Trees For Life

More than 40 people died at the hands of a killer in Tulsa last year. Each victim leaves behind a grieving family.<br>Those families are trying to convince people to trade their gun or knife and instead,

Saturday, January 8th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

More than 40 people died at the hands of a killer in Tulsa last year. Each victim leaves behind a grieving family.
Those families are trying to convince people to trade their gun or knife and instead, choose a tree for.

"He was 17 years old he was murdered," says Wilhemia Colley.

Colley fights to keep her son's memory alive.
William Grayson was killed in 1994 but it still hurts his mother like it was yesterday.

"He and 2 other boys were waiting for a ride and a boy walked up and shot him," says Colley.

She's found a comfort in others who have felt the pain of losing a child to murder. These Families of Murdered Children get together once a month and work on the healing process together.

"There are no words to really describe the pain what you go through as a mother that's a part of you," says Colley.

Her neighbor Gloria Owens shares the pain her son was shot to death less than a year ago.

"I just keep going because there are other children that need me and I know that's what he would want me to do," says Owens.

Carlton Peters left his mom with memories and his two children whom she is now raising.

"He never got to see alot of the things they're going to do one of them graduated from this year from Head start," says Owens.

These close friends are remembering their sons together by planting trees in their memory. They are joined by 20 other families who feel their pain as the Up With Trees campaign helps them heal. These mothers say putting new life in the ground... is a renewal in many ways. And now they have a new place to come and remember their children.

"Sometimes I feel sad about crying because I know that he wouldn't want that... he couldn't stand to see me cry he'd say Momma please don't cry," says Colley.

But sometimes she says that's all she can do but she's found comfort knowing others are feeling the same pain. A federal grant pay for the Trees for Life program. Workers from the Up With Trees program volunteer their time to plant the trees.