LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville "Game Changers" and Planet Savers are on a path of healing through natured-based therapy activities.
It’s a program designed to transform the lives of children affected by violence and hardship and on Friday members of Louisville’s “Game Changers,” visited Churchill Downs to learn more about the animal science behind the epicenter of horse racing.
Christopher 2x is the creator of “Game Changers,” a nonprofit focused on positively transforming the lives of children impacted by violence. “Planet Savers” is a new offshoot of Game Changers, encouraging youth and family development through nature-based therapy projects and animal and land conservation activities.
“The beautiful spaces where there are horse farms, working farms, that’s what this is all about to get them acclimated into that and try to at least give them give them another part of nature that can help them cope coming from the violent situations in their neighborhoods,” founder Christopher 2x told Spectrum News 1.
Krista Gwynn’s family are participants in the Game Changers program and coping with the loss of her 19-year-son Christian Gwynn, who was shot and killed while walking home in 2019.
“He was Louisville’s last homicide of 2019,” Krista Gwynn said. “It’s a real big thing for my daughter as an outreach for her because we lost our son but my daughter is a real nature person and she loves all animals, dogs, cats, horses and cows are her favorite,” Gwynn said.
All the children involved in Game Changers and Planet Savers have similar stories, but it’s through trips like this, to Churchill Downs, children can find even more personal strength.
“It allows them to feel in some healthy ways to exist in some great spaces in the commonwealth and especially in Louisville,” Christopher 2x said.
So on a visit to the Churchill, this group is able to explore the word of equine and perhaps for the very first time. 14-year-old Nevada Gwynn is the younger sister of the late Christian Gwynn.
“What I’ve learned is about hay, and what the horses eat, and what I’ve learned is that horses, can be pretty fun if you actually know about them.”
Finding memorable ways to explore the world around you has a lasting impact, especially if it’s the first time you’ve even been in a horse stall. That’s how the unfamiliar can truly be fascinating.