FBI surprises children in Future Healers Got Zoo Buddies with gifts at holiday party

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A program that promotes positive activities for children impacted by gun violence got a special surprise on Saturday.

Future Healers Got Zoo Buddies, a program led by anti-violence nonprofit Christopher 2X Game Changers, has gotten attention from the FBI, and is becoming an example of how to help children across the country.

Future Healers Got Zoo Buddies, a partnership between Christopher 2X Game Changers and the Louisville Zoo, teaches children about care for animals with the ultimate goal of creating a sensitivity toward animals. The initiative was created to explore the healing and therapeutic power of animals for children experiencing secondary trauma from gun violence.

FBI agents from across the country are using Game Changers' model to build trust and do good in their communities, too.

Louisville ATF Special Agent Shawn Morrow and FBI agents attended the Future Healers Got Zoo Buddies Holiday lunch at the Galt House Hotel on Saturday.

"It's something that's important to ATF, and I know that when we had the opportunity to partner, the men and women at ATF really were excited to jump in and be a part of it," Morrow said.

The children ate lunch with the special agents, and then got to pick out toys. The end of the year celebration provided parents with an opportunity to reflect on the impact of the program.

"My family and I, we've bene really just kind of working to heal, working to create a new life, and this program has helped us," said Deedra Latham, a parent. "We, too, have suffered a tremendous loss, and the program has positively impacted us, helps the kids on a mental, emotional and then of course physical level."

For more information on the Future Healers program, contact the Christopher 2X Game Changers organization.

Related Stories: