December Partner Spotlight: EMIR Healing Center
Our monthly Partner Spotlight series highlights organizations doing vitally important work on gun violence prevention at the local and state levels.
On March 26, 1997, Emir Peter Greene was shot seven times in the back.
That day, Chantay Love lost her only brother. Raised in the Abbotsford Projects in Philadelphia, Chantay was exposed to violence during her formative years, including surviving incest and witnessing domestic violence. The trauma from her loss and exposure to violence became the blueprint for Chantay’s tireless work to save her city, and led to the birth of EMIR Healing Center in 2004.
Today, EMIR Healing Center is a leading victim-centered nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, focused on healing communities one family at a time. EMIR (Every Murder Is Real) serves as a beacon of hope and light within the city of Philadelphia, providing trauma-informed education, advocacy, and supportive services for families impacted by gun violence. Giffords is thrilled to highlight the challenging and important work that Chantay and the staff at EMIR are doing each and every day.
EMIR provides therapeutic services to families to assist them with the intensity and complexity of grief and sudden loss of loved ones, including cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, guided meditation, and breathwork. EMIR’s staff has witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of gun violence within communities of color in Philadelphia, and seeks to offer refuge and a safe place for families to heal during times of crisis.
In addition to providing direct services to the community, EMIR is a fierce advocate for gun violence prevention initiatives, both locally and statewide. EMIR is a leading participant in the Pennsylvania Violence Intervention & Prevention Coalition (PA VIP), which focuses on state-level funding advocacy for community violence prevention programs. EMIR provides the strategy, connections, and information necessary to effectively advocate for community violence prevention resources.
Giffords partnered with EMIR to bring our Gun Violence Memorial to Philadelphia in August, where Chantay spoke at a press conference along with Gabby Giffords and Senator Bob Casey. Chantay also spoke at our “Voices of Hope: Crucial Conversations on Community Violence Prevention Strategies” event highlighting community leaders from across Pennsylvania, who shared their perspective about the impact of gun violence on communities of color and the resources needed to save more lives.
As a visionary leader and the director of EMIR Healing Center, Chantay has created models to support schools, families, and communities with their healing and to uncover their trauma, with the goal of breaking the cycle of future violence.
In recognition of EMIR’s outstanding leadership and service within the gun violence prevention space, Chantay was appointed to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Homicide Review Team and Advisory Commission on African American Affairs in 2021. She also serves as the co-chair of Pennsylvania’s Subcommittee on Heal PA, which strives to help the Commonwealth become a more trauma-informed state.
Under Chantay’s leadership, EMIR continues to receive recognition for their outstanding work, as well as local and state funding opportunities to expand their services to nearby cities. Giffords is so grateful to Chantay Love and EMIR for their courageous, tireless efforts.
While the rise in gun violence continues to plague the city of Philadelphia, EMIR Healing Center will remain strongly committed to serving those impacted by gun violence. EMIR is always open to volunteers, as well as financial contributions that will help to sustain their impactful work. For more information, please visit their website to learn more about how you can get involved and support this leading organization.
Have an organization you’d like us to consider featuring in an upcoming Partner Spotlight? Drop us a line at contact@giffords.org.
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We’re youth activists, survivors, doctors, and gun owners. We’re united in the fight to end gun violence.
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