RICHMOND, Virginia (WWBT) – After hearing of the death of a 5-year-old boy in North Carolina, a Richmond woman decided to run a fundraiser to show her support.
Cannon Hinnant was tragically shot while riding his bike in front of his father’s house. The accused murderer was a neighbor.
The senseless crime touched the hearts of people across the country, including Teresa Welch.
“I am a recovering alcoholic and have been sober for almost two years. I was very selfish during that time and thought to myself that now is the time to give something back. When I found out about 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant, it became organically huge, ”says Welch.
The Ride-on Cannon Foundation was born out of her pain, but has become the happiness of hundreds of children in central Virginia.
Welch started fundraising shortly after Cannon’s death, and with the help of the community, she was able to give away more than 100 new bikes to deserving children.
Several vendors and bands came to the event to set the tone for the future of this growing organization.
Since then there has been a growing backpack program in which every child gets everything they need, a pair of shoes and an outfit for the first day of school.
An Easter egg hunt is held around Cannon’s birthday, and the organization is also adopting several families for Thanksgiving and Christmas and providing them with food and gifts.
Chantelle Bradley, Teresa’s good friend, wanted to honor her with the NBC12 Acts of Kindness.
“She’s done so much in the last year and a lot of people who have faced adversity stay in bed doing nothing, but that’s not her. She made up her mind to do something, and keep doing something, and I think she should be recognized for that, ”says Bradley.
Welch says she got close to the Hinnant family and plans to continue giving back on his behalf.
In fact, she is already in the process of raising money and other donations for several future events.
The “Ride-on Cannon Foundation” has more than 3,000 followers on Facebook and is looking for even more volunteers.
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