RJT Foundation

My name is Denise Baker-Brown; I am the mother of Roman Edwin Bradley. My story began on March 1, 2012 that day will always stay fresh in my mind. Death is a frightening thing that has no name, no age and no color. It does not discriminate, nor does it judge. It takes its victims without warning. Death leaves pain and tears beyond measures. It was that day, 11:00 in the morning when I received the first call from my sister while I was at work. She told me that my brother Joe, who was 47 years of age, had just lost his battle with cancer. I had to leave work early because I could not control the tears that were falling from my eyes. I went home to take a nap and to wait for my son Roman to arrive home so that I could share with him the regretful news of his uncles passing. When I woke up I received the 2^nd call. I could not believe what I was hearing. "Get to the Jackson Trauma Center quickly; Roman has been shot-up". I fell to my knees and could barely move. Instantly my heart felt as if it had been ripped out of my body. "Not my son too, this can't be real". I thought that I was in a dream. The pain that I felt I would not wish it upon anybody. My brother and my son were both gone on the same day. Immediately I begin to pray. When I arrived at the Trauma Center, I could tell the situation was very bad. There were people standing around everywhere As I approached the information desk, the police officer on duty said that a counselor would be out to speak with me. To my surprise it was the Doctor instead who came out to deliver the news.
Again, I thought that perhaps he was still alive and I would be able to kiss him and tell him everything would be alright but I never got the chance. He was my Roman Soldier, my right hand man. He was strong and courageous, a tough fighter who believed in respect. He had a good heart, a love for children and a strong belief in God and always wanting to pray. Roman had accepted the Lord in his life at an early age so I was confident that he was resting safe in God's hands. I did not question the Lord, I only asked him for strength and to help me deal with everything that was happening. I stop eating for a while and I could not sleep for days. My flesh was weak and at times my heart was filled with rage.

Several weeks went by and I slowly begin to heal. I was fighting a vision that was laid on my heart during this whole ordeal. Never in a million years would I want anybody to feel the pain that I was feeling. I finally gave in to the vision and I contacted Trevin's mom Renee. I told her about my vision and I asked her if she would be open to the idea of starting a foundation in memory of our boys. She said yes and we went from there.

RJT Foundation Inc. was another way for me to heal. My son's death was not in vain. I thank God for allowing me to have 20 happy years with Roman. Although our home is not the same, I will always remember his laughter and his beautiful dimples. I know he would have been proud of us doing something positive and helping others. Roman will forever be in my heart and he will always be remembered as my Roman Soldier. Rest in Peace my son. RJT Foundation Inc. is formed on Respect, Joy and Trust. My goal is to do my best to offer families the support that is much needed during the most difficult time of their lives. I will keep God first and give him thanks for both happy times and sad so that he can receive all the glory.

Born- January 10, 1992

Died- March 1, 2012

I'm Renee E. Jones, mother of Trevin D'Shawn Reddick. Trevin was shy, respectable, quiet and funny. He had a heart of gold with a leadership characteristic by nature that everyone around him adored. It was important to Trevin to be his brother's keeper. His sincere smile could light up any room. Trevin's respect for adults made me and his father proud parents. As a respectable young adult, Trevin would assist neighbors as they carried items from their car. He got a joy out of helping others. Trevin was known for lending a helping hand to anyone in his presence. Trust was an extremely important characteristic of my son. Once Trevin felt he could trust a person, he would go above and beyond to assist. If it was in his power, he would give that individual the world. Although Trevin was only 19 years old when he was tragically murdered, my goal is to ensure the legacy of my son and his friends live on.

On October 18, 2011, my family and I world were changed forever. My husband responded to a man yelling inside our bedroom window, "Come quickly because your son had been shot"! When my husband and I arrived at Jackson Trauma Center, we waited for several hours before the doctors gave us our son's prognoses. Unfortunately, the results were not good. Our son had received a bullet to his brain and was literally fighting for his life. After two weeks of being on life support, our son passed away on October 31, 2011 as a result of his injury. Losing our son was indeed a tragedy, my husband and I had the opportunity to do what our son would have wanted us to do which was to donate his organs so others may have a chance at life. By doing so, four (4) lives were saved through recipients of Trevin's heart, kidney, liver and pancreas.

I will never recover from the loss of my son, The RJT Foundation, Inc. has given me a sense of comfort whenever I think about my son. There is nothing that can take the place of my son. There is not a day that does not pass that I don't miss him. Although he has passed on, I have to continue being his mother and make wise decisions in his honor. The RJT Foundation, Inc. is one of those wise decisions. The foundation is an outlet in which I can channel the pain into passion by making a difference in the lives of others by supporting families of murdered children. Unfortunately, our kids are being murdered in the streets; we must continue to do our part by making a difference. We can do this with our time, treasure or talent but we can't sit back and do nothing.

One of my last conversations with my son was when I was explaining the importance of voting. Many people complain about things but fail to vote to help make a difference. If you decide to sit back and do nothing to help resolve the problem, you have no right to complain about the problem. Now is the time to be a willing and active participant in making a difference. We are here to do just that and we welcome you to join us.

Renee E. Jones

Advocate

RJT Foundation, Inc.

Meet the Founders


Mrs. Denise Brown - Founder [Read My Story]	Mrs. Renee Jones - Co-Founder [Read My Story]	Ms. Jacklyn Hall - Co-Founder [Read My Story]

Meet the Board

Ms. Paris Hooper

- Board Member - Secretary/Treasurer

Ms. Kisha Mattox

- Board Member - Executive Assistant

Ms. Quintina Haynes

- Board Member - Director of Communications/Social Media

Ms. Natasha Linkhorn

- Board Member - Vice President

Mr. Jeff Ronci

- Board Advisor - Media Relations

Ms. Sharon Ladson

- Board Member - Community Outreach

Debra Knight

- Board Member - Community Outreach

Meet the Staff

Ms. Geraldine Sweeting

- Program Coordinator

Mr. Vernon D. Gillum

- Chaplin