty's mother told the Sun Sentinel. Duque, also 14, was remembered by family members as a football fan and a regular churchgoer, the Miami Herald reported. “He was sweet, affectionate and loved by his entire family. But above all else, he was my little brother,” Duque's brother Miguel wrote on a GoFundMe page to help cover additional funeral expenses. 
 
 Military veterans are expected to attend Wang’s funeral on Tuesday. 
 
 —Elisha Brown contributed to this report ||||| Tweet with a location 
 
 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Less than a month after a gunman opened fire at a high school in Kentucky, the nation is grappling with yet another school shooting. 
 
 Wednesday’s massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed at least 17 people and wounded over a dozen others. The suspected gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, set off fire alarms to lure hundreds of students out of their classrooms so he could open fire with a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle. 
 
 Cruz was captured about an hour later in Coral Springs, roughly a mile away from the school. The following day, Cruz told authorities he shot "students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds," according to an arrest affidavit. 
 
 “There really are no words,” Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said the day of the shooting. 
 
 But in wake of the tragedy, the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012, the Broward community has received an outpouring of support. 
 
 Read on to see what’s being done to help the shooting victims, their families, the local community and beyond. 
 
 Comfort dogs arrive in Broward County 
 
 At least 18 “comfort” dogs and 33 handlers arrived in Broward County from across the country, Tim Hetzner, the president and CEO of the nonprofit ministry Lutheran Church Charities (LCC), told Fox News. 
 
 Jacob, a doe-eyed Golden Retriever, was first on the scene. He spent the day comforting students and faculty at the high school. 
 
 “Dogs are good listeners and have a unique way of knowing when people are hurting,” he said. 
 
 Like Jacob, all dogs used in LCC’s comfort dog program are Golden Retrievers – a breed chosen by the organization because “goldens are lovers by nature,” Hetzner said. LCC trains the dogs for 16 to 18 months and then places them in affiliated churches, schools and other ministries across the country. 
 
 The dogs, which are trained to the level of a service dog, travel across the U.S. with their handlers whenever there is a crisis. 
 
 While the dogs are there to comfort the students and faculty at the high school, their services are also available to parents, first responders and anyone in the Broward community “struggling with what took place.” 
 
 “We go where we’re invited," Hetzner said. “We’re there to serve people and show mercy and compassion.” 
 
 To help offset transportation costs, you can donate here. 
 
 Donate to the victims' fund 
 
 The Broward Education Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money for the public schools in Broward County, has set up an official GoFundMe donation page for the victims of the Stoneman Douglas shooting. 
 
 As of Monday morning, the fund received more than $1.5 million of its $2 million goal – a significant increase from its initial goal of $300,000. The foundation will continue to increase the goal each time it's met, PeJay Ryan, the director of marketing at the Broward Education Foundation, told Fox News. 
 
 All of the proceeds will go to those affected by the tragedy, Ryan said, as well as anyone who may need grief counseling. 
 
 “We’ve all cried a lot - first in horror, but then because of the outpouring generosity and compassion.” - PeJay Ryan 
 
 Memorial bracelets to honor the victims are also being created. And the foundation worked with Bank of America to set up a text-to-donate option as well, she said. To donate to the Stoneman Douglas fund, text PARKLAND to 20222. 
 
 “We are in a unique position here, no one expected this to happen,” said Ryan. “We’ve all cried a lot – first in horror, but then because of the outpouring generosity and compassion.” 
 
 You can donate to the GoFundMe campaign here. 
 
 Additionally, at least one scholarship fund has been set up in the name of one of Wednesday's shooting victims. 
 
 If you live in Florida, consider donating blood 
 
 If you live in Florida, a local blood center is asking for your help, especially if your blood type is O negative. 
 
 “While the immediate blood needs have been met, there is a need to replenish the area's O negative blood supply. O negative is the universal blood type and is used to treat trauma patients,” OneBlood said in a statement. 
 
 As of Feb. 19, at least four shooting victims were still being treated at local hospitals. 
 
