Lynchburg, Virginia

Shawn Moss was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. Shawn was the oldest of three boys and had one son named Jeremy Moss. He loved children, basketball, and had the ambition to own his own business. He was a great encourager when his mother was feeling down, and told his mother throughout his life, “There is Nothing You can’t do.” When he walked into a room, with his 6’7 stature, his big smile lit up the entire room.

Louisville, Kentucky

Christian was THE MOST FUNNIEST kid on the planet. He worked hard to accomplish just what he thought was going to be the start of a beautiful life. At 19, he was on his way to be self sufficient in his life, and live off the land and be with nature. My son never met a stranger, but a stranger took his life in a drive by shooting. He was on his way home for his 10 o’clock curfew, that he respected even as a working man out of school. He did everything his parents asked of him, and he came from a two-parent household. In a blink of an eye, all his dedication to life and happiness was gone, three blocks away from home. The world my home lived in sank, and is no longer above water. Every five years his birthday is on thanksgiving, the year he was killed 12/19/19 it was on Thanksgiving, and this year it will be again. Pain is just a word we use, cause we can’t phantom a word to describe what we feel.

My mother found the courage to leave her abusive husband, but on July 18, 1993, her life was tragically taken. I honor her for her strength, not for how she died, but for how she chose to live, reclaiming her dignity and leaving a legacy of courage and hope.

Aundra "AJ" Lambert had a cheerfully, bubbly personality. He was only 20 years old when his life was taken by an ex-boyfriend of a young lady he had just met. AJ has just started working and he was excited to be working and meeting new people. He never met a stranger, he was always drawn to people. He had a witty personality and could make you laugh even on your worst days. I will forever be grateful for the memories I have of AJ- his laughter, his bear hugs, his wet kisses on my face, and his ability to have everyone around him engage in the joy that he had. We will never be the same family we were before-December 4, 2019-the day his life was taken. My dear AJ, love you always

A person who could make sadness and grey skies melt with his smile. Losing my son was like death to my soul, I never thought I could come back from it. I've had to do a lot of work on myself in learning that if I didn't forgive whoever did this it was going to destroy me and I have three other children and nine grandchildren who need me. I've become and advocate against gun violence and started a nonprofit in his honor so that I can carry his love and joy with me everyday. I know he is proud I took the best path I could to recovery because that's what it feels like a lifetime of recovery.i pray that the story of a great love lost will help others now. Edward Sean came into my life when I was 17 and changed me and he left this world at 28 and changed me again,I thank him for being the son he was. I thank him for the joy he brought into my life and that even in death I can still have all these beautiful memories and even through tears, I smile. I smile because I was blessed to be his mother. Gun violence may have tried to destroy my life but love saved me his love I know he is smiling down on me saying I'm so proud of you mommie

My youngest son, Cameron Dasher, was shot in the head during an attempted robbery on August 4, 2018. He was 19 years of age at the time. After several surgeries, months of rehabilitation, an abundance of love and support, Cameron SURVIVED! He is in the 3% of people who survive this type of injury with a good quality of life...using no wheelchair, cane, crutch or other means of support. My son is a miracle and an inspiration to everyone around him! Every day, he works hard to find his normalcy, as he faces some residual mental and emotional challenges along the way. However, our family rallies around him and collectively shares our story of hope. Because of our blessing, we work with the community in a number of ways to provide service to other families who have been directly impacted by gun violence. Together, we can make a difference.

My son was the most loving person with the biggest heart. He was a great father, son, brother, and grandson. He loved with all he had and fought to have the best life possible with just his mother raising him and no father. He was a beast on any type of athletic field/or court. He loved sports as much as he loved uplifting his friends and family (especially when they needed it most). His nanny was his queen. He wanted so much to be an amazing father to his son, he never had that in his life, all he knew was he wasn't going to be an absent father! His son was his whole world and lit up my son's world. This world got a little dimmer when we lost him. He was a true shining light for us all, even when he was down, he picked us up.