KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Today, Hope through Navigation hosted their Gun Violence Resource and Resilience Rally at Urban Alliance in Kalamazoo. Their purpose is to equip the community with the tools to survive the impact that gun violence has had on their lives.
An attendee at the rally, Tammy Woodruff, lost her son, Marcelle, to gun violence 18 years ago. Woodruff said, “When you take a life, you hurt more than just the person that you kill — but you destroy a whole family.”
According to Woodruff, her son died from a shot to the head. “It was devastating. But as the time goes by, I learned how to adjust,” Woodruff said.
Now, in her son's honor, Woodruff is doing everything she can to put an end to gun violence in her community. Woodruff said, “I know how it feels to lose a child, and if there's any way that I can help to prevent it, I would like to.”
Gwendolyn Hooker, Founder of Hope through Navigation, said, “It’s really about activating resources and support for people that have been impacted by gun violence in the community.”
Hooker started the Gun Violence Resource and Resilience Rallies following Covid 19. "With covid 19, the uptick in gun violence went off the roof,” Hooker said.
In 2023, Kalamazoo reached a record in homicides, making the goal of today to raise awareness for youth impacted by gun violence — offering grief counseling, relocation funding, and payments towards funeral costs.
Hooker tells me she has seen firsthand that “When their life is shattered by gun violence, they feel hopeless — they're grief stricken.”
The Kalamazoo community gathered together to release balloons honoring their loved ones who lost their lives to gun violence.
As for Woodruff, if given the chance to say one last thing to her son, she would say, "I love him and I miss him.”
The Gun Violence Resource and Resilience Rallies have taken place once a month from June to September, with plans to continue in June of 2025.
The next event for Hope through Navigation is their fourth annual Retreat for Resilient Justice from October 11 through 13.
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