(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — An organization that helps children and families who’ve lost loved ones to gun violence has announced it’s expanding its offerings.
A Back-to-School Block Party was held Friday afternoon on 60th Street near Spaulding Avenue in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood for families who’ve suffered losses due to gun violence. The group Chicago Survivors announced it is expanding to help 16 schools in the coming academic year. It started with three schools last year before increasing to 14 by the end of the academic year.
Donna Pearson-Simmons’ daughter was murdered last year. She and her grandchildren have received counseling from Chicago Survivors.
“Keante went from a shy, quiet child to a very talkative, outgoing. He’s able to talk about the incident that happened with his mom where before, he would just cry, cry.”
“Chicago Survivors has helped my grandson to overcome his fear of going back outside. He was afraid of participating in programs and stuff at the school.”
School counselor Tabitha Johnson of Libby Elementary School says she knew her students would benefit from what Chicago Survivors has to offer.
“The students are more calm now. They’re able to talk through things better as some of them were kind of shutting down before. Didn’t really know how to navigate life in general with the loss that they had experienced,” Johnson said.
Chicago Survivors executive director JaShawn Hill, a survivor herself, says there are more than 80 schools on a waiting list in the hopes of obtaining counseling from Chicago Survivors. Still, she says, a couple more schools will be benefiting this school year.
“We launched this program for grief care and wellness and school-based therapy in 2023. It was a pilot and it was in three CPS schools and it grew by the end of the year to 14 schools last year and we hope to expand it to 16 schools for the upcoming school year.”
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin took part in the announcement event, as well.
“How do we end gun violence in Chicago and America. We look at these children and say how do we get them back on the right track in life. That’s been my goal and I know it’s the goal of Chicago Survivors.”
Senator Durbin says, “Thank goodness for Chicago Survivors”.
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