MISSION STATEMENT

In the shadows of a fractured sky,

A mother kneels, her questions why.

A child’s laughter, now a ghost,

A fleeting echo, what we’ve lost.

The streets once sang with songs of play,

Now whisper fear at break of day.

The crack of violence tears the air,

A silent scream, a broken prayer.

A classroom desk, a crimson stain,

A sacred space now marked by pain.

Dreams cut short by hands of steel,

A cycle spinning, wounds that heal—

But never fully, never whole,

Each life extinguished scars the soul.

Bullets care not for creed or age,

They write their story on every page.

A father’s voice, a sister’s cry,

A world that watches, asking why.

But amidst the grief, the seeds are sown,

For love and courage to be shown.

To rise as one, to mend, to fight,

To turn the darkness into light.

For every name, a vow we make,

A stand against the lives they take.

In unity, we find our might,

To end this wrong, to make it right.

Written By: De'Marcus Johnson 

Charleston, SC (Age 16)

The world once turned with steady grace,

A rhythm known in every place.

But then it came, the silent storm,

Invisible, yet cold and warm.

A cough, a fever, a fleeting breath,

The unseen specter whispered death.

The streets grew still, the skies turned bare,

A fragile world laid stark and rare.

Behind closed doors, we learned to see,

The threads that bind humanity.

The healers donned their weary shields,

The battle waged on crowded fields.

Lonely hands reached through the screen,

A digital touch where touch had been.

The air was thick with grief and fear,

Yet hope endured, a light sincere.

We mourned the loss, we praised the brave,

The ones who fought, the ones who gave.

Each mask a mark of care we shared,

Each act of kindness showed we dared.

And now we stand, though changed inside,

Through waves of sorrow, ebbing tide.

The lesson learned in shadows cast:

That love can heal, and hope will last.

Written by: Tasia Adams

Goose Creek, SC (Age 14)

They walk the edge, a fragile line,

A world unseen, where shadows intertwine.

At risk, they say, as if a fate,

Defined by walls and heavy weight.

Their eyes hold storms they cannot name,

A silent battle, guilt, and blame.

The streets, a maze, a luring snare,

A search for love that isn’t there.

The nights grow long, the days grow cold,

Dreams replaced by lies they’re sold.

Yet in the chaos, a spark remains,

A flicker of light through all the pains.

A hand extended, a voice that cares,

A bridge rebuilt through love’s repairs.

They are not broken, they are not lost,

Each life is priceless, beyond the cost.

For every tear, a story waits,

A chance to rewrite, to change the fates.

Their strength is quiet, their hope runs deep,

A future calls, where faith can leap.

At risk, we say, but don’t we see?

They’re more than labels, more than plea.

They are the roots of something new,

A garden waiting, a sky turned blue.

Written by: Samantha Collins

Queens, NY (Age 17)

Love is a whisper, soft and still,

A force unseen, but bending will.

It blooms in hearts, in every hue,

A bond eternal, pure and true.

It lingers in a fleeting glance,

A tender touch, a second chance.

In laughter shared, in tears that fall,

It is the answer, the heart of all.

Love knows no bounds, no time, no place,

It dwells in every smile, every face.

It mends the broken, heals the scar,

A guiding light, our northern star.

It is the courage to let go,

The strength to fight, the will to grow.

It hums in silence, shouts in pain,

A constant rhythm, joy and strain.

In love, we find the truest part,

The map that leads back to the heart.

For though the world may shift and sway,

Love’s quiet song will find its way.

Written by: William (Billy) Wagner

West Ashley, SC (Age 15)