One local woman is creating black history in San Antonio with her nonprofit “Gifts of Love from Above” or GOLFA, a program working to rebuild the lives of the children who have lost a parent as a result of gun violence.
“People don’t think about things like that, when they take a life, they are not only taking that life … it affects the parent, the children, the siblings,” said founder and CEO Kim Anderson.
Losing someone to gun violence is a problem Anderson knows all too well.
GOLFA honors the memory of Anderson’s brother, Marcus Anderson, who was killed in 2011 when he was 35 years old.
"When I saw how his children were grieving his loss, they missed their father so much and the pain of losing my brother, it just really made me feel that something needed to be done for the children," Anderson said.
Anderson has built a special relationship with 4-year-old De’anna Harris. Her father, De’jon Harris, was gunned down in front of his home in December of 2015. According to Anderson, De’anna recognizes that her father is always remembered when the organization hosts annual banquets and balloon releases in honor of victims. Through GOLFA, Anderson helps to mentor children, like De’anna, who are grieving the death of a family member. The organization has development outreach programs like camps, grief counselor referrals and funeral grant assistance.