MILWAUKEE -- The family of the Milwaukee 13-year-old shot in her home Monday night has received support from around the country. The outreach is in part a ripple effect of the strength of Sandra Parks' young voice.
At 11-years-old Parks shared her view on Wisconsin Public Radio.
"The world that we have become now is that all we hear about is somebody dying and somebody getting shot and people do not just think about whose father or son or granddaughter or grandson that you just killed," she said.
Her teacher, Kimanzi Edari said she was a teacher as much as a student.
"She said take a personal responsibility, be empathetic, and do the small part that everyone can do," he said. "She had this type of spirit to her like I said an old wise person."
He said she wrote about what she knew and what she knew needed to change.
"You could tell that she wasn't happy with things around her, so that was reflected in her writing," he said.
Because of that voice, her message has spread throughout the country.
"When I saw it I was just totally totally floored," said Billy Kinsey, who lives in California.
Kinsey called TODAY'S TMJ4 to learn how he could donate to the Parks family.
"They were explaining just what type of young lady she was and I was compelled to do my part, you know do what little I could," he said.
He's not the only one who's reached out. The family's GoFundMe page beat its goal by thousands of dollars with donations from hundreds of people. They said the money will be used for a memorial service.
"These words even beyond the goal and the economic aspect of it this young lady, this girl, this child, this daughter, even when she's gone now and the hurt and the pain that's still here. Her words, her words, give us guidance," Edari said.
He tells TODAY'S TMJ4 the family is looking to publish Parks' writing to spread her message further and continue her impact.
