On Aug. 26, Annunciation Catholic School volleyball players had their first practice of the season. Harper Moyski, 10, was among the students excited for games to begin and excited to play a sport she fell in love with. 

The next day, a shooter opened fire at the church attached to the school. Moyski lost her life along with 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. It's why, when parents came together to start a fundraiser in Moyski's memory, a volleyball tournament was the obvious way to kick off a day full of events. 

"There's been a troop of parents that have come around to say, 'What can we do?'" Katie Abrams said. 

Abrams was Moyski's volleyball coach. She was one of several volunteers who came together to find a way to help preserve the memories of both Moyski and Merkel. The money raised on Saturday is to help create a permanent memorial for them and the Annunciation community. Proceeds will also go to the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation to help refurbish public volleyball facilities. 

The volleyball tournament, hosted by M1 Volleyball in Bloomington, Minnesota, was the first event on Saturday. Once the games wrapped, parents and students went to Nine Mile Brewing Company for a series of auctions. 

Items up for grabs included signed jerseys donated by the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The brewery itself donated $1 per beer sold toward the fundraiser.

Joining the packed crowd was 10-year-old Milo Merkel, Fletcher's older brother. Surrounded by friends, he was eager to speak about his sibling. 

"He was the funniest, nicest dude that you'd ever met," Milo said. "It leaves a hole in my heart that my brother's gone." 

Moyski's parents were equally overwhelmed with gratitude. 

"Love, real love, changes the world. When Harper died, the light didn't go out. It shifted. It moved into all the people who cared about her," Jackie Flavin, Harper Moyski's mother, said, "and everyone who has showed up for us today and in the last 10 weeks. And with your help, that light is moving outward even further onto things that really matter." 

Brock Safe, whose daughter survived the shooting with a bullet fragment lodged in her neck, helped organize Saturday's events. He said it would not be a one-time occasion. Instead, it's marked as the first annual. 

"We want to make sure that Fletcher and Harper are not forgotten. We want to make sure that August 27th is not forgotten," Safe said. 

Safe announced on Saturday evening that Annunciation intends to effectively retire the numbers that Harper and Fletcher both wore for their respective sports teams. In Harper's honor, only her family members will be allowed to wear the No. 36 at Annunciation. The same goes for Fletcher's family and the No. 7.