TFG Charity of the Month

THE GREAT ARMS RACE
WITH ITS SMART AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS, PAX IS MOVING FAST TO DELIVER REAL SOLUTIONS
TO AMERICA'S GUN VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC
PAX_Logo

What you don't know can hurt you.

There's an ongoing debate in America about gun control.
While politicos are busy bantering back and forth, eight
children a day die as a result of gun violence. This shocking
fact drives PAX, a non-profit organization, to bring an end to
gun violence against children and families by repositioning it as the kind of problem it is: an urgent public health crisis. Similar to the successful social awareness campaigns for AIDS, tobacco and alcohol, PAX aims to take the politics out of this public health and safety plight by fostering a change in attitudes, behaviors and public policy.

Pax was founded in 1998 by Dan Gross, a year after his brother was critically wounded in a random shooting atop the Empire State Building's observatory deck. “Realizing the complexities of the issue and the entrenched political views, Dan founded PAX as an answer to both sides: a non-partisan, non-political gun violence prevention non-profit that aimed to provide practical solutions to gun violence in America. Almost ten years later, PAX has grown to become the largest organization of its kind, and has helped prevent countless tragedies across the country,” says Travis Grossi, PAX's communications manager.

PAX creates unique and effective national public health-based awareness and education programs (think: “Friends don't let friends drink and drive”) that serve to heighten public safety in the short-term and inspire subsequent public outcry toward the behavior, thus leading to cultural and policy change in the long-term. Grossi tells us that “PAX’s two innovative public health initiatives, ASK (Asking Saves Kids) and SPEAK UP, directly benefit parents and children by providing practical and empowering tools to improve the safety of their homes, schools and communities, with an emphasis on grassroots leadership in the diverse communities most at risk for gun violence.”

ASK is a national public health initiative in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics that gives every parent something to do to keep their children safe: ask if there are guns in the home where your child is playing. Over 40% of American homes with children have guns in them—many left unlocked and loaded. “Concerned parents inquire whether or not there’s a dog or a pool at the home of a play date or friendly neighbor, but many don’t think to include this lifesaving question,” Grossi points out.

“SPEAK UP is a national awareness and educational initiative providing students with tools to improve the safety of their schools and communities,” Grossi says. In a whopping 81% of school shootings, the attackers tell other students about their plans beforehand. “The SPEAK UP program aims to empower students to report threats of weapon-related violence,” Grossi adds.

PAX is currently the largest non-lobbying group dedicated to gun violence because of its progressive strategy. The organization's team of strategic planners, marketeers and grassroots professionals has spawned its rapid success. “PAX is currently wrapping up a year long ASK initiative in Rockford, Illinois. Due to the generous support of the Joyce Foundation, PAX was able to exclusively target one community with the ASK message. By focusing on one community, PAX was able to work with the mayor, chief of police and superintendent, as well as a host of other grassroots partners to spread the message, Grossi tells us. He adds that PAX has plans to take the Rockford model to 10 cities, with a goal of adding ten more communities each year. “By spreading our message at both the national and local levels, PAX hopes one day all children will be safe from gun violence,” Grossi says.

And we at THE FAMILY GROOVE hope so, too. As parents, we can't ignore this complex problem plaguing our children. Nor can we not rise to deliver its very simple yet powerful message: ASK and SPEAK UP.

THE FAMILY GROOVE donates a percentage of its revenue to its featured charity of the month.

To find out more information about PAX or to get involved in our programs, please visit www.paxusa.org.

IMPORTANT NUMBER TO KNOW
Call 1-866-SPEAK-UP to anonymously report a weapon threat in your school. As the nation’s only bilingual and toll-free hotline, it’s received over 20,000 calls in the last four years. Parents: tell your middle and high school kids about the SPEAK UP hotline.