Vigil Tuesday evening to honor Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario of Lawrence
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Aug. 31—LAWRENCE — Candles will be provided to those attending Tuesday night's vigil for slain U.S. Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario of Lawrence.
The vigil is slated to start at 7 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Stadium, 240 Osgood St.
Mayor Kendrys Vasquez's office will be handing out candles, said Sabrina Boggio, spokesperson.
Rosario, 25, was among 13 service members killed in Kabul last Thursday. Their remains were returned to United States soil at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden and family members solemnly waiting.
Plans for Rosario's escort back to Lawrence and funeral were still being arranged Tuesday. Her escort is expected to include local and state police, Lawrence firefighters and others.
A GoFundMe crowd sourcing account has been set up to help Rosario's family.
"For those who would like to donate to the family, the ONLY verified means of collecting funds is through their GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/beb28aa9," according to a statement released by Vasquez's office Monday.
The mayor's office warned "any other fundraising or donation collection models that you see online or in-person up this point in time, were not created or authorized by the family. The list includes but is not limited to: Funds collected physically in-person, CashApp, Venmo, PayPal, Square, Facebook, DonorBox, DonorPerfect, Fundly, etc.," according to the statement.
In the wake of the killings in Kabul, military support websites and social media pages have issued warnings regarding fraudulent collection or donation sites.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
