Photography Students Selling Art To Help Classmate Wounded In Shooting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Students of a summer photography class are selling some of their work to help pay for the medical bills of a classmate who was critically wounded in a shooting two weeks ago.
Alexis Ellers, an instructor in the Early Exposures summer photography class, said the idea of selling some of the photos taken by Tavon Tanner and his classmates came as she prepared the students for an exhibition at the end of the camp.
"These prints are so beautiful, and the kids are all so proud of them, and whenever our guests come they always look so impressed, and people always want to buy them. We thought it would be a good opportunity to use that to raise some money for Tavon," she said.
Podcast
Ellers said they have raised about $2,400 by selling almost 100 prints so far, and more donations are coming in.
"My favorite is the one his sister, Taniyah, took of him and two of his classmates during class," she said.
The fundraiser is slated to run through the end of the month. Then Ellers plans to give the money to Tavon's mother to pay for his numerous surgeries as he recovers from being shot in the back.
Tavon was shot in front of his family on Aug. 8, while on the porch of his home in West Garfield Park. A stray bullet hit him in the back when someone opened fire on the 3900 block of West Polk Street.
His mother, aunt, and younger brother were on the porch with him at the time, but Tavon was the only one wounded. His twin sister, Taniyah, ran out on the porch and held him until paramedics took him to the hospital.
His family has said the bullet damaged his kidney, pancreas, intestines, and spleen, and lodged in his chest.
