In 2015, Peter Gold, a medical student at Tulane University in New Orleans, was driving home when he saw a woman being dragged down the street by a hooded man. Gold stopped his car and saved the woman, taking a bullet to the abdomen and narrowly avoiding death when the gunman’s weapon jammed. The chilling scene was captured on surveillance video, which continues to remind Gold of how lucky he is to be alive — and how his supportive upbringing contrasts that of the attacker, who was arrested and sentenced to 54 years in prison for a crime spree that also included rapes and armed robberies. 

Today Gold works as an orthopedic surgery resident at Northwell Health in New York and leads volunteers at Strong City, the organization he co-founded in the aftermath of the shooting to break the negative cycle of poverty and violence in the United States. Strong City engages young professionals to pool resources and ideas that provide education, mentoring and guidance to at-risk youth in New Orleans. 

On Wednesday June 9 at 2 p.m., the Mirowitz Center is offering the community a chance to meet and celebrate Gold during a free, online program. To register, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email [email protected].