CHICAGO — The family of an 18-year-old man gunned down near the park where he'd spent years volunteering is looking for help raising money for his funeral.
Jervon "JoJo" Morris was shot dead in that park — Euclid Park at 98th and Wallace in Longwood Manor — at 5:40 p.m. Monday. A fundraising event to help Jervon's family pay for his funeral will be held Sunday, and an online fundraiser for Jervon's funeral has raised more than $800.
The event Sunday will have an obstacle course, drawing contest, dance contest and other activities, as well as a balloon release and candlelight vigil for Jervon.
The event will run 1-10 p.m. at Euclid Park. Entry wristbands will be available for $10, with the proceeds going to Jervon's family, and donations will be welcome.
Jervon, who was visually impaired and developmentally disabled, had volunteered with kids at Euclid Park as often as possible for years and had become a beloved figure in the area.
"He was just a special kid. He was loving. Everybody loved Jervon," said his aunt, Edna Young, who had raised him since he was 1 and saw him as more a son than a nephew. "He had no hate. He was always smiling."
Jervon, born with cataracts, had been blind in one eye and only able to see shadows in the other since he was 2 years old, Young said. Yet he loved to draw, a skill he'd picked up at 10, and he played basketball, relying on his hearing to help him become a great player.
Jervon learned how to play basketball in school, and about three years ago he started volunteering with children through the Chicago Park District. He'd go to Euclid Park every day to work with kids, playing ball from noon to closing. The park and his home were the only places he went, Young said.
Everyone — but especially the kids he adored and volunteered with — came to love Jervon, Young said.
"He just wanted to be around his family," said Young, who noted Jervon was especially close with his sisters. "He just wanted to play basketball."
