Parents Of Murdered Children, Inc. VALLEY OF THE SUN CHAPTER

“For the Families & Friends of those who have died by violence”

19620 North 38th Avenue, Glendale AZ 85308-2215

Chapter Phone: (602) 254-8818 Chapter E-mail: beckierose@aol.com

* National Organization of Parents Of Murdered Children, Inc. (POMC)

4960 Ridge Ave. Suite 2, Cincinnati, OH, 45209 (513) 721-5683 Fax: (513) 345-4489

Toll Free Number (888) 818-7662

http://www.pomc.com/phoenix/index.html Volume 25: No. 4 April 2016 https://www.facebook.com/pages/POMC-Valley-of-the-Sun/

MONTHLY SUPPORT MEETING

LOCATIONS 4

th Tuesday - Grief Support Meetings

All Meetings Start At 7:00 PM

◄EAST VALLEY MEETING►

Tuesday, April 26 7:00 PM

Mountain View Lutheran Church

11002 S. 48th

Street, Phoenix AZ

Room #8

(1/2 mile West of I-10 at 48th

Street & Elliot)

Facilitator: Claudia Marco

480-290-3908

◄WEST VALLEY MEETING►

Tuesday, April 26 7:00 PM

Antioch Church of God in Christ

9600 West Peoria Avenue, Peoria AZ

Family Room

(NW Corner of 96th Ave/W Peoria Ave)

Facilitator: Kathy Hernandez Schofield

623-707-6825

◄CENTRAL VALLEY MEETING►

Tuesday, April 26 7:00 PM

Mountain View Police Precinct

Community Room

2075 East Maryland, Phoenix AZ

Facilitator: Beckie Miller

623-582-2406

◄SPANISH SPEAKING MEETING►

Tuesday, April 26 7:00 PM

Queen of Peace Church

30 West 1st Street Room St. John 7

Mesa, AZ 85201

Facilitators: Sandy & Paulino Navarro

480-695-4789

◄◄SPEAKER/INFORMATION►►

MEETING (2nd Tuesday of each month)

Tuesday, April 12, 7:00 PM

*** Mountain View Police Precinct

Community Room 2075 East Maryland, Phoenix AZ

(off AZ 51 at 20th Street between Glendale

Avenue and Bethany Home Road -

Across from Granada Park)

***Our meeting this month will feature Alex

Rucker the Victims’ Rights Trainer from the

Attorney General’s Office, along with

Kirsten Flores, Director of Victim Services,

who will present on the legal rights of crime

victims in Arizona, to help our members

learn what you need to know as you go

through the criminal justice process.

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Mail Memorial Page items for “The Journey” by

the 10th

of the month prior to publication month to:

POMC Newsletter

19620 North 38th Ave Glendale AZ 85308-2215

*Please use order form on Page 11

You can also email items to beckierose@aol.com

Be sure to place any article or picture in an

attachment, otherwise it can’t be accessed

properly (especially pictures) and may not be

used. Also, be sure to put POMC Newsletter in

the subject line of the email.

CRIME VICTIMS LEGAL ASSISTANCE

PROJECT

Free legal aid to help assert victims' rights

through Arizona Voice for Crime Victims @

(480) 600-2661, P.O. Box 12722, Scottsdale,

AZ 85261 or contact Mary Wallace at

mwallace@voiceforvictims.org

2

Robert Mike Sanders

April 1976

Toni Bachman

April 1997

Renee Scott

April 2012

Ernestina Marie Collins

April 1, 2005

Kristina West

April 1, 2012

Katrina Ruiz

April 2, 2000

James K. McDonnell

April 2, 2002

John Craite

April 3, 1996

Daniel Freeman

April 3, 2007

Ursula Banashley

& Christina Williams

April 3, 2012

Wyatt Robert Cardany

April 3, 2015

Shelly & Andy Parks

April 4, 1999

Eddie Payan

April 4, 1999

Chad R. Conquest

April 4, 2007

Matthew R. Donaldson

April 4, 2009

Ruben A. Alvarado, Jr.

