ROANOKE, Va. – On Thursday night, community leaders gathered in downtown Roanoke for peace and prayer this holiday season and beyond.
The annual Bridging the Community Gap brings Total Action for Progress, faith leaders and city officials together. They gathered in front of the tree in Wells Fargo Plaza to remember those lost to violence in 2020 and pledge to take a stand moving forward.
With the pandemic this year, they had to scale back the event, but organizers said it still sends a message.
“We weren’t able to have the caroling and the food and the celebration part of it, we were only able to have the somber part of the event which is the memorial service and the hanging of the ornament on the tree in memory of all the people who lost their lives,” Jo Nelson, TAP This Valley Works director, said.
The ornament placed on the tree was hand made for the event. It represents peace and healing organizers want in the community.