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Since her son's slaying nearly 10 years ago, Adrienne Young has worked to make sure no mother has to endure what she went through.

Now, it seems, people are starting to take notice.

Young, founder and director of the Tree of Hope organization, which is dedicated to helping families of the victims of violent crime, brought together religious, community and city organizations for an anti-crime program called "The Crusades Against Crime in Pittsburgh."

She also put together the program's kick-off event, which took place Saturday afternoon in Market Square, Downtown. More than 100 people attended -- most of them passersby lured by the spirited music and spiritual outbursts coming from the stage that had been set up in the square.

The Crusades is a blanket name for the efforts of churches, city and community organizations dedicated to stopping the spread of violent crime in Pittsburgh -- a phenomenon highlighted by last month's 13 homicides here.

City Council President Gene Ricciardi, who spoke at yesterday's event, said Young had been planning it for six months, but the recent spike in killings "shows the need for this. Everybody is doing something, but this is the first time someone has tried to put it all together. She's a blessing for the community."

Ricciardi said the city government cannot fix the crime problem alone.

"This is an awareness issue," Ricciardi said. "Many people realize that to correct violence, you have to work through the church."

The overall mission of yesterday's event, he said, was to foster acceptance of the church's role in the community.

The Crusades will focus on the city's housing projects, Young said.

"All kinds of service providers and ministries are going into these areas, and they're taking hope with them."

The city Housing Authority also is involved in the effort, said Cynthia Marbury, drug elimination program manager for the authority.

"This is where a lot of the crime is coming from," Marbury said. "The incidence of family violence we have ... I don't remember the exact numbers, but it's very high."

Young said she and others involved with the Tree of Hope organization also have begun talking to prisoners and explaining what their violence does to families.

"We go into the prisons, look them in the face, and tell them what it's like to lose someone," Young said. "I tell them what it was like to lose my son."

Young's son, Javon, was slain in 1994 while he was home on Christmas vacation from Carnegie Mellon University. He was 18.

"A lot of these men are totally broken," she said. "They never thought about this."

Young said this collaboration of various organizations is the largest in city history, and will work to form an "iron curtain" against the spread of violent crime.

Said Young: "We can't keep recycling criminals, and we can't keep recycling victims."

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