Dear McGaw YMCA community
The tragedy at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade is a heartbreaking moment that has changed the lives of children, families, and an entire community forever. My heart is heavy as I think about their journeys ahead as they navigate the incredible pain and grief of surviving gun violence.
Like our neighbors to the north, many children and families and community members were preparing to watch Evanston’s Fourth of July parade later that afternoon. Some were even planning to walk with me and other McGaw YMCA supporters along the parade route. Though our parade was canceled here in Evanston, we carry the weight of what happened in Highland Park, and what can and does happen too often in communities across the U.S.
The Y works every day to transform lives and communities. Our work to become an anti-racist, multicultural organization depends on our willingness to acknowledge and address all forms of harm in our community, including gun violence. Survivors of gun violence are part of the fabric that makes up the McGaw YMCA — as employees, members, program participants, volunteers, donors, and neighbors. We must actively address the root causes of violence so that everyone at our Y and in our community can feel cared for and safe wherever they live, work, learn, play, or gather to watch a parade.
Our mission to strengthen community is deeply personal for us. It must be.
Sincerely,
Monique Parsons
President/CEO
McGaw YMCA
RELATED:
Please read the following statement from several YMCAs including McGaw YMCA.
Statement from Several YMCAs on the Shooting in Highland Park, Illinois