My brother was murdered half a block away from our home. The day he was taken from us was the day that our entire family was destroyed. The scars his death have left behind have changed who we are as individuals, as a family. The laughter has faded, the joy and light has dimmed, the fear and hurt intensified, but his memory lives on forever and keeps us strong. His smile, the moments shared, the adventures had are now stories we share with his only niece, whom he will never meet- all because of a senseless act of gun violence. Gun Violence impacts more than just family, it impacts friends, relatives, colleagues, entire communities.
Izzy loved basketball, he loved to eat, he loved to laugh and play jokes, he loved his family & friends. Izzy deserved to accomplish his dreams, to find true love, to build a family of his own. We deserved to watch him grow into an amazing man but because of senseless gun violence- he will forever be 21 and we will always be heart broken. Israel’s Gifts of Hope is an organization we started to raise awareness on the impacts- we are honoring with action!