The Coalition Against Gun Violence 16th Anniversary Celebration

The Coalition Against Gun Violence (CAGV) is honored to present Colin Goddard, Virginia Tech shooting survivor and Assistant Director Federal Legislation, Brady Campaign, Washington DC, as its featured speaker at the organization’s 16 th Annual Celebration on Sunday, May 1, 2011, at 11:30 a.m. with a reception, silent auction and luncheon in the Cabrillo Room of the Hotel Mar Monte in Santa Barbara.

Colin Goddard was a 21 year old student at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, when he was shot four times by Seung-Hui Cho in his classroom. Thirty-two people died and seventeen more were wounded on campus during the shooting massacre. After spending two years recovering from his wounds, Colin returned to Virginia Tech to complete his studies. On April 3, 2009, while watching the media coverage of another shooting rampage in Birmingham, New York, when 13 people were shot and the killer committed suicide, Colin said that he knew then, “I was watching the body count rise… I’ve got to get involved. I’ve got to do something about this.” Colin has since been a tireless advocate in the effort to reduce gun violence in our country.

“I will always believe I was in the right place at the right time in class at 9:00 am. And despite the horror, I survived as one of the luckier ones. For 32 Hokies who were lost that day, and for the 32 Americans who are lost everyday to gun murders, I‘ve decided to devote this time in my life to making a difference, so their memories might be honored and the damage to our society lessened. Many people say we can’t or shouldn’t improve the gun laws in this country. I’m part of the next generation; I reject that premise, and I say we can and should do better.” — Colin Goddard

Colin tells his story in a new documentary “Living for 32” recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. He will show segments of his documentary at the Luncheon and will also provide a FREE showing of “Living for 32” cosponsored by CAGV and UCSB Campus Democrats, on the UCSB campus, Monday, May 2 at 7:00 pm with a Q & A to follow.

The luncheon will end with our traditional “Bell Ceremony” held to honor those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Colin will ring the ceremonial bell 32 times, one for each young student killed that day. We will also honor the memory of those killed at the post office massacre in 2006 in Goleta. People in the community who have lost a family member or friend to gun violence are invited to attend and participate in the “Bell Ceremony.”For luncheon reservations and additional information, please call 564-6803