CAGV 16th Annual Luncheon
SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011 • 1:30-2:00 pm
Mar Monte Hotel, Santa Barbara
The Coalition Against Gun Violence (CAGV) is honored to present Colin Goddard, Virginia Tech shooting survivor and Assistant Director Federal Legislation, Brady Campaign, Washington DC, as its featured speaker at the organization’s 16th Annual Celebration, “Virginia Tech, Tucson & Beyond,” Sunday, May 1, 2011, at 11:30 a.m. with a reception, silent auction and luncheon program in the Cabrillo Room of the Hotel Mar Monte in Santa Barbara You will be amazed by this inspiring young man, victim turned activist, who travels our nation speaking out for his 32 classmates who were shot that day.
On April 16, 2007, Colin, a 21 year old student at Virginia Tech, was shot four times by Seung-Hui Cho in his classroom. Thirty-two people died and seventeen more were wounded on campus during the shooting massacre. After spending two years recovering from his wounds, Colin returned to Virginia Tech to complete his studies. On April 3, 2009, while watching the media coverage of another shooting rampage in Birmingham, New York, when 13 people were shot and the killer committed suicide, he said that he knew then, “I was watching the body count rise… I’ve got to get involved. I’ve got to do something about this.” Colin has since been a tireless advocate in the effort to reduce gun violence in our country and acknowledges that ,”Americans have grown apathetic to gun violence” and that his work, just as his life since that April morning, will not be easy, but believes he must speak out for the 32 people, on average, who are murdered every day in America, victims of gun violence.
I will always believe I was in the right place at the right time in class at 9:00 am. And despite the horror, I survived as one of the luckier ones. For 32 Hokies who were lost that day, and for the 32 Americans who are lost everyday to gun murders, I‘ve decided to devote this time in my life to making a difference, so their memories might be honored and the damage to our society lessened. Many people say we can’t or shouldn’t improve the gun laws in this country. I’m part of the next generation; I reject that premise, and I say we can and should do better.” – Colin Goddard
Colin joined the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, where he currently works as Assistant Director of Federal Legislation. But his goal was to speak for his slain classmates. In time Maria Cuomo Cole, a member of the Brady Campaign’s Board of Directors, agreed to produce along with Kevin Breslin directing what would become an award winning documentary “Living for 32” where Colin tells his story of that grim day.
“Living for 32,” chosen as the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection documentary and short-listed for an Academy Award, puts human faces on our nation’s continuing debate about guns and shows how real people and families are affected by our nation’s reluctance to enact and enforce common sense gun laws. The film has earned critical acclaim and selected to appear at the prestigious 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It is being shown on more than 20 college campuses and other venues around the country, drawing attention on such television shows as “60 Minutes” and “Oprah Winfrey.”
CAGV’s Luncheon program will feature segments of Colin’s documentary where he is seen attending gun shows in Ohio and Texas. There, using a hidden camera, he captures dealers and gun owners more than willing to sell him firearms without so much as asking his name, let alone running a background check. As a result, Colin has testified before Congress to advocate closing the gun show loophole.
The luncheon will end with CAGV’s traditional “Bell Ceremony” held to honor those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Mary Leigh and Charles Blek, originators of The Million Mom March, first began the concept of the Bell Ceremony as a family “remembrance” of their 21-year old son’s death to gun violence; and in 2007 they brought their Bell to CAGV’s 12th Annual event and it has since been an annual tradition. Colin will be ringing the Bell 32 times, one for each young student killed that day. CAGV will honor the memory of those killed at the Goleta post office massacre in 2006. Any member of the audience who has lost a family member or a friend to gun violence is welcomed and encouraged to participate in the Bell Ceremony and say the name of their loved one and ring the bell. The response is always profound.
Please join us on May 1st in welcoming Colin Goddard to our community and in celebrating CAGV’s 16 years working for nonviolence and a safer Santa Barbara.
Call 805-564-6803 to leave a message for reservations and more information.
