CHICAGO — Students and families who have lost loved ones to gun violence gathered for a block party on Friday where representatives from Chicago Survivors, a nonprofit school-based trauma support and counseling program, prepared them with back-to-school essentials.
“I had to let him know ‘Mom won’t be home. Mom is in heaven.’ You know, how all adults would tell children, ‘You’re mom is in heaven, she’s watching us.’ But without Chicago Survivors, I wouldn’t know exactly how to handle it or how to word it,” Donna Pearson-Simmons, whose grandchildren, 6-year-old Keant’e Boyd Jr. and 3-year-old Emaria Reed, lost their mother to gun violence, said.
Their mother, 26-year-old Erica Reed, was gunned down in the early morning hours of May 12, 2023.
Family members said she was leaving a party when police found her unresponsive, suffering from a gunshot wound.
“Excellent mom. She loved her babies, and she, oh my god, I know she is looking down now. I just hate that she didn’t get a chance to see them grow, see them start school. Keant’e started kindergarten,” Pearson-Simmons said.
Donna and her two grandchildren continue to receive support from Chicago Survivors.
“We can offer individual therapy, group therapy, we do wellness days at their school treating specifically grief and complicated trauma symptoms,” JaShawn Hill, the Chicago Survivors Executive Director, said.
During a press conference on Friday afternoon, the organization, accompanied by Senator Dick Durbin and representatives from CPS, announced that it would expand to 16 schools starting this fall.
“Chicago Survivors, thank goodness you’re here, thank goodness you’re reaching out to children, families, who have been touched by violence and given them a second look at life,” Durbin said.
For Pearson-Simmons, the support continues to go a long way.
“Now he’s understanding, he’s able to tell you, talk about it without crying, without getting upset,” Pearson-Simmons said.
While Friday’s event wraps up the summer portion, the organization’s work continues year-round. They are usually the first ones on the scene connecting families with long-term resources.