2024 Annual Report
Safer Communities Are Healthier Communities
Gun violence is a complex public health issue with many root causes, and addressing it requires not just one solution, but a comprehensive, community-driven approach. That’s what the Health Foundation has learned since the launch of Imagine Nonviolence, a new program to boost nonprofit organizations in their efforts to create safer communities.
Launched in April 2024, Imagine Nonviolence is the Health Foundation’s first program that specifically addresses violence or injury related to firearm use, recognizing its public health impact.
Imagine Nonviolence includes two options for participating organizations: Close the Gap, for current programs that receive public funding, and Expand the Reach, the opportunity to strengthen existing or build new firearm safety initiatives. In addition to funding, both groups benefit from peer learning and technical assistance support through their participation.
Because the causes and types of gun violence vary, the first group of Imagine Nonviolence participants are approaching the work in diverse ways. Some are focused on community conditions by creating safe, welcoming spaces for young people, while others are incorporating training to screen for the potential for violence so it can be mitigated. Several other participants are focused on safe storage of firearms to prevent injury or death, such as providing gun locks to the community—an approach that has been shown to be effective at reducing the incidence of firearm injury.
It’s Deeper Than Basketball: Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo
Play VideoHear from MVP Players
Making a difference in the lives of young people sometimes is as simple as a safe place to play basketball, a group of caring adults, and some pizza and Gatorade. That’s according to Mia Ayers-Goss, Executive Director of Most Valuable Parents (MVP), when speaking about the program’s Neal Dobbins Inner City Restorative Basketball League.
The league gives preteens and teens in the city of Buffalo the chance to play basketball as long as they participate in weekly restorative support circles and life skills training. Imagine Nonviolence: Close the Gap funding allowed Mia to keep the program going, even when other funding sources were delayed or restricted.
“Participating in Imagine Nonviolence has been a phenomenal experience for us,” says Mia. “Some sponsors didn’t come through, and we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to provide the program in the way we wanted. The funds from the Health Foundation enabled us to finish the season.”
“My relationship with the Health Foundation has been productive because we trust each other. We’re not jumping through hoops, we’re getting work done.”
Mia Ayers-Goss, Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo
Mia shared that over the course of the season, the combination of restorative practice and a fun, safe place to play has a noticeable impact on many of the participants.
“One of the young men who participated was on parole, and I asked him at the beginning how that was affecting his schooling. He told me, ‘Ma’am, I haven’t been to school in over a year.’ By the end of the season, he was asking us for help on how to get his G.E.D. and get into trade programs like welding,” says Mia. “You can see the attitude change.” Other students are struggling with housing or food insecurity, and MVP volunteers help direct them to the resources they need.
“It’s deeper than basketball,” said Dion, a participant in the league. “[The coaches] want us to do better as we go—they don’t want us to backtrack. They want us to elevate.”
Parent Support in Utica: Rebuilding the Village
One Close the Gap grantee, the Patrick L. Johnson Community Youth Center in Utica, provides a secure, safe, and fun environment for children and teens in the Cornhill neighborhood.
Utica has seen a rise in gun violence in recent years, making youth programming and community-driven solutions even more essential.
Through Imagine Nonviolence, the center found support for their Rebuilding the Village initiative, including a peer support group for parents. The group meets weekly, offering a space to discuss the challenges of parenting and identify ways to help their children thrive and stay safe.
According to Executive Director Freddie Hamilton, the funding provided by the Health Foundation allowed Rebuilding the Village to offer stipends to parents who participate in the program, an incentive that has proven effective in maintaining engagement and recognizes the value of a parent’s time.
“Building trust with parents is key,” says Freddie. “They need to know any time they need us they can walk into the center. Sometimes parents come in and they just need to talk, to find a listening ear.”
Creating a Safer Environment for Babies, New Parents, and Doulas: ENAHEC
Erie Niagara Area Health Education Center has worked for several years to increase doula services for families who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Doulas provide support and advocacy for pregnant people, and studies have shown having a doula is associated with better birth outcomes.
As an Imagine Nonviolence: Expand the Reach grantee, ENAHEC is building on their doula program to create safer environments for moms, babies, doulas, and more community members through new safety training opportunities in Niagara Falls, NY.
Kalia McCray, ENAHEC’s Birth Equity Project Manager, says the initiative will help doulas screen for gun safety and domestic violence risk in their clients’ homes. Through the program, ENAHEC is also organizing self-defense classes to help both doula and mom be more equipped to defend themselves in an unsafe situation.
“Most of our doulas—and our staff—were shocked when we learned how prevalent domestic violence is for pregnant women,” says Kalia. Domestic violence is the leading cause of death among pregnant people, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“Doulas are not typically trained to screen for gun violence or domestic violence,” says Brittany Tranello, ENAHEC’s Executive Director. “Our goal is to create better outcomes for moms and babies.”
ENAHEC built the initiative through several community partnerships, including Edgy Gazelle, LLC, and Criminal Justice Professionals Training and Consulting, LLC; the Niagara Falls Housing Authority; and Erie County Medical Center’s Buffalo Rising Against Violence at ECMC (BRAVE) program. Those partnerships allow the program to reach beyond their core audience of doulas and parents, helping spread the message of firearm safety and domestic violence awareness to others in the community.
Person-Centered Safety for Older Adults and Caregivers: Hearts & Hands
Research has shown that most gun owners are largely supportive of reasonable gun safety measures, but discussing these issues requires respect, trust, and empathy. That’s why Hearts & Hands, a volunteer transportation organization serving older adults and caregivers in Erie and Niagara counties, is building their Imagine Nonviolence: Expand the Reach project around trusted partnerships and person-centered interventions.
“Gun ownership is an important tradition for many of the families we serve,” says Aaron Carlson, Hearts & Hands Executive Director.
Hearts & Hands is using the University of Colorado’s Firearm Life Plan to help their staff and community partners have crucial conversations with the people they serve. Firearm life plans are made by gun owners with the people they love and trust to ensure the safe handling and ownership of their firearms, even beyond their lifespan. These plans are especially important for gun owners who may be facing cognitive impairment like Alzheimer’s or dementia.
One of the reasons I love this project is it approaches the issue in a really positive way that helps preserve and respect those family traditions.”
Aaron Carlson, Hearts & Hands Executive Director
“We need to normalize the conversations around gun safety,” says Aaron. “When someone enrolls in our program, our staff has always asked about guns in the home. Being trained in the Firearm Life Plan framework allows us to take it to the next step and start the conversation about safe ownership and including firearms in estate planning with older adults and their caregivers.”
Hearts & Hands is spreading the word about this initiative to groups catering to gun owners and hunters such as conservation and marksman clubs.
“These partnerships give us credibility and help validate this important conversation,” says Aaron. “We’re not coming from a place of confrontation and bias. The earlier we can begin these conversations and plant the seeds, the easier it will be when it comes time to evaluate whether it’s time for the family to transfer or dispose of the firearm.”
Imagine Nonviolence’s impact continues in 2025 with a second cohort of grantees. Learn more about Imagine Nonviolence here.
As part of the development of Imagine Nonviolence, Health Foundation staff partnered with Buffalo-based multimedia artists Edreys and Alexa Wajed of Eat Off Art to create a visual identity for the program. The logo captures the program’s spirit of hope, strength, and collaboration as well as the ultimate goal of a violence-free community.
Read more about all the 2024 Imagine Nonviolence grantee projects.
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