VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It’s a process each person goes through in their own way.
For many people, that process includes stopping by the memorial, down the street from Municipal Center building 2.
At the memorial, Chaplain Bob Ossler from First Baptist in Pine Island is helping the community heal with prayer. It’s an act of service he’s repeated across the country for decades.
“This is my sixth shooting in a year,” he said.
“I was at the bridge collapse in south Florida, I was a chaplain at Ground Zero in New York.”
Still, he said this mass shooting in Virginia Beach stands out to him in its own way.
"Coming here and you see this tragedy happen," he said. "It could happen right in your back yard and everybody always says, ‘Oh not here, it won’t happen here.’ But it does happen.”
He said he even talked to one of the victim's sisters on Tuesday.
“Just heart wrenching, heartbreaking stuff, you know. But I just heard her and prayed with her and listened to her,” said Ossler.
In addition to helping the community heal through faith, the United Way of South Hampton Roads is helping support through fundraising.
“The outpouring of support from the community has just been amazing,” said Senior Resources Director, Kelsey Mohring.
City officials asked them to set up a fund to collect donations for the loved ones' families.
Mohring said, “None of the victims' families have to pay anything out of pocket to lay their family members to rest.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the United Way had raised more than $1.8 million.
Altogether, it’s a team effort so the community can heal through donations and prayer.
Click here if you want to donate to the Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund. The city says 100 percent of the donations will go directly to the victims affected by the tragedy. Donations can also be made by texting VABEACH to 41444. The city has partnered with United Way to manage the fund.