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Orlando GoFundMe Campaign Breaks Record, Raises More Than $3.5 Million

vigil for Orlando outside Stonewall Inn
People gather outside of the Stonewall Inn in New York City as a vigil is held following the massacre that occurred at a gay Orlando nightclub on June 12, 2016.

The GoFundMe campaign that was established to support the Orlando shooting victims and their families has officially set a new record for the crowdfunding site.

Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy group, started the fundraiser on Sunday, June 12, hours after a gunman killed 49 people and injured dozens more at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub, in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The campaign has since raised more than $3.5 million, with contributions from nearly 80,000 people, in just two days.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity LGBT Allies

memorial service in San Diego, California for Orlando victims
Mourner Henry Duong prays during a memorial service in San Diego, CA, on June 12, 2016, for the victims of the Orlando Nightclub shooting.

GoFundMe’s vice president of communications and policy, Dan Pfeiffer, confirmed on Tuesday, June 14, that the campaign broke the website’s record. “The @gofundme campaign for the victims of the #PulseNightClubShooting has raised $3M and is now $1M more than the 2nd largest campaign ever,” he wrote via Twitter.

Earlier on Tuesday, Equality Florida posted an update on the page, writing, “We are beyond moved by the support from all corners of the world and all walks of life. … We do not know the total costs for the victims of this horrific hate crime, therefore are working to raise as much as possible and disperse the funds as fast as possible.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity Activists!

The LGBT organization also thanked GoFundMe for contributing $100,000, which essentially covered the site’s transaction fee, ensuring that “every single penny donated will go towards supporting the victims and their families.”

A separate donation fund, known as the OneOrlando Fund, was set up by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer on Tuesday. The Walt Disney Company donated $1 million to the fund.

Related: PHOTOS: These Are the Victims Who’ve Been Identified in the Orlando Nightclub Shooting

“We are heartbroken by this tragedy and hope our commitment will help those in the community affected by this senseless act,” Bob Chapek, the chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said in a statement. “With 74,000 cast members who call Orlando home, we mourn the loss of the victims and offer our condolences to their families, friends and loved ones.”

The Walt Disney Company will also match eligible donations from Disney employees.

One of the Orlando shooting victims, Jerald Arthur Wright, 31, worked as a seasonal employee at Walt Disney World.

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