This year marks 20 years since I lost my friend Lisa to homicide — and every year, I find myself reflecting not on how she died, but on how she lived.

Lisa moved through the world with a kindness and genuine compassion that left a mark on everyone fortunate enough to know her. At a formative time in my life, her friendship shaped who I became — the way she listened, the way she made people feel seen, the warmth she brought to ordinary moments. Those things don't fade. Two decades later, I still carry her with me.

Losing someone to homicide is a particular kind of grief. It doesn't follow a clean path. It touches families, friends, and entire communities in ways that can last for generations — and too often, people are left to navigate that pain without support or space to heal.

That's why the work of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute matters so deeply to me. Founded by the mother of a homicide victim, the Institute has spent decades walking alongside survivors and families, offering grief support, advocacy, and community healing rooted in love rather than cycles of violence. They create spaces — real, human spaces — where people affected by homicide and loss can find one another, be heard, and begin to heal.

I'm walking in Lisa's memory this year, and I'm asking you to walk with me — even if just in spirit — by making a contribution toward my personal goal.

Every dollar supports survivors who are living through what I know firsthand is one of the hardest losses imaginable. Thank you for helping me honor a life that deserved so much more time.