Recently, our Whitney/Strong board members have been thinking about and discussing ways that we can positively contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement. Last week, we watched a webinar for non-profit organizations, and one of their suggestions was to evaluate who we support and work with. Immediately, I proudly thought of Pivot to Peace.
Pivot to Peace is a hospital-based initiative that intervenes when a person has been shot or stabbed and helps that survivor successfully reintegrate back into their community. Without programs like Pivot to Peace, the re-injury rate for victims who return to the same environment where they were injured is significant. That’s why programs like Pivot are life savers. For me, Pivot to Peace wasn’t only a life saver, but a life builder as well. When I first became aware of Pivot, I had just been told by doctors that due to my injuries, it was likely I would never be able to walk again. I was no longer capable of performing my job duties; therefore, I was forced to search for new income. Mentally, I was discombobulated. The life I knew had vanished.
When life turns upside down, finding a starting point can feel like an insurmountable task. However, Ms. Deborah, KJ Fields, and Derrick Mitchell – Pivot to Peace staff – helped me develop and carry out a plan that has catapulted my life in a direction I never saw coming. But the thing I cherish most is the support and love I have received from them. I will never forget when they came and prayed with my family when we were all in a room together for the first time. I will never forget Derrick stopping by the hospital for my therapy appointments or coming by to play 2K with me to keep my mind off things or how he helped me enroll into college. I will never forget how KJ made me feel like family from the first day we met or how he has connected me to a multitude of people and opportunities or how he helped me find a paying job. I will never forget how Ms. Deborah dug into her OWN pockets to help me pay for the medicine I needed or how she takes it upon herself to get involved with what Whitney Strong supports, like CALM training, or how she constantly pushes me to become a better version of myself.
Pivot to Peace is a vital component to our Louisville community, especially our Black population. In fact, Pivot’s most recently published report showed that 92% of the Pivot to Peace participants were Black. Despite this heart-wrenching reality, Pivot to Peace has a 96% success rate. Rarely do participants get reinjured after they have decided to join the Pivot family. However, even with all of this success, far too often Pivot to Peace and other similar initiatives aren’t given the attention and resources they deserve. I know firsthand the potential that Pivot to Peace has. People may not realize it, but when they look at me, they see a piece of Pivot. Pivot is fighting every day to support the many Black lives in our own backyard. Today, I’m delighted and proud to share that the Whitney/Strong Board has decided to make a monetary donation to this strong pillar in the city of Louisville. - Terrell Williams (Whitney/Strong Board Member and gun violence survivor)