April 5, 2004

Roseanna Kolosa

April 5, 2007

Robin Lee Livesay

April 5, 2010

Jason Vanosdell

April 5, 2010

Robert Burton

April 6, 1993

Simon Torres, Jr.

April 6, 1997

Wendy Snodgrass

April 7, 1996

Cody B. Morrison

April 7, 2005

John Crandall

April 8, 1993

William H. Chandler

April 8, 2000

Terra Ann Parker

April 9, 2004

James LeSueur

April 9, 2004

Jamie Cardenas, Jr.

April 10, 1993

Mary, Brittney &

Bobby Fisher

April 10, 2001

Sophia Nunez

April 10, 2006

Rosemarie Little

April 11, 2011

Alexandra Holmberg

April 12, 1994

Spencer Stingley

April 12, 1994

Michelle Dickinson

April 12, 2009

Tanya Rae Samora

April 13, 1988

Ernie Scroud

April 13, 2002

Jose Rodriguez

April 13, 2008

Victoria Gameros

April 13, 2014

Thomas Hawthorne, Sr.

April 14, 1995

Rohber Brafford

April 14, 2006

Adam Kostewicz

April 15, 2006

Thom J. Kennedy

April 16, 1992

Joshua Calkins

April 16, 2014

Susan Elaine Rancourt

April 17, 1974

Chris “Bear” Assman

April 17, 1997

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

3

Continued. . . .

Nila Ruth Lynn

April 19, 2000

Ali Altug

April 19, 2001

James Turley, Jr.

April 19, 1994

Padriac M. Hill

April 20, 1993

Joel McClure

April 20, 2003

Katie Humphrey

April 20, 2006

Brett Holbrook

April 21, 2002

Anders Ortega

April 21, 2006

Demetris Grillo

April 22, 1995

Vincent Michael Contreras

April 22, 2009

Carl Scott

April 22, 2012

Alan Burdick

April 22, 2014

Bryan Allred

April 24, 2001

Alfonso Puyana

April 24, 2004

Bill Lewis Brown

April 24, 1992

Bill Schmidt &

Karen Swan

April 24, 1998

Christy Marie Gill

April 24, 2007

Christopher Winston

April 24, 2014

Jeremiah Miller

April 25, 2002

Emilio Tapia

April 25, 2008

Bill Moxey

April 25, 1988

Lincoln Brevard

April 25, 2010

Orville "Dean" Cuny

April 26, 1986

Mandy LeAnn Lund

April 26, 1995

Christopher Alan Boyd

April 27, 2015

Jared Scott Olson

April 28, 2006

David Dill

April 28, 1990

Nick Pappas

April 28, 1996

Rafael Gaxiola

April 28, 2006

Terry Sackett

April 29, 2003

Edward James Green

April 29, 2005

Matthew Clarke

April 30, 1994

Stephen D. Perry

April 30, 1994

Kent Dunne

April 30, 1999

Adam Leyva

April 30, 2007

Vanessa Rose Ortega

April 30, 2013

May you find comfort in the sweet

memories of your loved ones.

Always remember that they also

lived and in doing so you honor

their lives.

Every effort is made to ensure accuracy

on these pages. Please notify us

immediately with any errors or changes.

4

VALLEY OF THE SUN CHAPTER NEWS

TRIAL, JUDICIAL & ARREST UPDATES

• Bail was revoked on the killer of Chad Cassidy, son of Jack Cassidy and Mary Lanman. The killer was

charged 10-years after the murder and was out on bail but an upgrade to capital murder charges changed his bail

eligibility.

• The second perpetrator involved with the murder of 6-year old Jacob Gibson, cousin of Amy Paul (more a son

to her as she raised him for years before he was returned to his parents) was sentenced March 7th and only

received 71/2 years. The first perpetrator who failed to protect him was charged and received a 10-year

sentence.

“Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with each and every family member as they endure this difficult

process.”

IN LOVING MEMORY GIFT DONATIONS (THANK YOU!) (*All donations are tax deductible: Our chapter exists on the generosity of others, grants, and fundraisers)

♥ Ann Martinka in very loving memory of her grandson, Brian Seth Pattison.

♥ Sandy & Paulino Navarro in very loving memory of their son, Michael Garcia.

♥ Don & Beckie Miller in very loving memory of their son, Brian Ray Miller.

♥ Carolee Holbrook in very loving memory of her son, Brett Holbrook.

CORPORATE & OTHER DONATIONS THANK YOU! UNITED WAY (Please Note: the write-in number to designate funds to our chapter through your employee

contributions is 0772). You must use this number for designating any funds to go to our chapter. Our chapter

name is not listed except by number.

•Through United Way Donations: Christine Busch in very loving memory of her son, Erik and Melissa G.

Mersch in very loving memory of her son, Matthew. Also an anonymous donation through a Salt River Project

employee.

AMERICAN EXPRESS - donations from Norma Yanez, anonymous, and Lindison Y. Webb in honor of

Del Edward Webb, and Tara E. Williams in memory of her brother Kirk Best and mom, Sally Whitney. Julia

Wright also donated to our chapter.

COLD CASE REGISTRY FOR HOMICIDES (PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT)

The Phoenix Police Department has a Cold Case Registry on line. The link is

http://phoenix.gov/police/investigations/coldcase/index.html.

COLD CASE REGISTRY FOR HOMICIDES MCSO (SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has a cold case registry for any victim, victim's family member, or other

lawful representative of a victim of a cold case who requests to be included in the registry.

In order to submit a request, please contact the MCSO Homicide Unit. Telephone: 602-876-1087. E-mail:

MCSO.Major.Crimes@mcso.maricopa.gov

SPEAKER INFORMATION MEETING

Our meeting this month featured Collen Clase, an attorney with Arizona Voice for Crime Victims and their

Legal Assistance Project. This program provides pro-bono (free) services to crime victims during the court’s

process to assert their rights in court. AVCV also provides social services for the victims they serve. Through a

recent Crime Victims Enforcement Grant and collaborative effort with other agencies, more crime victims in

Arizona can now be served. The Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project before this Enforcement Grant

included only one attorney and one social worker and part time office manager. With the new grant funds, they

now have 3 attorneys, 2 social workers, 2 victim advocates and are hiring a paralegal, as well as full time office

manager. Before they only had 1 attorney, 1 social worker and a part-time office manager.

Many of our families in POMC have utilized their services and felt great comfort in knowing someone in the

courts process was there to ensure their rights were not violated and offer needed social services. While you

have the prosecutor during the court’s process, he represents the State, and the Defense Attorney has the sole

interests of the defendant; our families report how nice it was to have someone totally in their corner. The

attorneys from Arizona Voice for Crime Victims do not have anything to do with the prosecution, just

5

representation for the client in asserting their rights through the process. It is a wonderful program. For contact

information please note the front page of this newsletter above the Speaker Meeting information.

FRY'S COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM FUNDRAISER FOR OUR CHAPTER

Our chapter is now a part of the Fry's Community Rewards program. If you shop there, you can simply sign up (one time

only) to connect your VIP card and we will get a percentage of proceeds. Just go to http://www.frysfood.com, select

Register, under Sign In information, enter your email and create a password. Select User Card # and enter your Fry's VIP

number, last name and zip code. Under Select Your Preferred Store, enter zip code of that store. Select Find Your Store

then select Create Account. You will be prompted to confirm your email. Click the hyperlink to finish creating your

Online Account. If you already have an Online Account with Fry's, you can skip this and go to

https://frysfood.com/topic/community?activePage=community-rewards-2. Select Sign In and enter your email and

password. Select My Account and then Account Settings from drop down menu. Click Edit under Community Awards.

