Our journey begins in the early morning of May 14, 2021. Survivor's Media founders Paula Gardner and Diego Salazar's niece, Michelle Benavidez (30 year old), was brutally raped and murdered. Michelle's family was devastated and forced to mourn the tragic death of the their beloved daughter, grand daughter, and niece with little to no direction or help from organization whose sole purpose is to provide counsel and grief management solutions. This event sparked a fire within Michelle's family, with Paula Gardner taking it upon herself to organize the community behind a goal of creating a space to mourn, and remember Michelle Benzvidez and all victims of violent crime. With the help of the community, Paula was able to organize two murals featuring Michelle's face and other victims of homicide as a reminder that these senseless crimes happen to, not just the victim but, the victim's loved ones. Our goal is to keep the memory of victims alive through the use of multimedia projects designed to tell a story of community members in mourning lost loved ones, educate the public and victim's families about the resources that are available to them after such a tragedy, and spread awareness in an effort to stop these senseless crimes!

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Please consider donating toward our initial start-up fundraising where our goal is to reach $15,000. We have partnered with an organization in our community where any funds raised up to $15,000 will be matched in an effort to bring art projects and events that serve our neighborhoods to life. Donations can be made using the link below to our GoFundMe!

 

We are currently in the process of applying for non-profit, 501(c)(3), status.

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Diego Salazar, Survivor's Media