Richmond woman honors 5-year-old boy shot, killed in N.C. with fundraiser

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - After hearing about the death of a 5-year-old boy in North Carolina, a Richmond woman decided to do a fundraiser to show support.

Cannon Hinnant was tragically shot and killed while riding his bike in front of his father’s house. The accused killer was a neighbor.

The senseless crime touched the hearts of people across the country, including Teresa Welch.

“I am a recovering alcoholic, and I have been almost two years sober. I was selfish a lot during that timeframe and I figured now is the time for me to give back. When I learned of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant, it organically grew to something humongous,” says Welch.

The “Ride-on Cannon Foundation” was born out of her pain, but it turned into happiness for hundreds of kids in Central Virginia.

Welch started to fundraise shortly after Cannon’s death, and with the help of the community, she was able to give away more than 100 new bikes to deserving kids.

Several vendors and bands showed up at the event to set the tone for what’s to come for this growing organization.

Since then, there’s a growing backpack program, where each child gets all of the supplies they need, a pair of shoes and an outfit for the first day of school.

There’s an Easter egg hunt around Cannon’s birthday, and the organization also adopts several families for Thanksgiving and Christmas, providing food and gifts.

Chantelle Bradley, Teresa’s good, friend wanted to honor her with the NBC12 Acts of Kindness.

“She’s been doing so much over the past year, and a lot of people that were faced with adversity stay in bed and do nothing, but that’s not her. She decided that she was going to do something and continue to do something, and I think she should be recognized for that,” says Bradley.

Welch says she has become close with the Hinnant family, and she has plans to continue to give back in his name.

In fact, she’s already in the process of collecting money and other donations for several events in the future.

The “Ride-on Cannon Foundation” has more than 3,000 followers on Facebook, and they’re looking for more volunteers.

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