LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A non-profit focused on ending gun violence is receiving a $50,000 grant for its programs.
The organization was started by a local woman, Whitney Austin, who survived 12 gunshots from a 2018 mass shooting at a bank in Cincinnati. Following the shooting, Austin left her job to dedicate her time to her nonprofit Whitney/Strong.
"I never imagined that I would be touched by gun violence,” Austin said.
She was walking into work at Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati when a gunman opened fire, killing three people and wounding two others, including Austin.
"I know what it feels like to go through gun violence,” Austin said. “I know what it feels like to have your children, your husband, your parents, your sister, everybody that loves you impacted forever, and I don't want anybody else to experience that."
That's why Austin started Whitney/Strong, a non-profit with a mission to end gun violence through laws, research and education.
The $50,000 grant from the Gannett Foundation is the largest the nonprofit has received to date. Austin said it's being used to educate the community on gun safety - from stop the bleed training, to safe gun storage, to suicide prevention.
"They leave with tools to act if they need to. They'll have tourniquets if they need to act because of violence. They will have gun locks in case they need to safely store, so we bring all of that to them and at no cost,” Austin said.
As gun violence in Louisville rises, the time is now for the community to come together to fight it.
"We're not going to stand for 16-year-olds dying at the bus stop. So, we're at that point where everyone is upset and now we need to move forward with working together, which is part of the problem. We need to work together to solve the problem," Austin said.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.