CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A Champaign woman is helping the community come together to honor gun violence and drug abuse victims.

It’s personal for organizer Shanna McGuire, whose brother died of drug use and her nephew was shot and killed.

She’s held an event, the Hill Celebration, in their honor since 2022, but said it’s especially important this year in light of recent gun violence.

Two teenagers were shot near Oakwood Trace Townhomes on Sunday. Back in March 31-year-old Anthony Miller was killed in the same area. 

Wesley Park sits right alongside the Champaign home complex — which will be the backdrop for McGuire’s event. 

“There’s a saying it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to come together and to combat gun violence, combat even the drug use, so coming together there’s unity and power in numbers,” McGuire said.

The man arrested for shooting Miller was found guilty of murder on Wednesday. This comes after he was acquitted of a 2023 murder this past summer. 

There are a few weeks until McGuire’s event on June 28. She hopes people resonate with the stories of older community members and families who have experienced gun violence like herself.