LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Christa Gwynn loved fall in Louisville. The leaves slowly change, from green to shades of red and hues of yellow.
And for Gwynn and her family, that first chill of the changing season meant it would be time to celebrate soon.
"He was a Thanksgiving baby," she said of her son, Christian Gwynn.
Christian would grow to give rapping a try and develop other big dreams. He tried being a brick mason and firefighter in the job corps, but that's as far as it ever got.
The cool fall breeze seems cruel now. Every time it comes around, Gwynns are forced to face what happened Dec. 19, when Christian Gwynn was killed in a drive-by shooting.
"He didn't sell drugs," Gwynn said. "He owed nobody nothing."
Future Healers is looking to collaborate with the Louisville Zoo to get an up-close look at caring for the fury residents there.
The immeasurable heartache was hard to bear, but it was far from over. The next painful chapter for the family started with a text from Gwynn's daughter, Victoria.
"She texted me, 'mom,' and I answered 'what?,'" Gwynn said. "She said, 'Get to me. I got shot.'"
The shots were fired in Ballard Park in the Smoketown neighborhood.
"It happened just so fast," Victoria Gwynn said.
She turned around to watch in horror as DaJuan Coward, the good friend who helped her navigate the tragedy of losing her brother, was dying.
"These kids out here nowadays, they're not even making it to adulthood before they're taking a bullet or losing their life," Christa Gwynn said with tears in her eyes.
Victoria Gwynn still struggles to get back to a normal life after being shot, both physically and mentally. Her younger sister, Navada, struggles with the trauma too. The 13-year-old finds it comforting to hold her brother's urn. These are her formative years, and a distraction from what she'd been through was clutch.
"Future Healers is what will help her," Christa Gwynn said, referring to community activist Christopher 2X's organization, which is trying to show a future beyond crime scene tape and police lights is possible.
Future Healers hopes the program can show a future beyond crime scene tape and police lights is possible.
"We can create a narrative about hope and healing," 2X said.
In addition to tutorials from University of Louisville doctors showing kids what it takes to work in a hospital, Future Healers is also looking to collaborate with the Louisville Zoo to get an up-close look at caring for the fury residents there. It would be a nice addition for Navada, who has always wanted to be a veterinarian.
"They get to come into the animal kingdom and actually be healers in there," 2X said.
Youth is where problems with violence start in Louisville. Every day, victims and killers get younger, but it is far from the end of the problem. Homicide numbers continue to skyrocket. FBI data shows Louisville homicides steadily climbing in the last 10 years. The city hovered around 50 murders a year in 2011 and is now on track to reach about 200 by the end of 2021, which would mark a 300% increase in the last decade.
"This is a community issue," said Monique Williams, director of The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods. "This is an all people issue."
There are several outreach initiatives and programs under the umbrella of Williams' organization.
"We have our pivot to peace initiative," she said. "We have our hospital-based violence intervention program."
The problem is the people surrounded by a cycle of violence are not exactly eager to take part in the programs to stop it. Williams believes preconceived notions of government-led organizations are stunting potential progress.
Navada Gwynn, 13, is part of Future Healers and hopes to be a vet one day.
"There's some justified mistrust there, and I think it's our job to rebuild that," she said.
Her organization recently received ore funding and staff, but Williams ultimately thinks there has to be a shift in the way everyone thinks.
"If people are not understanding when we say violence is a public health issue, and we address it in that way, it's hard to support the strategies that come out of that space," Williams said.
Big moves start with hope. You don't have to look further than the youngest member of the Gwynn family for that.
"Her heart is giving and nurturing," Christa Gwynn said.
Young Navada has seen the worst of the world, up close and still dares to dream. With some helping hands, paws and a lot of smiles, the future veterinarian's heartache will not halt the heart she has for a better tomorrow.
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