LEXINGTON, Ky. — ONE Lexington is distributing grants to 16 organizations dedicated to helping young people and reducing gun violence, said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. 

What You Need To Know

  • More than a dozen nonprofits dedicated to violence prevention are receiving grants from ONE Lexington

  • ONE Lexington was founded in 2017 and works to prevent violence among teens and young adults 

  • This is the third year of the grant program

  • Programming funding by last year's grants served approximately 1,200 young people, the City of Lexington said

The organization was founded in 2017 and works to prevent violence among both teens and young adults. This is the third year of the grant program. 

“Nonprofit organizations have been active in our community for many years, working to stop violence among our young people,” Gorton said. “While these organizations take different approaches to reaching our youth, the message is the same: be safe, make good choices and enjoy a bright future ahead.”

Director Devine Carama said grants have supported programs focused on sports, conflict resolution, mentoring, transitioning into adulthood and more over the last two years.

Devine Carama has served as director of ONE Lexington, a youth gun violence prevention initiative, for three years. He also leads the "It Takes a Village" program. (Spectrum News 1/Sabriel Metcalf)

"This program allows us to put resources directly into the hands of those on the front lines doing the work," he said.

Programming funding by last year's grants served approximately 1,200 young people, the City of Lexington said. The city added it received 42 applications for funding through the Community Action Council, which they vetted before recommending organizations. 

"A community's ability to affect its people holistically must be found in its efforts to meet the variety of needs in the community," said Kenneth Payne, ONE Lexington crisis response coordinator. "These grant recipients share a common purpose but have a diverse skill set in doing so."

Below are the organizations receiving funding:

  • Charlotte Court Inc. (CCI)
  • Community Inspired Solutions
  • Exhilarating Inc. 
  • FoodChain Inc.  
  • HEARTS for Basketball 
  • Casa de la Cultura Hispana de Lexington 
  • Kentucky Center for Grieving Children and Families 
  • Kentucky Foundation for Black Women and Families
  • Lexington Raven Football
  • Lexington Leadership Foundation
  • Lexington Rescue Mission
  • MPower Rhythm
  • NAMI Kentucky
  • Operation Making A Change (OMAC) 
  • Resolve Fitness
  • Trauma Informed Counseling Center 

More on the initiative, its mission and success so far can be found on the City of Lexington's website. 

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