Offering healing All Out the Blue
New nonprofit focused on helping victims, survivors through loss from violence, drugs
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Loss is difficult for everyone. Healing from it isn’t easy. And when the loss of a loved one comes from violence or drug abuse, recovering from the tragedy is even harder. A new, local nonprofit hopes to provide some help.
Tashawnna Summers started All Out the Blue last year in response to the murder of her son in 2019. Frustrated by the lack of resources available to support families who are dealing with such a loss, she decided to help fill the gap.
“My goal is to give that necessary support and teach ways for healing, along with making regular visits to high-crime areas and keeping the community informed about violent crime and homicide,” said Summers.
During the week, Summers works in the Howard County Adult Probation Department’s victim assistance office. All Out the Blue, then, is a natural extension of her professional efforts.
“My focus is working with people who have dealt with traumatic experiences,” said Summers. “And what my nonprofit is doing is trying to utilize people who have dealt with traumatic experiences through homicide, suicide, and overdose to help families through the aftermath of those losses.”
All Out the Blue will hold its first community event and fundraiser on Sat., Aug. 5. The City of Firsts Charity BBQ Cook-Off and Back-in-School Celebration will take place from 10 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. in the parking lot of The Excel Center, 101 W. Superior St. For additional information about the event, contact the organization by emailing allouttheblueinc19@gmail.com.
The name of the charity also arose from Summers’ tragedies. The death of her son was just one of a string of losses she suffered. By helping others, she stands to continue her healing journey as well.
“Everybody around me was like, ‘Oh, I can't believe this. It just happened out the blue,’” said Summers. “That’s what everybody kept saying. That's mainly how most homicides, suicides, and overdoses are. My son's father was murdered. Ten months later, my son was murdered, and so was one of my friends, all in the course of one year.
“It was trauma, trauma, trauma. I was already working on my Master’s degree because I've always wanted to be a psychologist. When all this happened at once, it solidified that I was on the right path.”
Currently, Summers is tackling an aspect of recovery and healing that she admits is still a challenge for her: forgiveness. As she finds a way to forgive those who murdered her loved ones, she hopes to share that healing with others.
“How do I forgive when I don't know who won't forgive me?” said Summers. “As a person who's dealt with homicide or suicide or drug overdose, how do they forgive somebody or something when they don't know who they're forgiving? Biblically, you are supposed forgive. The ‘how’ is what I'm working on.”
The Aug. 5 event is a first step to make connections with other victims and survivors. It is a chance to start healing together, and it also is All Out the Blue’s first effort towards establishing itself in the local community. Summers’ vision for the organization is to eventually have a place where support groups and counselors can meet with those in need.
“I want to have a building where people can come in and facilitate services,” said Summers. “But the fundraising event is basically letting people know I'm here and I really want to help you. We will need a place for people to come to for resources.
“We have a lot of overdoses here. And those families still have a loss. Mothers still love their sons and their daughters. Fathers still love their daughters and their sons, no matter how the loss occurred. I want to help those people.”
Summers acknowledged that there are other efforts in the area to provide assistance to victims. Similar to those recovering from addiction, she believes that those going through tragedy can be best served by someone who has walked the same path.
“What makes me different is I know the exact feeling of those losses,” said Summers. “I don't have empathy from just the standpoint of empathy. I’m actually living it and healing from it. I know what it takes. I know the loss. I know what it all feels like. I felt it.
“I know what it took for me to heal is different than what somebody who has never been through it can offer. I care from a different standpoint. A lot of people see addicts or people who have been through loss from violence and say, ‘You poor thing. I could never imagine.’ Who could imagine it if they’ve never been through it?
“All the drugs are not going away. The loss is still there. The chaos of what you went through is still in your mind. So, let’s dig up that old tree, clean the soil, and replant some new seed. That's what All Out the Blue is about. It's just healing from a different perspective, dealing with people from a different vantage point. That's what God bestowed on me, and I trust him to get me there.”