ORLANDO, Fla. (September 9, 2016) - Orlando City SC has raised $391,248.83 for the City of Orlando’s OneOrlando Fund to date, the Club announced today. The amount includes a $100,000 donation from the Orlando City Foundation and $250,965.88 raised through the sale of #OrlandoUnited t-shirts. T-shirts will continue to be sold through the remainder of the MLS season and at "Come Out With Pride" week in early October, for which Orlando City SC is the title sponsor.
The OneOrlando Fund was established in the wake of the June 12 tragedy at Pulse Nightclub to support the victims and their families. Orlando City SC and other local sports teams began selling #OrlandoUnited t-shirts, which were designed by the Club, to raise funds and use the influence of sports to unite the community.
“We are so proud of the way our community has come together in support of the victims of such a terrible tragedy,” Orlando City President and Founder Phil Rawlins said. “We were all affected by what happened that night and will never forget those we lost. We will continue raising funds for the victims this season through the t-shirt sales and look forward to collaborating with “Come Out With Pride” week in October.”
Orlando City dedicated its June 18 Major League Soccer game against the San Jose Earthquakes to the #OrlandoUnited movement and players from both teams wore the t-shirts during the pre-game ceremony. The players also wore special #OrlandoUnited patches on their jerseys, which were auctioned off. The Club also offered commemorative game day posters for a suggested $5 donation.
The game-worn jersey auction raised over $30,871.95 and the commemorative game day posters contributed $9,411.
In addition, the Club honored first responders and support service personnel at the match and donated tickets to these groups. Forty-nine seats were left vacant in honor of those lost. Orlando City is also including 49 rainbow colored seats in Section 12 of its new downtown stadium, which is set to open in time for the 2017 MLS season.