Under Find Your Organization, select box next to POMC and enter the NPO number #29432. Save changes and you are

good to go. If you have registered correctly, you should see our organization information listed under "Community

Rewards" on your account summary page. Thanks for your support.

CHAPTER SIBLING COORDINATOR Amanda Harris is our Sibling Coordinator and provides support for siblings outside of meetings. You can

reach her by phone for more information at 623-866-3189 or email her at Amanda@advancedtx.com. Amanda

lost her brother Joshua to murder and understands the sibling grief in a way only a sibling can.

AFFIRMATION OF POMC NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

“It shall be the policy of Parents Of Murdered Children, Inc., to provide equal membership/employment service

opportunities to all eligible persons without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, sexual

orientation, marital status, parental status, disabilities, membership in any labor organization, political affiliation, and for

employment only, height, weight, and record of arrest without conviction.”

*If you feel you have been discriminated against you may file a complaint with our National Office, 4960 Ridge

Avenue, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45209. www.pomc.org (513) 721-5683

To refer a complaint to an appropriate investigating entity:

Office for Civil Rights

Office of Justice Programs

U.S. Department of Justice

810 7th Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20531

www.ojp.gov

In order to file with the federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) two forms must be downloaded from the internet and

submitted in writing to the ORC. The forms can be found at www.ojp.gov/about/ocr/complaint.htm.

Arizona Department of Public Safety

VOCA Administration

Civil Rights Coordinator

PO Box 6638 - MD 1320

Phoenix AZ 85005-6638

(602) 223-2491

www.azdps.gov/services/crime_victims

2016 ANNUAL FUNDRAISER AUCTION AND DINNER

Our 21st annual fundraiser auction and dinner was a big success, raising approximately $20,000 before

expenses. Thank you to all who supported our event, each of our POMC members, family and friends, Valley

Law Enforcement, such as Phoenix Police Department/Foundation, Chandler Under the Shield Team 905,

Glendale, Surprise, Peoria, Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe Police Departments, the Maricopa County Attorney’s

Office, Arizona Voice for Crime Victims, Director Ryan of AZ Department of Corrections, the Police Unity

Tour Team, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association and thanks to our auctioneer, Noah Ehlert, whose services

were donated by Pot of Gold Estate Liquidations (Cheryl Todd). Helping at the auction were also Kim Bishop

and her daughter Katie.

It takes a village to have this event and special thanks also to Tracy Wunderlich, our event volunteer

coordinator and her friend Stephanie, as well as Sherry Kiyler, eternally and always. Thank you to every one of our members who worked or contributed to making this event a success.

6

NEW FROM NATIONAL POMC

☺ CINCINNATI OHIO OFFICE☺ 4960 Ridge Avenue, Ste 2, Cincinnati OH 45209

888-818-7662 Website: www.pomc.org

•The POMC CATALOG has been added to the home page on the website. Please check out the website www.pomc.org

for our inventory of sale items. Some of the items are new and are available for purchase. Some of the older items are on

sale.

•SAVE THE DATE: The 30th National Conference will be July 21-24, 2016, at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort,

Orlando, Florida. Call 800-423-3297 to make reservations. The hotel price is $99.00 (includes resort fee of $19.95), so

make sure they do not charge you extra. For brochure and more information, see website www.pomc.org. It’s not too

early to think of silent auction items/table gifts donations. For table gifts donations, you can email Marie Belmontez,

gocpomc@yahoo.com to let her know. For silent auction items, contact Carol Leonhardt, cwesterlund@ghcscw.com. If

you would like to donate either, send them to National at:

2016 National POMC Conference

4960 Ridge Ave. Ste. 2

Cincinnati, OH 45209-1075

●SURVIVORS NEWSLETTER: The National Newsletter is going green and we are currently in the process of getting

email addresses and switching over. If you do not have a computer or access to one you will still receive a hard copy if

you notify the National Office. There is a lot of time put in to creating, editing and assembling the Newsletter for

distribution thus we will still charge $10 for the subscription. POMC's effort to be more cost effective, generate some

income, and going green make it a logical step to take.

