BUFFALO, N.Y. — After having so much taken from him, it's hard to imagine Mark Talley ever wanting to give back.
He was a man fueled by something few can ever harness in the days and weeks after the tragedy on 5/14.
"You know it was hard to handle. I was ready to punch everything, break everything," Talley recalled.
But as so many are still seeking clarity one year after 10 lives were lost at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson, including his mother Geraldine, Talley has found his own path.
"I'm trying to use this anger to hopefully do something good and fuel this anger into a passion to help the community and anybody who wants it," said Talley.
He spoke with 2 On Your Side days before the one-year remembrance and shared how his approach isn't always understood by the public.
"They want you to grieve how they perceive you should grieve," Talley said.
Rather than sadness or grief, he turned his pain and anger into founding the group "Agents for Advocacy" just a few months after his life was changed forever.
The non-profit is built around the mantra "as long as poverty, injustice, and inequality persist, none of us can truly rest" and Talley has his sights set high.
"Our ultimate goal is we want to be one of the largest socioeconomic justice non-profits in the city if not the state," he said.
"Agents for Advocacy" has taken off quicker than he expected. In the past year, they've co-hosted or hosted over 30 events including financial literacy classes meant to uplift East Buffalo residents, held giveaways, and hosted discussions meant to tamp out the hatred that took his mother.
Talley said she'd be surprised he's leading the way as someone not always fond of the spotlight, but she'd "absolutely" would be proud.
"You know sometimes I feel like I have imposter syndrome, but at other times I feel inspired by people coming up to me and telling me I inspire them," Talley said.
He added: "You know I just try to use everything that I've gone through and how I've dealt with it to provide for them."
So while his group may have been born by anger it's on a mission to make change for the better.
"But unlike me when you become an agent, I hope it happens out of the goodness of your heart and not the hatred like mine."