JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than two and half years ago, Rashaud Fields was shot at a party just a few hours after he graduated from Raines High School.
His mother, Janice, is keeping his memory alive while also supporting other families in pain.
Janice says May 23, 2022, still feels like yesterday. It is the day she lost her youngest son who not only just received his high school diploma but was just a few months shy of going away to college on a football scholarship.
Janice said she is turning her tears into passionate work.
“We are trying to get the community to come together,” she said. “We can do something positive for the community.”
That something is a first-of-its-kind event through the foundation she started in her son’s memory.
The very first Rashaud Fields Foundation Sneaker Ball is planned for Jan. 25 at 4 p.m.
“He was a sneaker person,” Janice said of her son. “[His favorite brand] was Jordan.”
Janice says the gala will be a chance for people to have a good time and provide a moment of relief to help other parents through the grieving process after losing a child or loved one to violence.
“Some of them are still grieving,” Janice said. “We are also grieving. We all just grieve in our own ways. This event is important to me to at least try to get them out of their shell just a little bit, where they will be able to talk. Some of them are still not adapted to the outside world right now.”
The sneaker ball is going to be held at Allusion’s Restaurant and Lounge on Soutel Drive.
Lisa Norman is the owner and said it was a no-brainer to open her doors for the event.
Norman has known the Fields family for 20 years and even had Rashaud attend her day care when he was a child.
“Funny,” is how Norman described Rashaud.
“He danced. He loved sports. He was very comical. He kept you laughing,” Norman said. “On your saddest day, you will get joy with Rashaud.”
Norman said she hopes there will be opportunities for people to share their experiences with each other and foster bonds.
“They are still hurting,” she said. “It is just a moment to get out and reflect back. But also to enjoy, take a breather and let them know that we are in this together. We are here to help in whatever way we can.”
As a prelude to the gala, Blaine Strive is hosting a motorcycle ride that will end at the venue.
The ride starts at the Raines High School football field parking lot. Rashaud was Strive’s younger cousin, but Strive says this event is going to be therapeutic to him as well.
Strive’s younger sister, Angela Carr, was one of three people shot and killed in the racially motivated shooting at a Jacksonville Dollar General in 2023.
The 52-year-old was the first person shot as she was simply sitting in her car outside the store.
“It means a lot because now I really know that I am not in it alone,” Strive said. “Other folks have the same emotions that I have. We have better conversations. That really helped me to think about what they are going through versus what I am going through. It comes together. It helps me get through it better.”
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Although Janice, her husband and the Fields family remain optimistic that there will be an arrest in her son’s murder one day, until that day she says it is events like this sneaker ball that give her peace while empowering others experiencing similar circumstances.
“I am a grieving mom trying to help another grieving mom get through this pain that we also endure,” Janice said.
“Let the families know that they are not alone,” Strive said. “We are here for them.”
Janice said the gala is currently sold out as at least 200 tickets have been purchased.