Background: In February 2002, my niece Keenya and her infant daughter were living with me in my home in Tacoma, Washington. A boy knocked on the door and she opened it for him. The boy, 16-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo, shot her point blank in the face. Her body was discovered by my then 14-year-old daughter. Keenya was killed by Malvo at the direction of his much older accomplice, John Allen Muhammad. The pair would later go on to become known as the “DC Snipers--,” going on a shooting spree in the DC area that left ten dead. I had worked as the Muhammads' accountant for a period of time. I had eventually learned that I had been the intended target in the shooting of my niece because of my support of John Allen Muhammad’s former wife during their child custody hearing. Because of the child custody hearing I attended in support of his former wife Mildred Muhammad, I eventually realized I was the intended target in the shooting of my niece.

It's one thing to have a loved one killed, but it is quite another when you are the one intended to receive the bullet. In addition to the loss of my beloved niece, our family had to care for her suddenly motherless baby, and the strain on family relationships from the shooting caused my crumbling marriage to shatter. While living in an extreme state of mourning, I also suffered survivor's guilt. There were times when this combination of painful factors made me feel as if I no longer wanted to live.

I needed a new point on which to focus.

Jireh-Shalom Foundation

Jireh-Shalom Foundation's purpose is to advocate for people whom the system has failed -- like Lee Malvo himself, family members and survivors of crimes. We do not believe that extreme and unusual punishments are fitting for young people. We believe in truth telling to reconcile traumatic experiences. We believe in wholistic healing and self care. Jireh-Shalom creates a community for those who have lost loved ones to, or have survived, violence committed by youth.

Founded in 2004, the Jireh-Shalom Foundation has been committed to the domestic and economic empowerment of children and their families. Through engaging and convening people who are in pain and offering them purpose is a tried and true part of our work to date. Jireh-Shalom is committed to truth and reconciliation of trauma; healing in incomparable ways for the survivor families themselves. This advocacy is remarkably effective.

Objectives

• Offering virtual training academies to survivor families on healing circles, local organizing, and advocacy / public speaking on truth and reconciliation of traumatic experiences;
• Formalizing national networks for survivor families who want to reconcile traumatic experiences.

This web site promotes advocacy and serves as a resource to connect domestic abuse and domestic violence sufferers with educational materials and treatment programs to cure emotional violence, codependency, abusive relationships and manage anger.

The Jireh-Shalom Foundation provides financial and support for intervention to Women & Women with children who are victims of Domestic Abuse and Domestic Violence. When a woman is leaving or has made the decision to leave, there are certain resources and support that need to be in place.

Jireh means PROVISION and Shalom means PEACE.

Jireh-Shalom focuses on GIVING, providing women and women with children who are suffering domestic abuse or domestic violence the resources and support necessary to open the way to healing. Jireh-Shalom Foundation knows that healing is a journey and comes from within. We are giving so that our families can heal, so that women can feel safe, so that law enforcement can know that there needs to be intervention immediately when there is a domestic dispute, especially involving custody of children.