●DONATIONS AND SUPPORT OF NATIONAL POMC: There are many ways to help with much needed funds for

POMC including any items you buy on Amazon.com, as well as if you shop the Kroger Stores. It is very simple and does

not cost you anything and yet your purchase allows a percentage from these companies to go directly to National. Please

go on-line to www.pomc.org and see how you can sign up for this or contact Bev Warnock - bwarnock@pomc.org

POMC Goodsearch donates money to POMC when you search the Internet, shop online or dine out at local restaurants!

Use Goodsearch.com to search the Internet and they donate a penny per search to POMC. Use Goodshop.com when you

shop online and they donate a percentage of every purchase and offer over 100,000 coupons to help you save money too!

Sign up for their Good dining program and they'll donate a percentage of your restaurant bill when you eat at any one of

thousands of participating restaurants. It's really easy, it's free and turns simple everyday actions into a way to help

POMC. Please sign up today to help support Parents Of Murdered Children - POMC. Go to www.goodsearch.com to get

started.

NEW FUNDRAISER: No need to worry about parking or getting a designated driver-we've partnered with Uber to get

everyone to and from events safely! Uber is evolving the way the world moves. By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers

through our app, Uber makes cities more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more business for

drivers. New to Uber? Sign up with promo code POMCORG to get your first ride FREE, up to $20! Plus, Uber will

donate $5 back to POMC. Check out Uber pro tips here: uber.com/features. Promo Code: POMCORG Sign up Link:

Uber.com/go/pomcorg ●AUTO DONATIONS: We are encouraging all chapters and contact persons to get involved with POMC Debit Authorization. You

can now donate to NATIONAL POMC by setting up an automatic withdrawal from your bank account to National. Contact National

for a debit authorization form. This is a fast and easy way to make a donation to National to help us help others. Your donation is

withdrawn at the same time of the month, each month, and no amount is too small. We appreciate your help during these difficult

economic times.

●PAROLE BLOCK PROGRAM: To date, this program has kept more than 1509 prisoners who committed murders

from being released early. Parole Block was begun in 1990 and all members across the United States whose loved one’s

killer is up for early release/parole consideration can file a petition with National that is sent nationwide for signatures

protesting their release.

SECOND OPINION SERVICES: A program that provides second opinions on unsolved or complicated cases by a

national board comprised solely of experts in the medical, law enforcement and investigative fields.

MURDER IS NOT ENTERTAINMENT (MINE) PROGRAM: Through this program, POMC raises public awareness to the

insensitivity of murder as entertainment through toys, games, murder mystery weekends, drive-by shooting fashions, serial killer

trading cards, and anything that glamorizes violence.

BIG TURN OFF: This is an annual event, each January, in which citizens are asked to turn off their televisions for one evening

during prime time hours to protest the violence on television.

MURDER WALL: A traveling tribute honoring the memories of murder victims. A photo album is also available with each plaque.

Currently, the cost is $75 to add your loved ones’ names to the Walnut Plaques that comprise the Murder Wall. You have two pages

for the photo album to add information, poetry or pictures.

SILENCED VOICES: A program begun in January 2002, which advocates for the vigorous investigation and

prosecution of those responsible for the murder of abused children. The first case was that of Brandi Conley. POMC was

instrumental in bringing charges against her parents.

7

I Want a More Gentle World

Since October 19, 1991, after my eighteen-year old son Brian was robbed and shot to death, I

have worked in some capacity or another to change the violence in our community - our world -

to help those who have lost a child or loved one to murder, to change laws that needed changing,

to help prevent juvenile gun violence and much more. Deep down I always believed things

would get better, meaning less violent. I believed we, society, would not put up with the

violence and the trend towards increasing crime would end. I believed that there are many more

good people in the world than bad (this I still believe). I hoped the increasing tragedies of

violence would decrease and there would no longer be a need for the organization I sought out,

Parents Of Murdered Children, for the families and friends of those who have died by violence.

