THE APEX TIMES
One Lexington awards nearly $200,000 in grants to 20 organizations targeting gun violence in Lexington
The city-backed initiative says the awards are part of ongoing efforts following a year in which Lexington recorded its fewest total homicides in a decade and a milestone day without a homicide.
One Lexington on Tuesday announced nearly $200,000 in grants for 20 community organizations working to prevent gun violence in Lexington, underscoring the role of local groups in outreach, intervention, and support for people affected by shootings. The funding will be used for violence-prevention work and services aimed at reducing the impacts of gun violence across neighborhoods.
The announcement came as Lexington marked 150 days without a homicide on Sunday, according to the report. That milestone was followed that same night by a shooting in Douglass Park that left one person with life-threatening injuries. One Lexington Director Devine Carama said the organization’s staff responded by going into the neighborhood after the incident.
Carama said families continue to be affected by gun violence even when overall homicide counts decline. She described the organization’s team as working in the field in the neighborhood that experienced Sunday’s shooting, speaking to the continued need for community-based support as incidents occur.
The city’s homicide trend cited in the announcement places Lexington’s progress in recent years in context. According to the city, Lexington recorded its fewest total homicides in a decade last year, and homicides declined 13 percent from the previous year. The grants were described as building on that momentum through community programs.
The report also said Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney visited Lexington to observe the city’s anti-violence efforts, indicating the work is being tracked beyond Kentucky as other local officials look to understand what approaches are being implemented. Kearney was quoted saying Cincinnati was looking to see what Lexington is doing that could be incorporated into its own efforts.
Among the recipients, OMAC, also identified as Operation Making a Change, received $10,000, the report said. OMAC is described as serving more than 80 kids and operating out of the Charles Young Center. Its programming includes violence prevention and intervention, educational field trips, and back-to-school rallies, with the operator emphasizing that the work depends not only on funding but on sustained relationship-building.
Geo Gibson, who operates OMAC, was quoted describing the community recognition of the program as meaningful and tied to the availability of resources. Gibson also said the work takes considerable time beyond money, adding that relationship-building is important to long-term efforts.
One Lexington’s grant distribution indicates that the organization’s model relies on multi-organization participation, with the current awards spanning 20 groups. The report did not provide further details on grant timelines or reporting requirements, but it placed the awards in the context of the city’s homicide decline and immediate neighborhood needs following Sunday’s shooting.
Why It Matters
- The grants reflect how local violence-prevention efforts are being funded during a period when Lexington reported fewer homicides, while also addressing ongoing needs after individual shootings.
- Because the awards go to multiple community organizations, public safety outcomes may depend on how programs maintain consistent outreach and intervention across neighborhoods.
- The Douglass Park shooting cited in the report shows that violence-prevention work continues in real time even during milestone periods, affecting families and community members immediately after incidents.
- Officials from outside Kentucky said they are observing Lexington’s approach, suggesting these local programs may influence other cities’ policy and funding discussions.
- The funding amount and number of recipients provide a measure of the level of resources directed toward prevention, which can affect budgeting, service capacity, and how quickly programs can reach young people and families.
Sources
Key Facts
- One Lexington awarded nearly $200,000 in grants to 20 community organizations for violence prevention work in Lexington.
- The announcement followed Lexington’s milestone of 150 days without a homicide, which was then followed by a shooting in Douglass Park that left one person with life-threatening injuries.
- One Lexington Director Devine Carama said the organization’s team was working in the neighborhood after the shooting.
- The city reported Lexington recorded its fewest total homicides in a decade last year, with homicides declining 13 percent compared with the prior year.
- Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney visited Lexington to observe the city’s anti-violence efforts.
- OMAC, Operation Making a Change, received $10,000 and serves more than 80 kids through programming that includes violence prevention and intervention, education activities, and back-to-school rallies.