 To donate, find a location here. 
 
 Florida attorney general vows to cover funeral expenses 
 
 Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Wednesday that her office would pay for the funeral expenses of the 17 victims who died as a result of the shooting. 
 
 "We will pay for the funeral expenses of these poor victims," Bondi said. "We will take care of it." 
 
 Free transportation for victims’ families 
 
 JetBlue Airways is providing free transportation for family members of victims who are traveling to Florida, the airline announced in a blog post. 
 
 “This week’s events are felt by all of our 21,000 crewmembers, many of whom live in, work from and travel through the Broward County area, home to our Focus City, Fort Lauderdale," JetBlue said. "We want to do our part to help the community, and support South Florida through this difficult time." 
 
 Volunteers in the Family Assistance Center will help people book the free travel, the airline said. 
 
 Once the families have arrived in Florida, ride-sharing service Lyft will provide free ground transportation in partnership with JetBlue, spokesperson Campbell Matthews confirmed to Fox News, adding the company is "heartbroken by the tragedy." 
 
 JetBlue is also partnering with the Florida Panthers hockey team to hold a blood drive on Feb. 22. 
 
 Fox News' Kaitlyn Schallhorn and Shira Bush contributed to this report. ||||| Alex Schachter, 14, resided in Parkland, Florida for the last eight years. Alex was tragically killed during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. Alex was one of the first students to be killed when the shooter unlawfully entered the Freshman building armed with an AR-15 that he aimed through a window outside of his classroom, preying on the defenseless and senselessly taking Alex and his classmates away from their family and friends forever. 
 
 
 
 Alex Schachter was a sweet and loving boy. As a freshman, Alex loved the marching band and played the trombone and baritone as part of the Eagle Regiment Marching band - the top marching band in the state of Florida! He is survived by his heartbroken parents, three siblings, grandparents and countless cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. 
 
 
 
 In an effort to protect our children and our teachers, this fund has been created in order to raise funds to support a nationwide school safety commission spearheaded by Alex’s father Max Schachter. The goal of this safety commission will be to bring together the leaders and experts in our nation who are at the forefront of keeping students, teachers and administrators safe in their schools. Additionally, the Schachter family will be using the Alex Schachter Scholarship fund Foundation 501(c)(3), created in Alex's memory, to support increased safety measures and building enhancements that can be implemented to make schools safer across our nation. Please help keep Alex’s spirit alive by keeping future generations of children safe at school. 
 
 
 
 This page has been set up by the family of Alex Schachter in Parkland, Florida. In addition to launching a safe school initiative, a portion of funds raised will be used to help students experience the joys of music and foster the importance of music education. Thank you all for your support and generosity. 
 
 Share Tweet 28k shares on Facebook shares on Facebook ||||| Update 6/30 - Broward Education Foundation's official Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund has stopped accepting donations to this GoFundMe as of Saturday, June 30 at 11:59PM EST. As we've mentioned before, this GoFundMe will remain open so we can update you on our progress and as a record of what thousands and thousands of caring people accomplished together in support of the victims' families, survivors and those impacted by the tragedy. Distribution of funds, as directed by the volunteer Stoneman Douglas Victims' Fund Steering Committee, will commence in July. To view the Committee's Final Protocol for fund distribution, please visit http://stonemandouglasvictimsfund.org 
 
 
 
 From our hearts to yours, thank you. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Update 3/15 - The Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund Steering Committee was announced this afternoon. Led by former U.S. Senator George LeMieux, this group of volunteer community, business and civic leaders will work closely with the National Center for Victims of Crime to establish protocols, timelines and procedures for distributing funds. The complete list of steering committee members can be found at www.stonemandouglasvictimsfund.org 
 
 
 
 This is a very sensitive, complex and thoughtful process and one that the committee takes very seriously. The committee will create a draft protocol for distribution of funds and will host Town Hall meetings for public input. The goal is to help the victims’ families, survivors and those impacted by this horrific atrocity as much as possible, and as quickly, fairly and efficiently as possible. 
 
