Overview:
Mourners laid to relaxation the murdered Vice Mayor of Coral Springs in a star-studded ceremony Friday that celebrated Nancy Metayer-Bowen’s dedication to justice, equality and resilience. Organizers additionally launched a GoFundMe to arrange the Nancy Metayer Endowment following the killing of the, whose funeral is happening Friday. Organizers say the fund will protect her legacy of public service whereas additionally supporting her household after a sequence of devastating losses.
1000’s of mourners gathered Friday to put to relaxation Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer in a ceremony that celebrated the 38-year-old politician’s sense of justice, equality and resilience earlier than she was killed in her dwelling earlier this month.
Days earlier than the funeral, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to help her household and set up a long-term endowment honoring her legacy.
GoFundMe set as much as help endowment
As of April 17, the GoFundMe fundraiser had reached $42,273 — about 17% of its $250,000 purpose — with 263 donations, in keeping with the marketing campaign web page.
Organizers say the Nancy Metayer Endowment will function a everlasting fund to protect the Haitian American chief’s legacy of public service, fairness and neighborhood advocacy. A portion of the funds will even present quick monetary reduction to her household, who’re navigating what supporters describe as “unimaginable loss.”
Metayer, 38, was shot and killed in her dwelling in Coral Springs, Florida, in what authorities describe as a home violence case. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, faces expenses of premeditated homicide and proof tampering.
Her killing has despatched shockwaves by means of the Haitian Diaspora and political circles throughout South Florida and past, the place she was broadly thought to be a rising chief.
Metayer made historical past as the primary Black and Haitian American lady elected to the Coral Springs Fee in 2020. Re-elected in 2024, she was appointed vice mayor later that 12 months. Identified for her work in environmental science and neighborhood organizing, she additionally performed a task in nationwide politics, together with advising Democratic campaigns on Caribbean voter outreach.
The fundraiser additionally comes months after one other tragedy for the household — the loss of life of Metayer’s youthful brother, Donovan, in December.
Within the marketing campaign description, organizers spotlight her lifelong dedication to public service, from her work as an environmental scientist targeted on water high quality and public well being to her management in native authorities.
“Nancy’s life was outlined by her ardour for service,” the web page reads, noting her perception in constructing communities the place “each voice mattered.”