FALMOUTH, Maine — In the days, weeks and months following the Lewiston shootings that killed 18 people, Mainers and people around the country have supported the Lewiston community, raising millions of dollars.
Tillie Reis, a Falmouth High School senior, wants to support that mission, too.
"After the shooting happened in Lewiston, I was like, it was a no brainer," she said.
Reis said she knew she wanted to make keychains to raise money for an organization, but it wasn't until the incident in Lewiston was she quite sure which cause she wanted to support.
"Maine is such a small community and everyone knows someone that was impacted from what happened, and I just know a couple people in my school that knew someone that was there or were friends with someone that knows someone in the area," she said. "I just wanted to help."
Reis said she's aiming to raise $1,000, selling 50 keychains for $20 each. She will do drop offs or ship them to customers, depending on their distance.
She said Maine's "one big small town" culture made it difficult for her and other Mainers to return to normal following the tragedy.
"Like I remember when we did a moment of silence on the intercom. It was just like you could tell everyone just didn't know how to feel, was kind of just nerve wracking. Especially practicing lockdown drills in school is pretty frightening," she said.
Her father, Aaron Reis, said it came as no surprise to him when she told her parents she wanted to raise money for the Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund.
"Tillie is always looking out for other people, so I wasn’t surprised at all she wanted to give back," he said. "I think it’s awesome to see her take the initiative to kind of do something that she’s really talented with and be able to give back to the community."
If you're interested in purchasing a keychain, click here for a link to buy one through Tillie's Etsy page.