“In the wake of incredible tragedy, we have hurt for you, mourned with you and been inspired by you,” team owner Robert Kraft wrote in a letter to the students.
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School flew from Florida to the March for Our Lives rally in DC like sports stars after the New England Patriots lent them the use of their team plane.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport / Via Twitter: @FLLFlyer
The students, who have become the face of a growing nationwide movement calling for gun control in the aftermath of the deadly school shooting, were contacted by the football team's owner, Robert Kraft, one of the parents told ABC News.
The students flew to Washington, DC, Thursday to join hundreds of thousands of others in the march.
Meredith Barry told ABC News her daughter, Isabela, hid in a closet during the Valentine's Day shooting.
Inside the team plane, students and relatives were greeted with gifts, as well as a note from Kraft, who called the students an inspiration.
"On behalf of the New England Patriots organization, I want to express our support as you travel to Washington for this weekend's March for Our lives," the letter read. "In the wake of incredible tragedy, we have hurt for you, mourned with you and been inspired by you. It is an honor for us to now partner with you as you push for progress."
The New England Patriots did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News requests for comment.
Team spokesman, Stacy James, told the Boston Globe that Kraft decided to lend the team plane to the students after former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, asked for help.
Giffords survived being shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, but resigned her congressional seat about a year later. Since then, she and Kelly have been outspoken advocates for gun control legislation.
LINK: Hundreds Of Thousands Turn Out To Protest Gun Violence At The March For Our Lives
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