RICHMOND, Va. -- While parents and guardians of high school students should be focused on planning graduation parties — some are left with the tragedy of planning a funeral.
That devastating reality is something the family of 17-year-old Deshawn Cox is currently suffering through after the senior at Armstrong High School was shot and killed in Richmond's East End last week.
Deshawn was described as a bright young man. "It's a pain I hope no one else has to go through. It hurts, it hurts," his mother said through tears.
"There is devastation. Emotional devastation going on right now," Charles Willis, a community advocate, said.
Willis is helping Deshawn's mother plan his funeral.
"[She] never thought about 'I have to focus on an insurance policy.' She was focusing on his graduation. And with that, she's left without the finances of burying her loved one," Willis said. "The bill can run anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000 or $16,000."
Willis is hopeful that a newly-established fund from Richmond Public Schools (RPS) might help to ease some of the burdens on families like Deshawn's.
"When there's a family that just doesn't have it all, these funds are extremely important," Willis said.
The fund is called the Honoring The Memory Fund. The money aims to help RPS families who have lost a child with funeral expenses, mental health support, missed days of work and food and bills.
"This fund is really designed to support people in what they need," Sarah Abubaker, an RPS spokesperson, said.
Abubaker said the timing of launching the fund follows an overwhelming outpouring of support for the Fox Elementary community after they had a devastating fire.
"As we were thinking about how the community really wants to be involved in RPS, we're trying to think of other ways in which the community can be involved that expands the entire district," Abubaker said.
The fund hopes to help families like Cox's, who are still working through their tragic loss.
"One thing I found out is that a family never gets over the trauma. They never get over the trauma. They just learn how to deal with it," Willis said.
