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Pulse employees get financial help from the community

ORLANDO, Fla. — Employees from the Pulse nightclub have a little less to worry about after receiving donations Thursday from the community.

Many have been struggling financially since the mass shooting in Orlando on June 12, when Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 and injured 53.

This is the first time that nonprofits have been able to hand out money to the club employees.

The employees are going on three weeks since the shooting, which many of them witnessed.

The lion’s share of the grief is focused on the victims and survivors, but the workers said the much-needed help is a reminder of how the community has come together in the face of tragedy.

“I came here today to see everyone who is being helped out,” said Pulse employee Terry Streeter, who was at the club the night of the shooting.

He said in many ways, his mind is still caught in the memory of what he saw.

“It is difficult on the employees, you know, because a lot of the people, they are people that we knew. It was like family,” said Streeter.

Still, he’s having to balance his sadness with the stress of bills that need to be paid.

“It adds up pretty quick especially because, you know, I have no other job besides this,” said Streeter.

Aly Benitez is the founder of a nonprofit called Pulse of Orlando, which handed out the checks Thursday.

“This is a grieving process. They’re all going through it differently,” she said. “They’re going through all of that, and then they’re having to worry about your normal day-to-day bills.”

When checks went out, Reginald Hawkins said he needed the money, but what he needed more, was peace of mind.

He works security for Pulse and for another gay nightclub in Orlando.

He’s struggling with the fact that he was off the night he lost people he considered family.

“That’s the problem I have right now, that I wasn’t there or nothing,” Hawkins said.

The money to pay bills is helpful, but much like the small fund it’s paid from, it pales in comparison to the millions waiting to be disbursed.

“There’s enough of a challenge that the city has brought in attorney Ken Feinberg, who is actually the attorney who administered the 9/11 Victims’ Compensation Fund,” said attorney Hans Kennon.

He said large, high-profile funds are a magnet for criticism and for people who want to game the system.

“And then you really have to make value judgments as to who receives how much money, and that can be very, very difficult,” said Kennon.

Last Thursday, a block party was held in Thornton Park, where all the proceeds went to the workers.

“Being sad isn’t going to help. Being sad isn’t going to bring them back, you know. Me being strong and continuing to do what I do is going to make them proud,” said Justin Pham, a Pulse employee.

Pulse of Orlando is a registered 501c3.

They told Eyewitness News the board of directors is considering each employee's level of need on a case-by-case basis and that the money is being distributed accordingly.