WUFT | News and public media for north central Florida
Gainesville gun awareness group opens new office, searches for funding
By Andrea Fonseca
June 12, 2025 at 5:21 PM EDT
Alachua County residents and friends gathered outside the newly renovated space at Santa Fe College's Charles L. Blount Downtown Center on June 11 to celebrate the opening of the IMPACT GNV office spaces.
District 1 City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker spoke to the crowd of event volunteers, Gainesville Fire Rescue staff and community members about the importance of coming together to address the city's gun violence prevention efforts.
“You are demonstrating what it is to feed the change that we need to see,” Duncan-Walker said. “This is the proverbial village. This is the center of the village, where we get to come to be a part of the solution.”
Through this event hosted by the city of Gainesville and Gainesville Fire Rescue, attendees were able to explore community information booths, enjoy free food prepared by GFR staff and tour the IMPACT GNV headquarters. IMPACT GNV is the city’s initiative to end gun violence through local partnerships.
The new office spaces located at 401 NW Sixth St. mark a major milestone in Gainesville’s efforts to foster programs aimed at preventing gun violence. IMPACT GNV is the third gun violence prevention program to launch in the city since 2018, WUFT reported last year.
"We've had a really good relationship with Santa Fe and their foundation," Gun Violence Intervention Program Manager Brittany Coleman said. "They worked with us to find this space, which is in the middle of many neighborhoods we want to work in."
IMPACT GNV is a community-based organization that works directly with residents in Alachua County to provide access to mental health resources and prioritize safety efforts in areas with prominent gun violence.
The urgent need for these programs is demonstrated by recent data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which in 2022 reported Florida to have 3,232 firearm-related deaths.
“The groups most plagued by gun violence are often the most resilient,” Coleman said. “The purpose of IMPACT GNV is to build community and partnership with people who are most equipped with solutions and the people who are pushing through the issue.”
Gainesville Fire Rescue Community Health Director Brandy Stone and Coleman have been able to foster partnerships for the organization with local schools, nonprofits and faith-based organizations. In the last year, IMPACT GNV has formed collaborations with the Willie Mae Stokes Community Center and the Brave, Overt Leaders of Distinction to expand their community outreach and mentoring programs, according to the city of Gainesville website.
For some high school students among the Tuesday event attendees, the community organization gave them hope for the future.
"They're trying to teach the community about how guns can cause harm," Javarie Washington, a student at Buchholz High School, said. "If I have kids and gun violence is still around, I want them to come and show support for the community as well."
To continue the organization's initiatives into the future, IMPACT GNV has secured partial funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and established partnerships with the Children's Trust of Alachua County.
“Director Marsha Kiner and her board have been really supportive, and we’re also looking for grants,” said Coleman. “We’re looking for funding opportunities from philanthropists and other agencies that fund this work.”
Also in attendance was Laura Kalt, director of the Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center. She celebrated the organization’s collaboration with the city and their efforts to focus on community needs.
“It is like what Commissioner Duncan-Walker said: It’s building places in the community where people can feel safe and have somewhere to go and things to do,” Kalt said. “[Impact GNV] really asks the community what they think is needed and how the services would best be delivered.”
“I want folks to come and ask us questions, see what we’re about, figure out ways that we can partner and listen to the ideas that people have,” Coleman said.
District 1 City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker spoke to the crowd of event volunteers, Gainesville Fire Rescue staff and community members about the importance of coming together to address the city's gun violence prevention efforts.
“You are demonstrating what it is to feed the change that we need to see,” Duncan-Walker said. “This is the proverbial village. This is the center of the village, where we get to come to be a part of the solution.”
Through this event hosted by the city of Gainesville and Gainesville Fire Rescue, attendees were able to explore community information booths, enjoy free food prepared by GFR staff and tour the IMPACT GNV headquarters. IMPACT GNV is the city’s initiative to end gun violence through local partnerships.
The new office spaces located at 401 NW Sixth St. mark a major milestone in Gainesville’s efforts to foster programs aimed at preventing gun violence. IMPACT GNV is the third gun violence prevention program to launch in the city since 2018, WUFT reported last year.
"We've had a really good relationship with Santa Fe and their foundation," Gun Violence Intervention Program Manager Brittany Coleman said. "They worked with us to find this space, which is in the middle of many neighborhoods we want to work in."
IMPACT GNV is a community-based organization that works directly with residents in Alachua County to provide access to mental health resources and prioritize safety efforts in areas with prominent gun violence.
The urgent need for these programs is demonstrated by recent data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which in 2022 reported Florida to have 3,232 firearm-related deaths.
“The groups most plagued by gun violence are often the most resilient,” Coleman said. “The purpose of IMPACT GNV is to build community and partnership with people who are most equipped with solutions and the people who are pushing through the issue.”
Gainesville Fire Rescue Community Health Director Brandy Stone and Coleman have been able to foster partnerships for the organization with local schools, nonprofits and faith-based organizations. In the last year, IMPACT GNV has formed collaborations with the Willie Mae Stokes Community Center and the Brave, Overt Leaders of Distinction to expand their community outreach and mentoring programs, according to the city of Gainesville website.
For some high school students among the Tuesday event attendees, the community organization gave them hope for the future.
"They're trying to teach the community about how guns can cause harm," Javarie Washington, a student at Buchholz High School, said. "If I have kids and gun violence is still around, I want them to come and show support for the community as well."
To continue the organization's initiatives into the future, IMPACT GNV has secured partial funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and established partnerships with the Children's Trust of Alachua County.
“Director Marsha Kiner and her board have been really supportive, and we’re also looking for grants,” said Coleman. “We’re looking for funding opportunities from philanthropists and other agencies that fund this work.”
Also in attendance was Laura Kalt, director of the Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center. She celebrated the organization’s collaboration with the city and their efforts to focus on community needs.
“It is like what Commissioner Duncan-Walker said: It’s building places in the community where people can feel safe and have somewhere to go and things to do,” Kalt said. “[Impact GNV] really asks the community what they think is needed and how the services would best be delivered.”
“I want folks to come and ask us questions, see what we’re about, figure out ways that we can partner and listen to the ideas that people have,” Coleman said.