READING, Pa. – For a moment Thursday night, a room in Reading sounded like Colombia.
Days after a powerful earthquake devastated communities there, people here gathered to grieve and pray.
“It’s something that your heart needs to do. It’s kind of like grief for people that pass away,” said Andrea Yoder with Unión Colombiana.
The vigil at Centro Hispano brought together families, religious leaders and elected officials. Some have relatives who felt the earthquake. Others know people who lost family members or their homes.
One of them was Angelica Rojo-Monserrate.
“We were just all in communication with one another. It was very difficult in trying to just communicate with everyone, because I didn’t know how hard hit everyone was in different parts,” Rojo-Monserrate said.
Her family in Medellín was safe. But her uncle, a city council member in Armenia, was in the U.S. when the earthquake hit the community he serves.
“And it was a week away from his trip back home. So, from here, he was trying to help as best as he could, provide support, sending out surveys to his community, what their needs were. And I’m trying to help him from here as well,” Rojo-Monserrate said.
The gathering showed what community support for Colombia looks like in Reading: people gathering, praying and standing together for families thousands of miles away.
“We have some people here tonight who have lost family members, who have lost their homes. So, we want to help them. So, we’re going to try and figure out what’s for them as well,” said Jobany Bedoya with Unión Colombiana.
Organizers have already collected donations.
“Sunday morning, we’re actually shipping out a U-Haul truck to Philadelphia, to Acción Colombia,” Bedoya said.
From there, organizers say the donations will go to New York and then travel by sea to Colombia.