ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Community leaders gathered in Allentown on National Call to Action Day to encourage residents to work together to reduce gun violence and support families affected by it.<\/p>\n
Jeani Garcia, executive director of Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley and founder of Mother to Mother, used the event to highlight the impact gun violence continues to have on local families despite a decline in overall violence.<\/p>\n
“We just want to bring a message out that we’ve lost loved ones in the community and how important public safety is and how important it is for the village to come together, the collective to come together to. To keep our children safe,” Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Garcia’s son, Kareem Fedd, was killed in an act of gun violence<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since his death, Garcia has made it her mission to help grieving families and work to reduce gun violence throughout the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n “Although there is a decrease in violence in the community, there are still families that are affected by violence, specifically gun violence, and it’s a ripple effect,” Garcia said.<\/p>\n According to Garcia, three youth have already lost their lives in shootings in the Allentown this year.<\/p>\n Garcia said she hopes events like National Call to Action Day will continue bringing the community together while reminding families affected by violence that they are not alone.<\/p>\n