Baltimore Homicide Victims Honored Through Scholarships For City Youth
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Two women affected by Baltimore's gun violence have created scholarships in an effort to break the cycle and provide the youth with an opportunity to succeed.
Tragedies brought the brave women together. Victory Swift's son and Tina Giles-Forrester's husband were both fatally shot in city streets last year.
Nineteen-year-old Victorious Swift was killed in March, and 43-year-old Jim Forrester was murdered in December.
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The two men's grieving families are now hoping to help Baltimore's next generation.
"Beacon of hope for a beleaguered city. It is the living, breathing legacy of men whose lives were cut short by bullets but who live on through this work," Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen said.
The women created three different scholarships for the youth. One for families of homicide victims, a second in honor of Victorious' commitment to community service and a third in honor of Jim's passion for music.
"We are here to ask you to help us pave their legacy, their work and their love forward to allow us to give back and to keep giving for all that their lives meant," Victory said.
Both men's deaths are still unsolved.
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"Enriching a child's life is a benefit to us all, and we cannot discount the worth of a young man or woman that is the true root of the problems that we face today. We have been too arrogant in our adult affairs to notice our children hold the power to change it all," Tina said.
The scholarships, though created from tragedy, are a chance to make a difference.
The GoFundMe goal of the Swift and Forrester memorial fund is set at $10,000. Click here for details.
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