In 1989 Weusi Olusola was an All-American basketball player at Murray Wright High School with a promising career in the NBA. Those dreams ended when he was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting while standing on the porch of a friend's house in his neighborhood. The bullet from a .357 Magnum severed his spine and made him a paraplegic.

Two months later after his surgery he got a visit from Pistons legend Isiah Thomas asking him to be the grand marshal of an anticrime parade. Two weeks after that, he began speaking to what would become thousands of youth, initially on his own, and ten years later he became president of Pioneers for Peace to speak to at-risk youth about making good choices and valuing themselves.

The Pioneers for Peace program is a violence prevention and awareness program established by the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM). Pioneers for Peace members are a group of survivors of gun violence who have sustained a permanent disability as a result of gun violence. Instead of viewing their disabilities as a tragedy, they see an opportunity to make a difference by speaking out. The members save youth lives by promoting peace and tolerance and have helped thousands of at-risk youth throughout the United States.

The mission of the program is three-fold:

• To increase awareness about the impact of violence and educate the public on ways to reduce the incidents among at-risk youth
• To discuss with youth means for conflict resolution and the importance of making wise decisions
• To increase the awareness about the abilities of persons with disabilities

Pioneers for Peace have reached thousands of students through afterschool workshops, violence prevention assemblies, and monthly tours through Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan. They have developed community partnerships with groups ranging from the Detroit Public Schools and the mayor's office to Wayne State University and the Million Mom March organization.