DAYTON — Today marks seven years since a man shot and killed nine people outside a bar in the Oregon District.
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News Center 7’s Cody Butler talked to a survivor about his healing journey.
>>RELATED: Oregon District memorial honors nine victims of 2019 mass shooting
Dion Green was at the Oregon District with his dad, Derrick Fudge, when the shooter killed him.
The other eight victims are Megan Betts, Monica Brickhouse, Nicholas Cumer, Thomas McNichols, Lois Oglesby, Saeed Saleh, Logan Turner and Beatrice Warren-Curtis.
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Now, Green has a foundation he hopes will help prevent future tragedies.
“It’s my healing,” Dion Green, founder of The FUDGE Foundation, said.
Green travels the country and talks with other mass shooting survivors to push lawmakers to pass new laws.
In the coming days, he will cut the ribbon on The FUDGE Foundation Community Center building on Weaver Street.
“God placed it on my heart, and he placed me in the right community to be able to serve to help others,” Green said.
Green wants to provide a safe place for people, especially kids, to hang out and share experiences.
“I just wanna continue to keep bringing that type of change and transformation to our community and beyond,” Green said.
The foundation is also transforming the neighborhood. It’s moved into a building that’s been abandoned for decades.
Weaver Street has several abandoned houses that Green is taking the time to clean up.
“It feels good knowing that someone cares for a very long time. It seems like no one really cares, and you still feel that sometimes, but when just one person can make a difference, it’s a blessing,” Debbie Thomas, of Dayton, said.
Thomas has lived on Weaver Street for a decade.
She told me the transformation is inspiring.
“It’s a big difference. It’s like I’m thinking it, but I wish I could put it in the words to make you see what I’m what I feel like. But it’s been rough over here,” she said.
Green knows he can’t make real change happen alone.
“It’s going to take all of us to continue to do the work. And we can’t keep saying what organization this and that. If we really want change, it takes all of us,” Green said.
The ribbon-cutting for the community center at 1670 Weaver Street will take place on Friday at 3 p.m.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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