On a mission to shield kids from gun violence

From InsideBayArea.com:

     Hey kids, know what's not cool? Getting shot. Ask Arthur Renowitzky, he knows. The 21-year-old paraplegic told a rapt group of teens at a Boys & Girls Club in East Oakland on Tuesday that despite what some hip-hop heroes may say, there is nothing glamorous about gun violence.

     "It took just one to put me here," Renowitzky said from his wheelchair. "One shot, one bullet and I'm paralyzed. A lot of people see Tupac and 50 Cent, and hear raps about how it's cool to be shot — it's not. It won't get you more girls. ... I'm lucky just to be alive."

     It all went down Dec. 2, 2007. That Saturday night had turned into a wet Sunday morning, and Renowitzky was leaving a San Francisco night club in a good mood, with a "couple of numbers" from women he had met. Turning a corner into the dark alley where he had parked, he heard a loud voice: "Give me your wallet and chain, or I will kill you." He saw a flash, heard a bang. Felt the pain and the panic — I've been shot!

     During his 40 days of rehabilitation at the hospital, Arthur decided that things happen for a reason. Not deeply religious but Christian, Arthur believes that God has a plan for him. And he believes that plan involves teaching youths about the damage a gun can do, and thus began the Hayward-based nonprofit Life Goes On Foundation. "I didn't want the same thing to happen to another happy, innocent kid like me," Renowitzky said. "I didn't think things can happen just like that. I'd see them in street, you know, the guy in a wheelchair, but you never know that it can happen to you just like that."

     He said he wants to change a mindset that glorifies the gun, making it seem like little more than a toy or status symbol. "It's so easy to pick up a gun these days, and people think it's OK," he said. "They don't know the effects of gun violence. ... If they could live one day in my position and see what it's like, I think they'd change their mind."

Continue reading this story here...

    Arthur Renowitzky is a true example of being the difference! Do you know someone who is being the difference in your community?  Tell me about them and they may be featured on this blog.

Comments

[generic viagra]

Man so sorry for that awful experience you lived, gun violence is getting out of control, and hip hop is not helping the cause, but like you said, you still got your life, so enjoy it the best you can.
Greetings

[Yancey Arts]

This article moved me to tears. Gun violence should be a thing of the past. I hope many people will soon realize that having a gun is not cool.