Donations spotlight: Support March for Our Lives and help end gun violence

Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This January, March for Our Lives is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will be vital to the nonprofit as it works to end the deadly epidemic of gun violence and create safer communities.

 Read this important blog post from March for Our Lives, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send much-needed grant money to the group to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding January grantees.

The holiday season came and went, bringing its usual flurry of traditions and celebrations. Families gathered around tables, children tore open gifts and we welcomed the New Year with fireworks and hopeful resolutions.

But for thousands of families across the country, the season was marked by an empty chair—a stark reminder of a loved one lost to gun violence.

There were stockings left unhung, gifts never given and favorite dishes missing from the table. Parents sat through holiday dinners, glancing at the spot where their child used to be. Siblings rang in 2025 in silence, their minds replaying memories of laughter that once filled the room. Friends struggled to toast the future when the absence of someone they loved weighed heavy on their hearts.

For many, the holiday season was a time of sorrow

Over 40,000 lives were lost to gun violence in 2024, leaving families to navigate their grief during a time that should have been filled with love and togetherness. These losses weren’t just numbers—they were children, parents, partners and friends who should have been there to share in the warmth of the season.

The pain was especially deep in Black and Brown communities, which continue to experience the brunt of the gun violence epidemic. According to the Center for American Progress, Black Americans make up 12.5% of the U.S. population but account for 61% of gun homicides. Black youth experience firearm homicides at 18 times the rate of their white peers. Families in Black and Brown neighborhoods face not only the trauma of loss but also the systemic inequities that make healing even harder.

For every gun homicide, there are more than two nonfatal gun injuries, leading to lasting trauma within communities. As lights twinkled in windows and resolutions were made for brighter days, the absence of missing children served as a stark reminder of how far we still have to go to create safe, thriving communities for everyone.

Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough

Now, as the world moves into 2025 and life settles back into its routine, the sorrow of those empty chairs remains. The holidays may be over but the grief lingers, along with the urgent need for action. These families deserve more than thoughts and prayers—they deserve a future where no one else has to spend the holidays mourning instead of celebrating.

March for Our Lives was founded in 2018, after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 students and staff and injured 17 more. Following that tragedy, student survivors organized one of the largest protests in our nation’s history. Millions marched in Washington, D.C., and in 800-plus sibling marches around the world. March for Our Lives evolved from a moment into a movement with more than 200 local chapters across the country today. In February, MFOL will enter its seventh year more dedicated and poised than ever to empower the next generation to eradicate gun violence in all forms. MFOL now works to advance lifesaving legislation and community-based solutions to address America’s gun violence epidemic at all levels—federal, state and local.

Since we marched, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed into law, the first piece of gun violence prevention legislation passed in about 30 years. It included $250 million in funding for community violence-intervention programs, enhanced background checks for ages 18 to 21, and investment in child and family mental health care. In addition, over 300 pieces of gun-safety legislation have been passed at the state level since 2018, including over 69 pieces of gun legislation passed in 2018, galvanized by activism after Parkland. Last year, the White House established the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, something that MFOL has campaigned for since 2019.

We’ve come a long way since we marched but guns are still the leading cause of death for youth in America. As of December 2024, there have been over 475 mass shootings and 15,522 firearm homicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive. This isn’t just a statistic, it’s a full-blown crisis.

But here’s the thing: We’re fighting back

Americans across the country are finally finding common ground. Even gun owners and former gun industry executives are saying, “Enough is enough.” Why? Because these tragedies—kids gunned down in classrooms, communities torn apart—don’t reflect their values. If we can agree that killing children is unacceptable, then we can also agree on solutions.

Here’s the truth no one wants to admit: shooters are not born—they’re made. Many are radicalized by racism, hatred and misinformation. That isn’t a mental illness. It’s a process—a long one—that leads someone to pick up a gun and commit an atrocity. And that process is preventable. We’re not saying laws will fix everything but they can make it a lot harder for violence to take root. If we focus on disrupting this radicalization, we could cut gun deaths in half within the next decade. But only if we act now.

This is your call to action

Have hard conversations with your family and friends about gun violence. Amplify this issue—speak up online and in your communities. Visit March for Our Lives and learn how we keep organizing, taking on the gun lobby and fighting for policies that prioritize lives over profits.

CREDO Mobile and its members have been incredible partners in this movement, empowering young people to stand up and demand a peaceful, just future for all Americans. To the CREDO Mobile community and everyone who stands with us: thank you. Together, we’re proving that change is not only possible—it’s happening.

Let’s keep pushing until America’s gun laws reflect the will of the people, not the profits of the NRA. Join us. Take action. Together, we will end this epidemic.