The Origin

A Gift from Tray was established in honor of my son, Trayvon Delane Trammer, whose life was lost November 27, 2017, as the result of a fatal car crash, seven days before his 21st birthday. He was in his junior year of college at Central State University (CSU) in Wilberforce, OH at the time of the accident. After his death, like many other parents who have lost a child, I looked for ways to celebrate Trayvon’s life every year and keep his legacy alive. I was a single parent and felt this was something that I had to do in memory of my only child.

Every year since his death, I planned a birthday celebration for Trayvon, affectionally known as Tray. Some celebrations were larger than others. For instance, on December 3, 2017, Tray’s birthday was celebrated by a dinner that consisted of his family and close friends, followed by a balloon release and candlelight vigil hosted by his high school friends the following day. The next year was a more solemn celebration that included cake and ice cream with family and friends. Afterward, I decided I didn’t want to repeat the 2018 celebration and wanted to do something more upbeat and fun to celebrate Tray’s birthday and his life.

In 2019, I talked with Tray’s closest friends to come up with a fun way to celebrate his birthday. The idea was to celebrate that day in way we knew Tray would want to. Although the activities were fun and entertaining, there was still something missing. I asked myself, “How could something positive come out of this terrible situation?” I knew that no matter how much I tried, nothing would be the same when it came to celebrating his birth. So, I prayed and asked for the Lord for strength and direction. That’s when I realized it was time to make Tray’s life more than just an annual celebration. It was at this time the idea of an organization with a long-term vision was conceived. I knew I wanted to help young African American males accomplish something my son didn’t get a chance to do - obtain a college degree.

As I thought about our many conversations, I remembered a phone call that I received from a CSU campus officer. She told me that a student asked her to contact me to share with me the impact of Tray on his life. She told me that Tray would contact the student to make sure he had been attending class, and explained that his parents sent him to college for an education - not to play. I also remembered that during the candlelight vigil, a parent expressed to me how her son, who was still in high school, would call Tray about the things he was going through in school and sports, which was his favorite topic. Tray would give him pointers about basketball. 

I reflect on a day that I often replay in my mind - the day I received the call and was told my son had passed away. Much like that day, I have reflected on Tray’s home-going celebration. I began to recall the acknowledgments from his friends, and how Tray would call to check on them just to see how they were doing. Each of his friends thought this was something that he did with just them, but it was something he did with each of his friends. Tray didn’t look at them as his friends, but rather as his brothers. 

Lastly, I recalled a conversation I had with a friend who shared with me a conversation she had with her son as he packed to return to school to complete his last year in college. He was a freshman in college when Tray passed. He expressed to her how he would call Tray when things were overwhelming, and Tray would give him advice. It was then I realized that all the things I had told my son that I expected him to do as an adult, he had done before he left this earth. This confirmed that I had an opportunity to continue Trayvon’s work and to keep his legacy alive for decades to come. 

 This is the genesis of A Gift from Tray.