SPRINGFIELD – Feb. 14 marks the one year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting. Foster Memorial Church, UCC of Springfield in partnership with March for Our Lives: Springfield, will be hosting a vigil to remember the lives lost at the church, 1791 Wilbraham Rd.

“It can happen to anyone ... and we must remember that moving forward, always.” Said Trevaughn Smith, public relations and strategy director of March for Our Lives, Springfield.

Ninteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of killing of 17 people at his former high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School located in Parkland, FL. Cruz was believed to have used an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle in the shooting.

By hosting the vigil, the church hopes to help their community remember the students and faculty who lost their lives due to gun violence in a school system. During the vigil, Foster Memorial Church encourages the attendees to reflect on the potential futures that each young student and staff member had, what their lives were and what they could have been.

“Remembering the lives lost can move us to persevere in striving to work for gun prevention violence with the hopes of ending gun violence. It gives us, as our UCC Statement of Faith reads, ‘Courage in the struggle for justice and peace,’” commented Rev. Barbara Schenk, a pastor at Foster Memorial Church.

March for Our Lives: Springfield, has collaborated with local churches and organizations like Foster Memorial Church in order to shed light on the issues of gun violence in society. In the past, March for Our Lives has hosted marches to raise awareness and have also participated in The 50 Miles More March, which is a march from Worcester to Smith and Wesson in Springfield.

The vigil is open to the community to attend. It will begin at 6 p.m. and go until 7 p.m.

Smith invites all to come, “Join us is Paying respects to the lives that were ended too soon.”