Meet our Co-Founders
Takisha Jacobs
Takisha Jacobs is the co-founder of Connect 2 Be The Change, a nonprofit organization she established in 2020 following the tragic loss of her 15-year-old son, Abdul Cross, to gun violence. Drawing from her personal experience and deep commitment to advocacy, she has become a prominent leader in the nonprofit sector, specializing in connecting underserved communities with essential mental health services.
With almost a decade of experience as a crisis prevention specialist, she is a catalyst for change in breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, promoting gun violence awareness, and advancing trauma-informed care practices. Currently, Takisha serves as a family peer support specialist on the youth mobile crisis response team at Oaklawn (www.oaklawn.org) and is a Certified Peer Support Professional, Certified Addiction Peer Recovery Coach, and community health worker.
She is a sought-after speaker on the subject of gun violence and mental health and has been a guest speaker at the South Bend Rotary Club, the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, the Institute for Social Concerns, and in the University’s neuroscience department. She was also a guest speaker at an event in Washington, D.C. in collaboration with Moms Demand Action, and partnered with them to lobby for common sense gun laws before an Indiana state legislative committee in 2020. Takisha is co-presenting a workshop on multitiered approaches to violence prevention at the 2025 Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR) conference in New York City.
Her advocacy focuses on fostering healing instead of violence by encouraging young people to experience new environments and perspectives. Through her leadership, Takisha is setting a new standard of care and advocacy in South Bend, creating lasting change and inspiring others to seek pathways of healing and resilience.
Takisha is currently working on a memoir of her experience, documenting how she turned the tragedy of her son’s death into collective action focused on ending senseless gun violence.
Loria Perez
Loria Perez is the Guest Service Manager at South Bend Civic Theatre and is a mother of four boys. On April 30, 2017, Loria’s oldest son lost his life and another son received serious wounds and the trauma of witnessing his brother’s death by gun violence. On May 13, 2020, gun violence also claimed the life of Loria’s youngest son. Loria co-founded Connect 2 Be The Change to spread love and bring awareness about the horrific impacts of gun-violence in South Bend. She has 17 years of experience working in community development and continues to learn mental health skills. Loria partners with several organizations which fight against gun-violence, including Moms Demand Action and Black Lives Matter. She also volunteers with community leaders, public school systems, and community service centers. Loria's mission is reaching out to the families grieving losses, and supporting them with respect, understanding, and intervention resources. She focuses on teaching people to love and respect life. Her message is “we don’t retaliate, we reconcile.” Loria works with “Angel Moms and Dads” through Connect 2 Be The Change, where she reaches out to parents who have lost their children through gun violence. Loria’s mission continues, driven by the heartfelt message that a mother’s love never dies
Who We Are
Connect 2 Be The Change (C2BTC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by two mothers who tragically lost their children to gun violence. This organization recognizes that gun violence not only claims lives but also inflicts profound trauma, fear, anger, and mental health issues, ultimately dismantling the fabric of communities.
C2BTC was established to address these challenges by offering therapeutic services and supportive environments to youth, young adults, and families affected by gun violence. As a grassroots initiative, C2BTC brings together a dedicated coalition of mothers, therapists, psychologists, teenagers, and young adults.
Our mission is to reduce gun violence by empowering our youth to become "change agents," individuals committed to driving positive change within their communities. Through education, support, and advocacy, we strive to create a safer and more resilient society.
Our Vision
The vision of C2BTC is to improve the overall mental health of young people in our community through experiential learning in culturally relevant and immersive environments. We aim to improve quality of life in our city by encouraging the current generation to understand the value of coexisting and interdependence with nature