Our Story
A Coalition Born in a Moment That Demanded More
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, gun violence surged in communities across the country, including Winston-Salem. While public attention focused on data and trends, the reality on the ground was far more personal. Frontline responders and violence interrupters were working tirelessly to save lives, often without the resources, training, or systemic support needed to sustain the work.
At the same time, unprecedented federal dollars were released through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Millions of dollars flowed to states, cities, and counties to respond to crisis. Yet guidance varied widely, and it was often unclear how—or if—those funds would reach grassroots violence intervention efforts.
What was clear was this: the need was urgent, the resources existed, and the people closest to the work were being left out.
Our Opportunity 2 Love + Heal Coalition formed to change that.
Bridging Policy, Practice, and Community Power
The coalition emerged at the intersection of policy and practice.
While national and local policy conversations were shaping funding opportunities, violence interrupters and community leaders were responding to harm in real time—under-resourced and under-supported. The coalition formed to advocate locally, ensuring that violence intervention funding reached grassroots organizations and frontline responders who were already doing life-saving work.
This effort was about more than access to funding. It was about visibility, alignment, and accountability—making sure systems responded to community realities rather than working around them.
Building a Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem
As the coalition grew, it became clear that coordination was just as critical as resources. Evidence-based approaches to gun violence prevention already existed. Hospital-based violence intervention programs, community violence interruption, group violence intervention strategies, and survivor-centered healing efforts were all operating in Winston-Salem—often in isolation from one another.Our Opportunity 2 Love + Heal Coalition began weaving these efforts together, helping to align training, funding advocacy, and shared strategy. By bringing organizations, healers, advocates, and violence prevention leaders into relationship, the coalition helped lay the foundation for a Community Violence Intervention (CVI) ecosystem—one rooted in collaboration, shared responsibility, and collective impact.This work recognized that lives are saved most effectively when responses are coordinated, trusted, and sustained.
Healing Justice as Strategy
Healing justice became the framework that made this ecosystem possible. Building trust across individuals and institutions required addressing interpersonal conflict, intergenerational trauma, and the ongoing impact of structural oppression. Many frontline responders were themselves survivors of gun violence, carrying their own experiences of harm while supporting others.Healing justice created space for care, reflection, and repair—acknowledging that those doing the work also need healing and mental wellness support. Sustainability depended on the wellness of the people dismantling systems of harm while building new ones.By centering healing justice, the coalition ensured that violence prevention work did not reproduce burnout, disconnection, or harm—but instead fostered resilience, accountability, and long-term leadership.
Where We Are Now
Today, Our Opportunity 2 Love + Heal Coalition continues to build and strengthen a community-led approach to violence prevention grounded in healing justice. Through leadership development, training, organizing, and advocacy, we support individuals and organizations working together to interrupt violence and transform the conditions that allow it to persist.
This coalition is not just a collection of programs—it is a shared commitment to care, coordination, and community power.
Our Commitment
We remain committed to:
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Centering those most impacted by violence
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Advocating for equitable, evidence-based investment
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Supporting the wellness of frontline responders
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Building systems rooted in healing, trust, and accountability
Because when healing is centered, communities don’t just survive—they lead.
Bridging Policy, Practice, and Community Power
The coalition emerged at the intersection of policy and practice.
While national and local policy conversations were shaping funding opportunities, violence interrupters and community leaders were responding to harm in real time—under-resourced and under-supported. The coalition formed to advocate locally, ensuring that violence intervention funding reached grassroots organizations and frontline responders who were already doing life-saving work.
This effort was about more than access to funding. It was about visibility, alignment, and accountability—making sure systems responded to community realities rather than working around them.
Building a Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem
As the coalition grew, it became clear that coordination was just as critical as resources. Evidence-based approaches to gun violence prevention already existed. Hospital-based violence intervention programs, community violence interruption, group violence intervention strategies, and survivor-centered healing efforts were all operating in Winston-Salem—often in isolation from one another.Our Opportunity 2 Love + Heal Coalition began weaving these efforts together, helping to align training, funding advocacy, and shared strategy. By bringing organizations, healers, advocates, and violence prevention leaders into relationship, the coalition helped lay the foundation for a Community Violence Intervention (CVI) ecosystem—one rooted in collaboration, shared responsibility, and collective impact.This work recognized that lives are saved most effectively when responses are coordinated, trusted, and sustained.
Healing Justice as Strategy
Healing justice became the framework that made this ecosystem possible. Building trust across individuals and institutions required addressing interpersonal conflict, intergenerational trauma, and the ongoing impact of structural oppression. Many frontline responders were themselves survivors of gun violence, carrying their own experiences of harm while supporting others.Healing justice created space for care, reflection, and repair—acknowledging that those doing the work also need healing and mental wellness support. Sustainability depended on the wellness of the people dismantling systems of harm while building new ones.By centering healing justice, the coalition ensured that violence prevention work did not reproduce burnout, disconnection, or harm—but instead fostered resilience, accountability, and long-term leadership.
