How Mothers in Charge supports parents and children affected by gun violence
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Several times a week, at the offices of Mothers in Charge, founder Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight welcomes family members to talk. Propped on shelves around the room are photos of people taken too soon. Many of them left behind children.
"I always say, it's definitely a family affair," Johnson-Speight said. "A lot of times, mothers get a lot of the attention. And sometimes the children are, we call them forgotten mourners."
Tonya McGlond's son Antoine, 35, was shot to death last summer. He left behind three children.
"So what we normally do around this time is that everybody comes to my house," McGlond said. "I do all the cooking. We just sit around and talk about, 'Oh if Antoine was here, he would love that baked macaroni and cheese.'"
The gifts collected by CBS Philadelphia's Joy of Sharing campaign have brought joy to families hurting at the holidays, Johnson-Speight said. The campaign collects toys for the Mothers In Charge, which supports families affected by gun violence, and the Salvation Army.
LEARN MORE: CBS Philadelphia's annual Joy of Sharing Toy Drive campaign
"So I'm just so grateful and looking forward to having a wonderful time providing some smiles for children who oftentimes may be very sad as a result of what had happened," she said.
There's still time to donate to the campaign.
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