CARMEL — Wednesday night, Carmel United Methodist Church held a prayer vigil to honor the lives lost in two of the country's most recent mass shootings: Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.
Minister Jessica Stevens & Pastor Tim Burchill did not mince words about the need for action from elected leaders to try and prevent more tragedies from becoming reality.
They spoke about common-sense gun control measures along with ensuring mental health resources are readily available to the community.
They're urging everyone to reach out to elected leaders to get them to take action.
"I know we keep saying 'never again, never again,' but we just have to make sure as a community we come together and come up with a plan and take action on what needs to be done to address this," Adam Assen, a Carmel city councilman, said.
Assen was there as a councilman and a concerned parent.
"Over the last two decades, people have sent their kids off to school and the kids haven't come back. No one should have to worry about that when they send their kid to school," he said.
For many kids, including Stevens', Wednesday was their last day of school.
"I was just praying they would be safe," Stevens said. "It's something that parents have to think about on a regular basis. Are my children going to be safe? Are they going to be protected when I'm not with them and we don't know."
However, she points out that Carmel Clay's policies do give her some peace of mind.
"Every time I go in, they know me, but they still have to buzz me in, they still check my ID, verify my name," she said.
But Stevens knows the schools can only do so much. She hopes state and federal leaders see the anguish and pain shootings like this cause and decide to take action.
-
Pike Township School District asks for its first-ever tax referendum for funding
School districts across central Indiana have looked to voters to fund improvements and teacher salaries. Pike Township Schools is the next to leave its budget in the hands of its parents.Riverview Health skilling up their workforce to fill critical healthcare jobs
Riverview Health noticed they needed more medical assistance, so they partnered with Ivy Tech to help employees interested get the certification.Indy neighbors take action to help pedestrian safety
Over the weekend, neighbors at the intersection of 40th Street and Illinois took on tactical urbanism to raise driver awareness.'Fun slamming people': Inside WCWO independent wrestling in Indianapolis
An old building just south of Downtown Indianapolis is the home of Wild Championship Outlaw Wrestling, the oldest independent wrestling company in the city.