Grief arrives before answers do. After the October 9 mass shooting in Erie, families are now facing the impossible work of mourning, healing, caring for children, and trying to understand what comes next. On October 10, 2026, the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation for Kids, issued a message of condolence and support to Erie, Pennsylvania. The national youth advocacy and violence-prevention nonprofit was founded after the May 24, 2022, shooti

When a community is hit by sudden violence, a missing child case, or a collapse in basic support, the first hours can shape everything that follows. Families need answers, food, safe space, funeral help, transportation, and someone calm enough to listen. First responders need support too, especially when the crisis involves children. The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, known as YPJF, built its rapid-response model around that narrow window. The goal is not to replace emerge

41 Years After Hands Across America, Youth Peace & Justice Foundation Launches “Youth Across America” National Youth Violence Prevention, Remembrance and Community Action Initiative Set for May 25, 2027 TEMPLE, TEXAS — October 7, 2026 — Forty-one years after millions of Americans came together for Hands Across America, the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation (YPJF), also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, is asking a new generation to come together for America's young peop

The Uvalde Foundation for Kids Connects with Shreveport Police Chaplain Haley; Announces Funeral Details, Direct GoFundMe Link, and Extended October Fundraising Efforts for Sha’Michael Russell UPDATE OCTOBER 9, 2026 Received From Shreveport Police Chaplain, Jessical Haley, Aunt Of Sha'Michael. The foundation continues it's ongoing support for this precious family: Dear Youth Peace and Justice Foundation, Thank you for your continued love, prayers, and support, as well as for

DONATE HERE: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G88KEWBWBVGA8 CHICAGO, IL, October 4, 2026, The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, has launched an individual memorial fundraiser for 7-year-old Edimari Hernandez Chacon following her fatal stabbing in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood on Saturday. The Foundation, a national youth advocacy and violence-prevention nonprofit founded after the May 24, 2022 tragedy at Robb Eleme

Halloween should be fun. Children should be able to put on a costume, walk around the neighborhood with friends, knock on doors, laugh, collect candy, and come home with a good memory. That is what Halloween should be about. This year, the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, now operating as the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, is asking communities across America to help protect that simple joy. The foundation is a national youth advocacy and violence-prevention nonprofit that grew

Thirteen-year-old Sha’michal Russell should still be here. He should be playing basketball, laughing with family, spending time with his younger sister and growing into the future that belonged to him. Instead, his family and the Shreveport community are mourning a young life lost during the shooting at Olde Salem Village Apartments. On October 3, 2026, the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, announced that it is honoring Sha’michal

Bayport, New York, October 3, 2026, The Emily Finn National Scholarship is being given another chance after its next scholarship cycle was paused because of limited funding. The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, is renewing its effort to rebuild the scholarship fund and restart the program. The goal is direct and deeply personal: help another young dancer continue studying the art that Emily Finn loved. Emily, an 18-year-old dance

A national youth advocacy group has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to independently assess whether a July 5, 2026 police shooting in St. Louis County should face federal civil-rights review or investigation. The request comes from the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation for Kids, a youth advocacy and violence-prevention nonprofit founded after the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The organization says the released

A property can be sold. A camp can close. Land can change hands, and a name can fade from maps and memory. But children cannot be replaced. As Camp Mystic’s future moves through a proposed Chapter 11 reorganization plan, the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation urges the public to hold one truth above every legal filing, financial question or debate about what should happen next. The permanent loss is not the possible end of a historic Texas camp. The permanent loss is the girls

Monowi, Nebraska, the smallest incorporated community in the United States, will remain the first selected community for a national school gun violence memorial initiative led by The Uvalde Foundation For Kids. The Foundation announced on September 29, 2026, that it is moving forward with Monowi as the starting place for the project, renewing a selection it first made in January 2025. The decision marks a shift from the original announcement toward renewed communication with

The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation is asking Maine’s top legal office to examine records tied to one of the most visible fundraising efforts that followed the October 2023 Lewiston shooting. On September 29, 2026, the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, known as YPJF and formerly the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, said it is adding Rogue Life Maine’s “Lewiston Strong” merchandise fundraiser to a formal complaint filed with the Maine Attorney General’s Office. The Foundation says

A national foundation formed after the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, says it is stepping in to support victims and families after a Sunday shooting at Carolyn Crayton Park in Macon, Georgia, left multiple people wounded. The Uvalde Foundation for Kids, also known as the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, announced that it is responding to the Macon attack with an emergency support fund, a reward for information, and around-the-clock crisis support for young

September 2026 STOPNOW patrols are not currently operating in Chicago. That is the clearest and most important update we can give right now. The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation is still reviewing whether STOPNOW could have a place in Chicago in the future, but no patrol program is active in the city today. We know there has been past discussion about Chicago. In 2025, the Foundation announced plans for volunteer safety patrols in several communities, including Brighton Park,

The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, is responding after a Sunday shooting at Carolyn Crayton Park in Macon, Georgia, left 11 people wounded, including two teenagers who were reported to be in critical condition. The Foundation announced an emergency support effort for victims and families affected by the shooting. It is also offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that helps investigators identify those responsible. Fo

The Uvalde Foundation for Kids is launching its Fall 2026 National Fundraiser, a nationwide campaign aimed at supporting families, young people and communities affected by violence, disaster and crisis. The campaign begins after a year in which the Foundation says its teams responded to urgent requests for help, supported families after shootings, maintained youth safety efforts and recognized young people working toward peace and accountability in their communities. The anno

Some places do more than shape a person’s memories. They shape a person’s sense of duty. In a new commentary published by the Los Angeles Times’ Daily Pilot, YPJF Founder and President Daniel Brooks Chapin looks back at the Laguna Beach that helped form him. His reflection, titled “The Hills Hold the Horizon — Laguna’s Enduring Soul in a Changing World,” traces a path from arrival to service, from civic engagement to a broader commitment to young people and communities. Chapi

Seattle’s public safety conversation is moving from broad concern toward specific proposals, as the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation has provided violence-prevention, youth-safety and critical-incident response frameworks to the Office of Mayor Katie Wilson for review. The Foundation said direct communication with the Mayor’s Office is now underway after Matt McIntosh, Interim Deputy Director of Community Relations, contacted the organization regarding its offers of public-sa

UPDATE: September 10, 2026 Youth Peace & Justice Foundation Confirms Student Volunteer Parvati Safely Recovered After Nepal Flooding/Recognizes principal's quick action to protect students and staff and continues Nepal relief campaign TEMPLE, Texas — The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, has confirmed that Parvati, a student volunteer serving on the Foundation's Student Advisory Board, has been safely recovered following the devas

Families recovering from a storm often need help long after the wind and rain have passed. On August 25, 2026, The Uvalde Foundation For Kids/The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation announced that its Oʻahu AnchorPoint Safe House has assisted dozens of families and youth during the response to Hurricane Lala and its aftermath. The Foundation said it placed the Oʻahu AnchorPoint Safe House on standby as Hurricane Lala approached Hawaiʻi. Since then, the Safe House has supported f