Dream to Heal Hearts from Violence
Donation protected
On July 4, 1996, my brother was murdered in Pontiac, Michigan along with his childhood friend. We were all in Alabama attending our family reunion, a trip Dean was unable to attend because of work. We received a phone call early in the morning that my brother was killed that night before. That had to be the longest ride ever, as the entire family had to drive back to Michigan immediately to face our worst nightmare.
My brother and his friend were both murdered in the middle of a large crowd and 19 years later their murders are now considered cold case files. It's sad that the same city we grew up in, cherished, and loved, would become so silent when we begged the community for answers.
My brother's death was a shock to our family, but we were not foreign to this magnitude of loss. My mother lost 3 sons, a baby to S.I.D.S., a 7 year old who drown, and then Dean's murder at the age of 22. Every tragic event took a toll on my family mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally. However just like most in the black community, my family never considered any therapeutic measures. Those unresolved or avoided issues caused a major breakdown in our family, and some engaged in unhealthy methods of coping.
There is an attack on the family and if we do not address these issues at the root, we will continue this deadly cycle. My brother's girlfriend was 3 months pregnant at the time, and later gave birth to an amazing son, who unfortunately due to violence will never know his father. This young man, my nephew, struggles to find normalcy without a father, who he was never given the opportunity to connect with.
This is the reason I started Dean J. Samuel's Identify Your Dream Foundation with a mission to offer grief support to youth dealing with a violent loss of their parent(s). In addition to that, we are looking to create an outlet that appeals to those communities plagued with violence, to encourage them to take full advantage of mental health services. We know that "hurt people will hurt people" and it's our goal to help heal a hurting community.
With the money raised we will help the families, affected by violence, who are struggling financially to make ends meet. It is also our goal to build a recreation center in the city of Pontiac, Michigan to offer art therapy, sport programs, mental healths services, and serve as an outlet for the community to come together in fun.
This is the city I grew up in, and even with so many hurtful memories, I still believe in my city and I believe that there are many children who desire to live out their dream. My brother was a high school football star with dreams of the NFL, but his dreams were laid to rest the day he was snatched from our lives. I refuse to watch a community of people give up on their dreams due to the devastation of their reality.
The recreation center is a long term goal, but we have a Sweet Dream Charitable Gala that is coming up November 7, 2015 where we are seeking funds to help in our mission to bring Christmas joy to 5 families we adopted this year. These families have all witnessed the loss of a parent due to violence. We greatly appreciate your support and your contribution will help tremendously. This is a huge assignment and it is going to take the collective efforts of you and countless others. Thank you again for supporting the challenge.
My brother and his friend were both murdered in the middle of a large crowd and 19 years later their murders are now considered cold case files. It's sad that the same city we grew up in, cherished, and loved, would become so silent when we begged the community for answers.
My brother's death was a shock to our family, but we were not foreign to this magnitude of loss. My mother lost 3 sons, a baby to S.I.D.S., a 7 year old who drown, and then Dean's murder at the age of 22. Every tragic event took a toll on my family mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally. However just like most in the black community, my family never considered any therapeutic measures. Those unresolved or avoided issues caused a major breakdown in our family, and some engaged in unhealthy methods of coping.
There is an attack on the family and if we do not address these issues at the root, we will continue this deadly cycle. My brother's girlfriend was 3 months pregnant at the time, and later gave birth to an amazing son, who unfortunately due to violence will never know his father. This young man, my nephew, struggles to find normalcy without a father, who he was never given the opportunity to connect with.
This is the reason I started Dean J. Samuel's Identify Your Dream Foundation with a mission to offer grief support to youth dealing with a violent loss of their parent(s). In addition to that, we are looking to create an outlet that appeals to those communities plagued with violence, to encourage them to take full advantage of mental health services. We know that "hurt people will hurt people" and it's our goal to help heal a hurting community.
With the money raised we will help the families, affected by violence, who are struggling financially to make ends meet. It is also our goal to build a recreation center in the city of Pontiac, Michigan to offer art therapy, sport programs, mental healths services, and serve as an outlet for the community to come together in fun.
This is the city I grew up in, and even with so many hurtful memories, I still believe in my city and I believe that there are many children who desire to live out their dream. My brother was a high school football star with dreams of the NFL, but his dreams were laid to rest the day he was snatched from our lives. I refuse to watch a community of people give up on their dreams due to the devastation of their reality.
The recreation center is a long term goal, but we have a Sweet Dream Charitable Gala that is coming up November 7, 2015 where we are seeking funds to help in our mission to bring Christmas joy to 5 families we adopted this year. These families have all witnessed the loss of a parent due to violence. We greatly appreciate your support and your contribution will help tremendously. This is a huge assignment and it is going to take the collective efforts of you and countless others. Thank you again for supporting the challenge.
Organizer
Deleah Samuel-Sharp
Organizer
Oak Park, MI