I have been chapter-leader of the Valley of the Sun Chapter of Parents Of Murdered Children

(POMC) for the past twenty-three years. We have more than 1700 members and provide

ongoing emotional support, education, advocacy, prevention and awareness programs and

services to each of them. A huge part of rebuilding my life after the horrific loss of my son was

in helping others to survive what seemed was not survivable. Losing a child to murder is the

ultimate heartache and pain. It shatters families, leaving them in pieces and struggling to go on

making sense as their world is completely devastated. POMC continues to grow, as the violence

in our world continues to unfold, what seems to be on a daily basis in our communities.

We need to do more to make our world a more gentle place. Each of us, I believe, has a

responsibility to help make it happen. After all, this is our world, our community, our

neighborhoods, and our cities. We cannot live in a vacuum and not be affected by violence. We

can, however, live in denial that it can ever happen to us. I did, once upon a time. My way of

dealing with the violence before my son was murdered was to stop watching the news and

reading the newspaper except for the comics and sale ads. Violence entered my world despite the

fact that my son was simply walking his girlfriend home from her work at the bowling alley in

our neighborhood of country mailboxes and horse properties at 35th Avenue and Union Hills.

Three young gang members decided they needed to rob someone and my son and his girlfriend

became their target. Now, I can no longer ignore the violence nor live in denial even as much as

I would sometimes like to.

April 10 – 16 is National Crime Victims' Rights Week and it is commemorated by numerous

events across the country. The theme this year is "Serving Victims, Building Trust. Restoring

Hope." Many people have worked long and hard to ensure that victims of crime are treated with

dignity and respect in the criminal justice system and receive the services they need to journey to

becoming whole again. Law Enforcement works hard to keep our communities safe and the

courts work hard to convict the perpetrators of crime. Advocates work hard to assist the victims

through the process and ensure their rights. Their work never ends as the violence never ends.

We help the victims, as we should, but we need to help prevent the crimes from ever happening

just as much.

31-years trying to restore the balance of justice is a long time assisting crime victims. What if

we worked just as hard to restore the balance of being able to live without violence in our

communities, our homes, our cities, our lives? What will it take to make a more gentle world

again? I believe it will take each of us becoming involved, leaving our comfort zones, and

realizing we all have a stake in it. And while I still believe there are more good people in our

world, the bad are intruding more and more into our lives and making it more difficult.

I want a more gentle world...and I know I am not alone in wanting this.

