CHARACTER COUNTS

Falcons owner Arthur Blank donates $200,000 to prevent school shootings

May 27, 2022, 9:35 AM

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank announced Friday that he has committed $100,000 to each of the Sandy Hook Promise and Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI) organizations in response to another tragic school shooting.

“Given the acute and growing mental health crisis in our country, the need for government, business, philanthropy and nonprofits to all play a role in addressing it cannot be overstated,” Blank wrote in a letter, noting bi-partisan efforts in Georgia to make upgrades in mental health services.

“It is my fervent hope that, in the same spirit of cooperation, our leaders will earnestly seek common ground on sensible gun reform that will make these heartbreaking tragedies far less common and less devastating in our communities.”

Blank’s donations were in response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

The Sandy Hook Promise, created after the 2012 school shooting in Newton, Connecticut, says its “mission is to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children.”

HAVI focuses on the healthcare aspect associated with such events, aiming to bring community resources together to provide equitable services, especially in minority communities.

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