 
 
 In situations involving mass violence, the needs are great, so we will continue to accept donations for through June 30 with distributions taking place in July. 
 
 
 
 Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of our donors. While nothing can erase the memory of that day, nor the loss of a loved one, your compassion, generosity and support is a testament to the inherent goodness in our society. 
 
 
 
 If you or a loved one were affected by the event on February 14, 2018 and have questions about disbursements from Stoneman Douglas Victims' Fund, please fill out this contact form on the National Center for Victim's of Crime website here: https:// nationalcompassionfund.org/ funds/parkland-contact/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Original 2/15 - Broward County Public Schools district is dealing with the unimaginable tragedy that unfolded on February 14th at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. There are no words to express the sorrow that we are all feeling. 
 
 
 
 Donations raised here will be used to provide relief and financial support to the victims and families of the horrific shooting. 
 
 
 
 Together with Superintendent Robert Runcie, the School Board of Broward County, Broward County Mayor Beam Furr and Commissioners, Broward Legislative Delegation and Broward County Public Schools family, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the entire Marjory Stoneman Douglas community. 
 
 
 
 In response to the mass shooting, the Foundation, the National Center, and GoFundMe are collaborating to serve victims by maximizing resources and ensuring a victim-centered, transparent distribution process. Broward Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit direct support organization solely dedicated to raising funds for Broward County Public Schools, will serve as the central repository for the Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund and will organize a local steering committee responsible for setting the fund’s distribution policy. The National Center for Victims of Crime, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a leading authority on how victims are compensated for loss, will advise the committee, assist with ongoing fundraising efforts, administer victim application and vetting processes, and coordinate the distribution of proceeds from the Foundation’s official GoFundMe campaign, other fundraisers, and third-party donation sources. GoFundMe will advise the Foundation and support both ongoing fundraising and distribution of proceeds to victims and their families. 
 
 
 
 In consultation with the National Center, the Foundation will form the steering committee that includes local leaders, and victim representatives to ensure that the voices of the victims are heard, as they are integral to the distribution process. Experts with experience in mass crime victim compensation and the needs of crime victims will also be asked to serve in a volunteer capacity. The fund and committee are completely transparent, and the committee will inform the public of its deliberations in the distribution of funds. 
 
 
 
 There are no platform fees for using GoFundMe, so 100% of the funds collected after payment processing charges will go directly to the victims and families. GoFundMe has also donated $50,000 to the Fund to cover the committee’s and the National Center’s operating costs associated with developing and implementing the distribution plan so that 100% of the donations can be distributed directly to the victims and their families. 
 
 
 
 Thank you for your support. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

– He might not get a full military funeral, but Parkland school shooting victim Peter Wang will get a nod from the US Army. The 15-year-old old Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps member who held doors open for students and staff fleeing bullets at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week will be honored with a Medal of Heroism, presented to his family at a memorial service Tuesday, reports the Daily Beast, which notes the medal is given to those whose actions "involved the acceptance of danger and extraordinary responsibilities." A medal was presented to relatives of 14-year-old JROTC member Alaina Petty at a memorial service Monday—the Florida Attorney General's Office is covering funeral costs for all 17 shooting victims—and will be given to 14-year-old Martin Duque's family on Saturday, the Army says. Alex Schachter, another 14-year-old killed in the shooting, is being honored with a scholarship fund totaling more than $125,000 as of this writing. It's designed to "fund increased security at schools" and help students "experience the joys of music," according to a GoFundMe page. Another arranged by the Broward Education Foundation has raised $1.7 million to be used "to provide relief and financial support" to victims and family members, who've received free transportation from JetBlue Airways. "We've all cried a lot—first in horror, but then because of the outpouring (of) generosity and compassion," BEF marketing director PeJay Ryan tells Fox News. Some 18 comfort dogs trained by Lutheran Church Charities are also providing relief. They "are good listeners and have a unique way of knowing when people are hurting," says CEO Tim Hetzner.