*This was written for the Arizona Republic by Beckie A. Miller

8

After Loss, Turning to Poetry For Grief And Healing

After the sudden death of his father, the poet Kevin Young, looked for a collection of poems that might speak to his sense of loss. To his surprise, he couldn’t find such a collection, so he went to work compiling one. The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing, Young’s anthology, came out earlier this year. Early in the collection, Young includes a poem, “Funeral Blues”, by W.H. Auden, that was read at his father’s service. It begins: Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead. It’s that ability-to express a feeling like the one that arrives quickly after the loss of a loved one-that poems like Auden’s wield. “I think that’s a real part of grief that we sometimes aren’t able to talk about and I think that poetry talks about perhaps better than anything else,” Young tells NPR’s Renee Montange. “It’s able to capture a moment, a feeling, perhaps a fleeting feeling, and even make - as that poem does - music out of it.” In a few lines – maybe just a few words – some poems contain feelings that can overwhelm those who have suffered a loss. Stephen Dobyn’s poem, “Grief”, employs a simple metaphor in its opening stanza: Trying to remember you is like carrying water in my hands a long distance across sand. Somewhere people are waiting. They have drunk nothing for days. Young says the best poems are “precise about a feeling. A poem can be both blunt - it can say it straight out - it also can say, “Stop all the clocks,” ‘Do not go gentle into that good night.’ It can plead in a way that we may wish, but we are not able to. And, I think that that ability-to be direct and say it full out, but also make music out of it, make metaphor, make meaning - is really what a poem does best.” Kevin Young has written and edited many collections of poetry. His 2003 collection, Jelly Roll, was a finalist for the National Book Award. As grief comes in many forms, so do the poems in The Art of Losing, which takes its title from the Elizabeth Bishop poem, “One Art” (“The art of losing isn’t hard to master…”). Young includes poems on subjects from the unexpected - like David Wojahn’s “Written on the Due Date of a Son Never Born” - to careful preparation, as in Hal Sirowitz’s “Remember Me”: Every weekend your mother & I tour cemetery plots, Father said, the way most people visit model homes. We have different tastes, I like jutting hills overlooking traffic, whereas she prefers a bed of flowers. She desires a plot away from traffic noise. I let her have her way in death to avoid a life of Hell. Near the end of the collection, Young begins a section on redemption with “The Trees”, by Phillip Larkin, which points out not only that, while they seem to be reborn each year, trees eventually will die (“their yearly trick of looking new/Is written down in rings of grain”), but also that “their greenness is a kind of grief”: Yet still the unresting castles thresh In fullgrown thickness every May. Last year is dead, they seem to say, Begin afresh, afresh, afresh. That burst of hope, Young says, is “one of the feelings that these poems capture. That movement is part of the journey of grief and healing.” The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing Edited by Kevin Young

9

In Loving Memory of Rosemarie Little July 21, 1948 – April 11, 2011

Risen Overcame

Supernatural Eternal

“You Can For Her” by David Harkins

You can shed tears that she is gone or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back

or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her

or you can be full of the love you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow

and live in yesterday or you can be happy for tomorrow

because of yesterday. You can remember her

and only that she’s gone or you can cherish her memory

and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind

be empty and turn your back Or you can do what she’d want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

10

“GIVE OUR SORROW WORDS” (by: Beckie A. Miller)

Give our sorrow words:

The words will bring the tears, So the tears can bathe the pain,

And wash away the anger, Uncovering what will remain.

Give our sorrow words:

The words are our only release,

Our pain can slowly cease, To drain away our life,

Only if we're allowed to cry.

Give our sorrow words:

Let us speak of the rape upon our lives, Listen carefully to our cries,

We've suffered a loss too great to be denied, The anger it screams to be released inside.

Give our sorrow words:

For without the words that bring the tears,

So the tears can bathe the pain, And wash away the anger,

What in God's name of us can remain?

But to give our sorrow words..........

“Please consider sharing your own poetry for inclusion in a future newsletter”

11

VALLEY OF THE SUN

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (2016)

Beckie Miller, Chapter-Leader .......... .(623) 582-2406 Don Miller, Treasurer ....................... .(623) 582-2406

Claudia Marco, Co-Leader/Secretary..(480) 290-3908

Amanda Harris, Co-Leader..................(623) 866-3189 Kathy Hernandez,................................(623) 707-6825 Tim Osolin ....................................... ...(602) 615-7096 Mary Wallace……………………….…..(602) 448-9425 Denise Brewer..……………………......(917) 696-2928 Sandy Navarro.....................................(480) 695-4789 Paulino Navarro...................................(602) 828-1106 Arrow McCullough................................(602) 588-9834 (Volunteers) Carolee Holbrook - Office Assistance Denise Brewer - Anniversary Note Writer Kathy Hernandez - Facebook Page Coordinator

