As donations drop off, Mothers Against Murderers Association may have to close doors

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The recession is over but its effects continue to impact non-profit organizations, including one that has helped the mothers and grandmothers of murder victims.

Angela Williams, the founder of the Mothers Against Murderers Association , said that she may have to close the doors of the non-profit in the 2100 block of 45th Street because donations have dropped off and she is unable to pay the rent and other bills.

"Right now, we're praying that we can keep these doors open," Williams said. "They need to grieve and this is a place where they come do that."

According to the IRS 990-EZ filed by MAMA in 2011, the organization has more expenses than revenue it has collected.

Williams founded MAMA in 2003 after the shooting death of her nephew in Riviera Beach.

More than 160 mothers and grandmothers, she said, have relied on the organization for support since it was founded.

"If these doors don't be open a whole lot of us we [would] go into depression probably because we have nowhere to go," said Margaret Wilson, a West Palm Beach resident and MAMA member who lost her granddaughter to a drive-by shooting. "The only ones that have been through what we are going through can understand."

Williams said she has written Florida Governor Rick Scott and President Barack Obama for help.

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