HOPEWELL, Va. -- The screeches of shoes and dribbles of basketballs echoed through the gym at Hopewell High Saturday morning in an effort to hopefully save lives.
Blue Devil families in the stands were not decked out in the schools colors of blue and gold, but were adorned in pictures and memorabilia of the loved ones they lost to gun violence in the Tri-Cities.
Vannette Taylor, who lost her 26-year-old son to gun violence in January, said the last few months have been a roller coaster.
"It's very emotional some days. It's an unbearable, unimaginable pain... No words can describe the pain that I feel," she said.
But Taylor said support has been key in helping her cope. So she is on a mission to bring other mothers and families with similar experiences together.
“The community, family support is keeping me up, keeping me strong" she explained. " We need to support each other and stand on each other. If we didn’t have support, we couldn’t do it. We'd probably be beside our children."
As a result, she brought together Tri-Cities families who lost loved ones to gun violence at the Hopewell gym to connect.
Patricia Spruill, who lost her son to gun violence in 2016, attended the event and said that only parents who have lost children can truly understand the agony.
"You have no idea what it feels like," Spruill said. "But when you have someone whose experienced the same thing you have, it means a lot. It really helps you get through.
In between games, families stood on the court to speak to the youth about the impact of gun violence in their neighborhoods in hopes of sparking change.
“People need to learn to put the guns down," Spruill pleaded. "Put them down and let's work towards a common goal to be better, to do better, to want more.”
Organizers had giveaways and a clothing drive where folks could pick what they needed. Proceeds from the basketball tournament will go to mothers who lost their children to gun violence.
Taylor and her two sons organized the event with the help of the Hopewell City Public Schools, which supplied the space and security to make sure the event was a hit.
Superintendent Dr. Melody Hackney said she hoped the event would be the beginning of a movement to channel spirit, energy and love along with proactive measures to reduce gun violence.
As the kids played in the tournament, Taylor said she hopes they realized how precious life is as they passed pictures of lives lost.
She also hoped the event helped connect grieving mothers and families as well as offering them some brief solace from the tragedies they have had to face.
“If we can reach out to one adult or one child... If we can touch one person, that’s all we need,” Taylor said.
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