Hope After Heartbreak
Leo* arrived at Urban Ventures’ early learning center just days after his mother passed away. Her final act was saving his life.
There is no way to make sense of what happened. The family was out running errands. Mom waited in the car while Dad ran inside. She held two year old Leo in her arms, his older brothers buckled in nearby. With no warning, and no known motive, a gunman with a record of violence began firing at the vehicle.
Dad ran out to the car when he heard the shots. The gunman turned and fired at him. Dad was not hit, neither were the two older children. But Mom, and Leo, had both been struck.
They were in an alley just blocks from Children’s Hospital. Mom climbed into the driver’s seat and drove straight to the hospital. Nurses and doctors rushed into action. Leo survived, but Mom succumbed to her injuries and passed away. The last thing she did was save her baby’s life.
Diana, co-director of Urban Ventures’ Cornwell Early Learning Center (CELC), learned of this tragedy from a family with children enrolled in the center. She asked for contact information for the father.
“I didn’t know what to say but I wanted him to know we were here to help,” she explains. She told Dad, “I know you don’t know what to do. I don’t know either. But I know we have space for your child if you need it.”
The father came to tour the center, still reeling from the loss of his wife and uncertain what the future looked like for him and his children. He was grateful for the offer of support but uncertain how to pay.
Diana already had an answer for him. Urban Ventures was ready to give Leo a full scholarship while Dad worked to stabilize his situation. Soon after, Leo began at the center.
There is no way to recover from such a senseless tragedy. You can’t “get over it,” you can only move through it. But, with help from his community, Dad is moving forward. “This child is now part of our community,” said Diana, “and together with his family, they are receiving the support needed to rebuild their lives.”
We are deeply grateful for those who make it possible for us to respond with love when heartbreak finds our doorstep. Thank you.
*names changed for confidentiality
