COLUMBUS, Ohio — Families affected by gun violence and other trauma gathered in Columbus for an annual event centered on healing, youth support and community connection. “Sharing Our Stories” was organized by S.T.O.P., short for Start Teaching Our People, a group founded by Tania Hudson. The gathering is designed to support mothers and others across Columbus who are coping with the aftermath of violence and loss. Hudson said the event also creates space to listen to young people and understand what they need. Organizers emphasize practical skills such as self-regulation, de-escalation and communication, along with ways to protect one’s peace while navigating trauma. “We can’t keep saying stop the violence and not giving the tools,” Hudson said. The work is deeply personal for Hudson, who said she lost her father and later two sons to gun violence. Those losses shaped her belief that families need sustained support as they adjust to life after someone is killed. Hudson described the community built through the gathering as a family connected not by blood, but by shared grief and hardship. “We’re a family despite blood, we are still connected through our grief, through our trials and tribulations,” she said. “And the only way we’re going to be able to make a change or make a call for change is to become better together.” She urged Columbus residents to build relationships across neighborhoods, saying violence and trauma cannot be addressed by families alone. Community-wide participation, she said, is necessary to create lasting change. “In order for us to grow, we got to build bridges in our communities,” Hudson said. “We all need one another.”