ANGELS AMONG US: AN UNSTOPPABLE WOMAN

"Our children are blessings, gifts from God.  No mother should have to walk this journey, and yet we do..."

At age 24, after interruption of college due to touring, she was awarded a theater scholarship to Prairie State University. Continuing to work professionally, however, she later transferred to Chicago State University, switching her major to Biology and preparing to enter medical school while owning and managing Chicago's DANCE ODYSSEY Productions, INC., a professional event planning and production company housed within her locally established dance studio that boasted 500 students annually.      Years later, upon completing her degree requirements at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, at the age of 37 she applied and was accepted to Southeastern University of the Health Sciences School of Ostopathic Medicine, when tragedy struck and on her 38th birthday, her oldest son, Larry was gunned down in front of his former  high school in a case of mistaken identity.         Transforming the meaning of her earlier theatrical career into a vocation of public awareness and education,,  the entire world was now her stage, her pulpit and her vehicle to deliver the message of violence prevention.          Lynette  was first to receieve the honored "Parent of the Week" award on The Oprah Show where the story of her son was featured in the year long "Child Alert Series."    Leaving behind her dreams of starting a career in medicine, she refocused her energies into an outreach series of motivational workshops and (continued ...)

Committment to the Arts, coupled with a non-stop personal campaign to end violence in families and community, are the inspiring forces that drive Lynette M. Elizalde-Robinson, activist, Founder and President/CEO of Larry Elizalde's END THE VIOLENCE, Harvest a Dream Foundation, Inc. to never hold back an ounce of energy that is demanded of her.            A native of Chicago's South Side and the oldest of two adopted children, she grew up in a loving home, and though her parents had limited financial means, they sacrificed to send her to dance and art classes where she was convicted as early as the age of seven that her life was destined to play out  on the stage.  By 12 she had performed professionally with the Chicago Civic Opera Ballet Co., and at 15 auditioned and was accepted in The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.     New York, however, was not in her future at such an early age, thanks to her parents strict Catholic values, so she remained at home, and continued her studies while attending dance, theater and art classes downtown.      Her resume reads fourteen  pages of professional show, television, movie, commercials, print work and national touring company credits which include "The FBI Files", "The Brooke Ellison Story", "42nd Street", "Vive Paris Vive", "Dance Fever", "Soul Train", "Sunkist Soft Drink", Gulf Coast Civic Opera's "Marie Leveaux", and many other professional and community theater productions.

FACTS   Every day in America, 14 children are killed in gun related homicides, suicides and accidents. Children imitate what they see the average American child sees 8,000 murders and 100,00 acts of violence on television and in the movies before they graduate from elementary school. Violence in the family is a strong predictor of violence in the child. Young people gain "status" from their peers through violence, and fight  "for show," often encouraged by the crowd of onlookers.

Words from the song "Dream ON" written by Lynette M. Elizalde-Robinson