'Find the Words' Campaign Joins Fight to End Gun Violence in Schools

This is a paid post contributed by a Patch Community Partner. The views expressed in this post are the author's own, and the information presented has not been verified by Patch.

Before Mahesh Johari heard the news about the tragedy at Annunciation Catholic Church in late August, what he knew about school gun violence was that legislative solutions always seemed to be just out of reach. After the Annunciation tragedy, though, Johari felt that something had to be done about school gun violence in his community now. Johari is the chairman of the Minneapolis-based grantmaker Johari Family Foundation, and the Foundation had the resources to help. And, in less than two months after Annunciation, the Foundation launched its solution: the Find the Words campaign.

"We want every qualifying school in our area to fill out a quick, easy application for funding through our newly-launched website at FindtheWordsMN.com, get approved, and have the financial burden eased as staff take a look at an incredible, evidence-backed program developed by Sandy Hook Promise called Say Something," said Johari. "We just want them to sit down, read through the Say Something curriculum, read what Sandy Hook Promise has found after testing it, and consider whether Say Something might be a good fit at their school."

His team’s work indicates that Say Something is a beneficial resource. The nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise doesn't charge for the materials, so schools can access training for teachers and the student materials at no cost. The program is available in variations for different ages and different engagement intensities, offering five different lesson collections for students in the Find the Words' targeted range of grades 6-12.

Say Something teaches students to identify the warning signs and behaviors that come before a violent behavior occurs, which can be crucial. According to Sandy Hook Promise’s website, people who will hurt themselves or others often show warning signs well before they carry out an act of violence. Further, in four out of five school shootings, the attacker told people of their plans ahead of time. The curriculum guides students how to safely report these signals and potential threats.

Minneapolis ad agency Shinebox partnered with the Johari Family Foundation to create the full Find the Words grant-making campaign, which includes a website, video, and application resources. "We mobilized our team quickly after the Annunciation tragedy to research the Say Something curriculum, identify hundreds of schools in our community who could benefit from it, and build a website where Twin Cities area schools could learn about our Find the Words campaign and apply for funding. We'd love to see Say Something at work in schools by Thanksgiving, or by Christmas – why wait?" said Johari.

The Foundation designed the campaign to incentivize schools to first review the curriculum, and then support schools implementing it. "We're giving schools grants of $500 to $1,000 for reviewing the details of the free Say Something curriculum, and they get that money, even if they ultimately decide not to implement it at this time," said Johari. "That's Phase 1, and we're giving them an application deadline of January 17, 2026." The next phase of the campaign provides funding for schools to implement the program, and schools will receive a higher grant amount – anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000, depending on the school’s grade 6-12 enrollment. Applications for Phase 2 are open until April 17, 2026.

To qualify, schools must be located within 20 miles of zip codes 55401 or 55101 and must serve over 30 full-time in-person grade 6-12 students. The grant application can be submitted by either the school or its parent-teacher organization. Certain types of schools and schools which are already implementing a Sandy Hook Promise program/service do not qualify. The list of eligible schools and the grant application can be found online at FindTheWordsMN.com.

"This campaign is about finding the words to support struggling kids before something worse happens," said Johari. "The focus is on early, compassionate intervention – before things reach a crisis point. Sandy Hook Promise's programs have shown measurable success in reducing threats, suicides, and school violence in districts across the country. However things play out in politics or the court system or the criminal justice system in the long run, we have to see our kids off to school in the morning. Don't we want to show them we're trying to keep them safe, every day? Find the Words is about empowering individuals to help prevent tragedies long before they happen."

This post is an advertorial piece contributed by a Patch Community Partner, a local brand partner. To learn more, click here.