ABOUT US

 

“No mother should ever have to bury her child” is a statement we can all agree with, but the reality of the world is that more and more of our young people are dying everyday due to teen violence – which also means that many moms are forced to bury their children.

 

The Sadonte Foundation was founded in March 2013 to honor the memory of sixteen-year-old Raphael Sadonte Ward, who lost his life on January 4th, 2013. Murdered at the hands of another teenager who more than likely lacked a positive influence and exposure to diversity, we honor Sadonte's life by presenting to you, The Sadonte Foundation - committed to:

 

S - Stopping

A - Assault and

D - Destruction in

O - Our

N - Neighborhoods

T - Today and

E - Every day

 

The sad truth is that homicide victims and offenders have gotten younger. Teen violence/homicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers. According to statistics obtained from the NYPD Crime and Enforcement Activity (2012), murder and non-negligent manslaughter victims are most frequently African-American (64.1%) or Hispanic (25.0%). Not surprisingly, the race/ethnicity of known murder and non-negligent manslaughter suspects mirrors the victim population with Black (55.1%) and Hispanic (30.8%) accounting for the majority of percentage.

 

In the midst of tragedy and sorrow, Sadonte remains the music in our souls and we are determined to ensure that his legacy lasts as more than a tragic statistic while we positively impact one young person at a time - ultimately ending violence amongst our leaders of tomorrow.