The Village After Foundation, Inc.Family Intake & Support PortalCare • Guidance • A Village AfterBecause it’s about who shows up after.
A caring place to begin—and a village for what comes next.
Private, practical, and ongoing support for children who have lost a parent to gun violence and the caregivers left to raise them.
Your secure starting point
How can we help today?
Choose one clear next step. Each option opens its own secure form.
What comes next
After the funeral. After everybody goes home. After the calls and texts stop coming.
The Village After Foundation, Inc. exists for what comes next. Founded in memory of Tyler Steven Hawker and inspired by the lived experience of rebuilding a life and family after losing him to gun violence.
We provide practical, emotional, and ongoing support so families can access resources, regain stability, rebuild their lives, and know their children have a village beside them as they grow.
Official Foundation programs
Support for now—and for what comes later.
Programs are charitable and educational services. Availability may depend on funding, capacity, partnerships, and individual program requirements.
Village Support Program
Identify needs, research resources, organize next steps and follow up with each enrolled family.
Enrollment OpenThe Village Fund
Help when life can’t wait.
Applications ClosedGrowing With You Program
An umbrella program made up of five connected subprograms that support families as needs, questions, milestones and rebuilding goals change.
Available to Enrolled FamiliesThe Village Fund
Help when life can’t wait.
The Village Fund is not accepting applications yet while the Foundation builds its inaugural $5,000 assistance fund.
Reaching this first fundraising goal will create the starting pool of charitable support for qualifying, time-sensitive family needs. Once funding and an application period are ready, enrolled Village Families will receive advance notice.
Applications are currently closed. Future applications will be reviewed based on eligibility and available funds and will not guarantee assistance.
Growing With You Program
Five subprograms. One connected circle of support.
Remembering With You, Growing With Your Child, Village Guides, Village Partner Referral and Rebuilding Yourself together make up the Growing With You Program.
Remembering With You
Optional birthday and remembrance messages that a caregiver can change or stop at any time.
Growing With Your Child
Age-appropriate information and resource guidance as children’s questions, feelings and milestones change. This support is not intended to replace therapy or professional mental-health treatment.
Village Guides
Practical caregiver guides for hard conversations, remembrance and meaningful dates, informed by the Dougy Center, National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Alliance for Children’s Grief.
Village Partner Referral
With separate permission, the Foundation can connect families to education and career programs, counseling, housing and utility assistance, and other verified resources while sharing only what is needed.
Rebuilding Yourself
Support exploring education, work, transportation, stability, skills, independence and personal goals.
Already connected with us?
Your records, when you need them.
Request intake, application, authorization, referral or case-history records without restarting enrollment.
Separate authorization used only when needed
Village Partner Referral
Complete this only when the Foundation needs permission to send selected information to a named outside organization for a specific requested service.
A referral uses a separate authorization and only the information reasonably necessary for that specific referral. Existing privacy, consent and records-handling rules remain unchanged.
Dignity, privacy & honest expectations
Clear choices.
Know what to expect, what stays private and what remains yours to decide.
Local priority
Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area receive current priority. Service areas can grow with capacity.
Permission first
A referral requires separate authorization, and only the information needed for that referral is shared.
Your story stays yours
The Foundation will not sell participating families’ personal information. Media use is optional and specific.
Honest support
We offer charitable guidance and support without promising funding, admission or a particular outcome.