LaTiffany Gallion founded Austin's Voice to celebrate the life of her son Austin General Jr. Austin's Voice was among the organizations that donated backpacks and school supplies through the Silent Women Speaking supply giveaway at the Wiley Road Playground on Saturday, July 25, 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 28, 2026 at 3:23 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Wiley Road Playground turned into a supply depot on a sunny afternoon.
The Westside park was a haven for memories of the past — and dreams for the future — during the Silent Women Speaking Back to School supply giveaway on July 25.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
The event brought families who have lost loved ones in touch with families needing school supplies for the upcoming school year.
More than 500 backpacks, as well as notebooks, pencils and more, were given away in less than 40 minutes.
Scores of people stood in the shade beneath pine trees and tents waiting to help hundreds of parents and their children.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
LaTiffany Gallion was one of the people who donated.
Her son, Austin General Jr., died by suicide May 30, 2023. She created Austin’s Voice shortly after his death.
Gallion says the organization encourages children and young adults to share their thoughts and feelings.
“Whether it’s women, men, children, we try to reach as many as we can, especially the kids, because Austin, I lost him at 21,” Gallion said. “So, it was within his early years that he probably could have found his voice, or found a lead way to talk to others about the feelings he was feeling.”
Giving mothers a voice to remember
The school supply giveaway was organized by the Silent Women Speaking Foundation. Its founder, Haraka “Nikki” Carswell, is a Jacksonville resident and a basketball mom.
Through the game, Carswell encountered players whose siblings were slain through gun violence. She wanted to ensure mothers whose children died did not grieve alone and in silence.
More than a half dozen mothers participated on a broiling afternoon on the Westside. Rose Devoe, founder of the Gabriel John Devoe Foundation, supported the effort one day after what would have been her son Gabriel’s 27th birthday.
“It’s so amazing to see, even mothers grieving and going through trauma, they are still able to give back to the community,” Carswell said.
“That’s a way. That’s a form of healing. That’s a form of building our trust and letting them know they have a support system out here. Watching them give back to the community, with grace, with the intention of loving on each other. So, I really appreciate each mother that came out.”
Silent Women Speaking also collaborated with Kelly’s Kids, a nonprofit that provides after-school and summer enrichment programs.
Kelly’s Kids was created to honor Morris Kelly Jr. — a longtime youth sports coach and education advocate on the Westside — who was only 54 when he died Aug. 1, 2006.
Kelly’s Kids founder, Cece Cooper, says women collaborating with women provided a larger platform for Saturday’s event. A local food truck provided free frozen treats to children. In the distance, families were able to snag a free hot dog before they left.
“It’s a beautiful movement. We have Nikki. She’s with the Angel Moms. Then, we have the Eliza (Love) Foundation as well that’s out here. There’s other organizations as well, but Nikki has been a pillar,” Cooper says. “This is amazing … that we’re able to supply families that need this.
“As we know, life is expensive right now. So, it means everything to us to be able to give back to people that’s in need. When you have multiple kids, school is one of the priciest things that are happening in our communities right now.”
Back-to-school prices on the rise
National Retail Federation data found 12% of respondents were trying to figure out how to pay for school supplies this year. It projected the average person would spend $863.86 during the back-to-school period. This year’s spending is a slight uptick from the $858.07 spent per person in 2025 — but the fourth-highest per-person spend since the federation started tracking the data in 2003.
Nearly three in five consumers (61%) reported to the National Retail Federation that they were witnessing higher prices for school supplies this year than in years prior.
Florida is in the middle of its sales tax holiday for most back-to-school supplies.
Gallion notes that some people just do not have the resources to spend $800 on back-to-school items.
Making memories a blessing
“It’s good to be able to have the resources and the funds to assist others in need so we can take some of that burden off, because some of them have multiple children,” Gallion says.
Many of the families that gathered at the Wile Road Playground more than 15 minutes before the giveaway began arrived with multiple elementary and middle school-aged children.
Their presence, Gallion says, gave her another chance to honor her son.
“My heart is full. My heart is full,” Gallion said. “The goal was accomplished.”
