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 popular saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and similarly, it requires a community effort to address gun violence and drug use. By coming together, we find strength and unity in numbers,” McGuire expressed.

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. 

With only a few weeks until McGuire’s event on June 28, she hopes that the stories shared by seasoned community members and families, who, like herself, have been affected by gun violence, will deeply resonate with attendees.