Gold’s good Samaritan act inspired a nation, but he wasn’t done yet. Fully recovered, he graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in 2016 and went on to launch a foundation to help save an unlikely target: people like his attacker. Along with eight of his closest friends from Tulane, he launched My Strong City with the aim of ending cycles of violence within communities.

New Orleans was chosen for My Strong City’s debut effort. Gold’s nonprofit has partnered with the local Youth Empowerment Project to offer education, mentoring, and employment-readiness programs to underserved young people in order to help them develop skills and strengthen family and communities. With the help of donors, My Strong City hopes to expand into other urban areas nationwide.