Great news! “Group Violence Intervention” (“Ceasefire”) has the funding needed for implementation! The Kalamazoo Community Foundation has given Public Safety a grant for training and assistance from John Jay University’s David M. Kennedy (author of “Don’t Shoot” whom we brought to town as ISAAC Banquet speaker in 2012), and the Kalamazoo City Commission has voted to approve the contract! Now we can actually begin to put into practice this new way of Public Safety and the community working closely together to give at-risk youth a better path! Huge thanks to all the partners who are helping make this dream come true.

– Venessa Collins-Smith & Wendy Flora, Co-Chairs