A Papa’s Hand was founded because of a black American mother experiencing being a victim of the worse crime a mother could experience, the murdering of her child.
 
Toni Johnson Cormier lost her son Jeremy Jamal Johnson on July 20, 2022, while loosing a child is horrific for any parent to fathom having your child snatched from your life for the most senseless and selfish reasons can be catastrophic. Toni was catapulted into a space of reflection, it is here that she asked the questions, “what do mothers do who do not have the spiritual foundation that she possessed” and “what happens to these children, who’s caring for them, who’s providing for them, who’s protecting them?”

In searching for the answers to these questions Toni started the A Papa’s Hand – The Yung H Southlegend Foundation. Here mothers who have experienced what Toni has or worse can come together in their journey toward healing, here mothers receive support in finding out what healing looks like for them, here mothers are encouraged to put meaning to their pain through purpose, here children can have a safe place to process their grief, here children can talk and play with other children who have experienced the same loss they have. It is here at A Papa’s Hand the mothers and children of our community can begin to heal through love, support, and protection.