The Tender Youth Foundation has been operating in an unofficial capacity for the past nine years, and since 2015, it has been formally established. This initiative emerged after Delphine Cherry, a single mother of four, tragically lost two of her children to senseless gun violence. 

Tyesa Abney, Delphine Cherry's eldest daughter, was fatally shot at the age of 16 while leaving a movie theater in Chicago, IL, along with a group of friends. Then, twenty years later, on December 22, 2012, Ms. Cherry suffered another devastating loss when her youngest child, Tyler Randolph, who was 20 years old, was brutally beaten, shot, and killed upon returning from work. Tyler had been preparing to leave our Hazel Crest home to attend a close friend's birthday celebration.

These heartbreaking incidents were not only unforgettable due to the heinous acts committed, but also because there were clear warning signs before and after each event. 

This has emphasized the urgent need for the Ty Foundation's mission and purpose: to be proactive and reactive in teaching positive conflict resolution skills to potentially prevent the worst possible outcomes. Accountability is crucial across all levels, including individuals, families, communities, law enforcement, healthcare administrators, municipalities, and local, state, and national governments. We all have a role to play in effecting change.

The Foundation has cultivated collaborative relationships through genuine advocacy efforts, active participation in executive boards and committees of organizations that have successfully influenced gun law reforms and legislations, and a multitude of partnerships that provide practical experience. 

We recognize the significance of sharing our Unspeakable Truths, as there is a profound power of healing in our stories. Armed with experience in addressing our nation's public health crisis and the trauma inflicted by gun violence, we have built a platform to initiate a conversation—a conversation that paves the way for collective action and the formulation of a strategic plan for change.