Milwaukee moms who've lost a child are getting help from a woman who does not live in Milwaukee. But her heart is always here, and how she's impacting others is Positively Milwaukee.
It's called "Motivating All Youth." It's an all-volunteer group that supports parents with sick kids, and families who've lost kids to illness and violence. A tragedy led President and Founder Akesha Burks to start her non profit organization.
"My brother was killed in 1996 by a so-called friend. He was shot in the back, the bullet him hit in the artery," explains Burks.
She witnessed the pain her mother experienced after her brother's death. She recalls the sad moments. "To see my mother want to give up after she lost a child," she says.
Program Diirector Dimitri Bradley volunteers for Motivating All Youth.
Bradley explains, "I love it, it feeds my soul."
"I don't like to see people cry, especially women, growing up in the city of Milwaukee. I lost a lot of friends," he says. "It's so hurtful for a mother to bury her kid, it's supposed to be the other way around."
Motivating All Youth sponsors several activities a year to help parents cope. People like Tina Moore are grateful for the support. Her son was shot and killed in 2015. Moore says her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time, a victim of random violence.
"I always tell people once you've lost a child and once the smoke clears, people go back to their daily life. That's the ones you can depend on."
Moore was too sad to attend a Mother's Day Banquet sponsored by "Motivating All Youth." 15 moms were honored. Each mom got a plaque honoring their fallen angel. Ramsey Thunder Sr. VP "Motivating All Youth," talked to TODAY'S TMJ4 at the banquet. He says the goal is for a mother to meet someone they can relate to and get assistance from.
Burks says the best part of her work is the reaction from moms.
"Seeing their smile at the end of everything and them knowing that everyone really cares," she says.
