If you’ve volunteered for any Lock It For Love events, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Ann Hall. She’s a speech pathologist, retired from the Blue Valley School District, and grandmother of two: three-year-old Caroline and two-year-old Ethan, both of whom live out of state.
Here’s a little more from Ann:
What motivated your concern about gun violence?
I’ve always been concerned about the proliferation of guns, but having worked in public schools the shooting in Newtown, and the thought that children were not safe in their school, really hit home.
How did you get involved in GAGV?
In the summer of 2016 I was visiting my mother and sisters in Massachusetts. Caroline was just a few months old at the time. At lunch one day we were discussing the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Florida, and one of the women at lunch, who’s a friend of Judy Sherry, suggested I check out GAGV. I had just retired a month earlier and had some time, so came to a meeting.
What keeps you coming back?
The meetings are so interesting! And I like the new focus on advocacy.
Have you participated in other activities?
I’ve volunteered for five or six Lock It For Love events – a Community Baby Shower for expectant moms, a suicide prevention event in partnership with a Children’s Mercy psychiatrist and back-to-school fairs. Safe gun storage is so important, and we’ve been very well received at these events.
Anything else to share?
I’m want to make a difference, and I’m so glad I found GAGV!