CONTACT NUMBERS

SIBLING SUPPORT: Amanda Harris is our chapter's

Sibling Coordinator providing support for siblings. Her

contact info is 623-866-3189 or email:

amanda@advancedtx.com

POMC VOICE MESSAGING)....................(602) 254-8818

Chapter E-mail.……………………. BeckieRose@aol.com

Chapter Fax: .................................................(623) 582-0917

CRISIS LINE/MOBILE CRISIS TEAM

Empact Crisis Line ............................ ..(480) 784-4949

OTHER HELP LINES

Teen Lifeline.......................................…...(602) 248-8336

GrandCare (Grandparents help line) .....(602) 274-5022

Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project (480) 965-5640

MCAO Victim Services.............................(602) 506-8522

Crime Victim Compensation....................(602) 506-4955

♥♥♥ THANKS FOR CARING ♥♥♥ To the Mountain View Police Precinct for donating our meeting room, as well as Antioch Church of God in Christ, Mountain View Lutheran Church. To the Department of Public Safety (VOCA), for the grant for our newsletter, and everyone who has donated gifts of their time, talents and energy to our chapter activities. With your help we are able to continue the outreach that is needed by our community.

Memorial Wall Order Form

Please add my loved one’s name to the “Valley of the

Sun Memorial Wall in their Memories.” Each

Nameplate is $10. Our wall is displayed at many

special events across the valley during the year.

NAME__________________________________

Age:___________ Murder date: _____________

Picture Board

___ Check here if sending picture for the picture

board & Holiday Memorial Video (no cost).

You may email picture to beckierose@aol.com

Act of Kindness Cards

10 for $2 # ordered: _______

(attach these when giving acts of kindness to others in

memory of your loved one)

Chapter Bracelets

Red and black with words “Always in our Hearts.” $3

each # ordered _____

Chapter Window Decals

$10 each for auto or home with our logo and chapter

information: # ordered _____

*Make all checks or money orders out to POMC

*Mail to 19620 North 38th Avenue

Glendale AZ 85308-2215

“The Journey” Memorial Page Order Form (newsletter)

Please reserve: □ ½ page (suggested donation of $10)

□ Full pg (suggested donation of $20)

Month you wish memorial to appear in: ________________

Loved One’s Name________________________________

Age _____

Date of Death_______________

YOUR Name_____________________________________

YOUR Phone Number______________________________

YOUR E-MAIL __________________________________

A half page will hold a picture and short poem OR message,

depending on space. If a photo is included, please provide

identification of the person on the back. If you wish the photo to

be returned include a self-addressed stamped envelope, big

enough for the picture to fit in. Unless otherwise specified,

location, size and structure of the text and picture will be at

editor’s discretion and space permitting.

**We also, if space is available, print "Survivor to Survivor"

stories if you would like to send in a one page, single spaced and

typed document. Also, if you have written poetry about your loss

or have a favorite poem to share with others. We do edit for

misspellings and or profanity. There is no charge for these

items, either poetry or shared stories.

*Return this form with your material for The Journey by the 10th

of the month preceding the issue you wish it to appear in; for

example: September 10 for October's newsletter, etc.

*A donation for the memorial page can be made by sending a

check made out to POMC and mailed in care of:

Newsletter Editor

Valley of the Sun POMC

19620 North 38th Avenue

Glendale AZ 85308-2215

Return Address PARENTS OF MURDERED CHILDREN, INC. VALLEY OF THE SUN CHAPTER

19620 North 38th Avenue Glendale AZ 85308-2215 (602) 254-8818

WHY WE ARE HERE: MISSION STATEMENT: “POMC makes the difference through ongoing emotional support, education, prevention, advocacy, and awareness.” VISION STATEMENT: “To provide support and assistance to all survivors of homicide victims while working to create a world free of murder.” This project is supported by Grant No. 2014-VA-GX-0018 from the US Department of Justice - Office for Victims of Crime. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US DOJ or the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Parents Of Murdered Children, Inc., is a self-help organization dedicated to the aftermath of murder. The success of its mission depends upon the participation of the families and friends of those lost to murder. POMC number (602) 254-8818