Website designed to begin healing process
CT Staff
April 20 2007
Within a few hours of Monday's tragic events, Old Dominion University junior, Joey Berry, began working on a project that would consume most of the next three days for him. Berry is the developer of www.remembervt.com, a website commemorating the victims lost earlier this week on the Virginia Tech campus.
"I wanted a website outside of Facebook where people could express their condolences," said Berry, a student in information technology.
The design of the site is similar to the Virginia Tech website with a black background and white text.
Berry wanted "something simple that would get the point across."
The site includes individual pages for each victim from Monday's killings. There is a link at the end of the description of each person where the reader can submit photos or stories of the victim. This submission is linked to an e-mail account for Berry.
Berry has received "hundreds of e-mails," and is "constantly trying to reply to them."
Berry hopes to include these submissions on each individual's page. The photos will be presented as a collage, while the text will be shared beneath the profile.
On the main page of the website, there is a link to donate money. This is a direct link to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund page on www.vt.edu.
Berry is also trying to start the sale of remembrance bands, which will read "Remember VT - 4-16-07." He is attempting to find a producer of the bands, but said that some retailers have been asking for too much money. He plans to donate all of the profits to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.
Berry's site has received 25,700 visits since he made it available at 4 a.m. on Tuesday morning. He has not made any attempt to advertise outside of posting his website on his Facebook page.
Berry said that the number of visits on his site skyrocketed after a reader posted a link on a larger Facebook group page.
With no direct tie to Virginia Tech, Berry said that he feels a closeness with the cross-state public school, and wants to do anything he can for support.