Radford U. All-Greek Reunion

I hope everyone had a nice holiday season. Mine provided a great opportunity to relax and reflect. It surely feels weird and sad to start another year without Nathan.

After taking a break from NBM Scholarship fund raising, I'll be at Radford's homecoming the weekend of February 27-28. Radford U. Foundation staff are helping us reach our goal by suggesting fund raising opportunities and identifying ways to publicize the NBM Scholarship.

I will attend the All-Greek Reunion that weekend and hope some Sigma Pi guys and friends will join me! Stay tuned for further information, including the current tally of how much we've raised to date.

Walk Like MADD

The MADD walk was a success! MADD NoVA surpassed its goal of $40,000, and close to 400 people showed up to support the event. Our team, In Loving Memory of Nathan B. Marti, raised $3,375! Thanks to all who made donations and to those who came out to the walk! Here are some pictures from the event. (Click to enlarge.)

Some walk team members









Hey, that's me on stage!












MADD National President Laura Dean-Mooney and me

Please Support MADD!

I'm participating in Walk Like MADD in Northern Virginia on November 1. Please support MADD's mission to eliminate drunk driving and support me while I walk in memory of Nathan. Click here to make a donation!

My Victim Impact Statement

If you find this post helpful, please consider donating to the scholarship fund I set up in Nathan's name at Radford University. Click on the following link; at the bottom of the "Fund:" dropdown menu, select Other. Enter Nathan Marti Memorial Scholarship. Donations are tax-deductible. Thank you for your support!
https://connect.radford.edu/give

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I have been thinking a lot about my victim impact statement lately, and how writing it and then reading it in court provided some emotional healing for me. It helped me articulate how much my life changed forever, immediately when I found out Nathan was killed.

I wanted the judge, Chan, and my friends and family who attended the sentencing hearing to know the things I had to do in the days and weeks following Nathan's death. I wanted them to hear the truth about what my life had become because of Chan's selfish decision to drink and drive.

I will never know whether my statement had any influence over the judge when she sentenced Chan to 20 years in prison with 5 years suspended, but that is of little importance to me. What’s important is that my victim impact statement provided me with some sort of relief at a time of such darkness in my life.

When I first sat down to draft my VIS, I remember Googling the term "victim impact statement" to find a definition and maybe some written examples. I just wanted to get an idea of what I should write and how long it should be. The Virginia guidelines for writing a VIS gave me basic information, but I wasn’t really able to find many written examples.

I soon realized that the VIS is a very personal document, and this might be why people choose not to make theirs available online. Before I wrote or typed anything, I often found myself composing the VIS in my head before I fell asleep at night and when I woke in the morning.

One day, I found that I had some quiet time, so I opened a blank document on my computer and began to type. It took me only a couple hours to complete my first draft, then proceeded to nit-pick and edit it over the course of a few weeks.

I completed my final draft as I sat in court on April 21, 2008, five minutes before I was to get up on the stand and read it aloud. I furiously scribbled changes and crossed out lines to make sure I said everything I needed to.

It was one of the most emotional experiences of my life; I was nervous and had to stop a couple times because I was crying, but I got through it. I was glad to have the opportunity to speak in front of Chan.

I have included my VIS on this blog with the hope of helping someone who has the unfortunate task of writing one. I want to provide a starting point for someone who is looking for the courage and direction to begin writing such an important, personal statement.

Other than state guidelines, there’s no wrong or right way to write a VIS. There is, however, the opportunity to express the impact that a crime has had on one’s life.

If you have come across this blog post while in search of a victim impact statement example, you probably have to write one yourself. I'm very sorry that you're in this position, but also hopeful that I can help. I wish you strength and peace as you face this challenge.

Lastly, I ask that my VIS not be copied or reproduced in any way without my permission. My VIS serves as a statement for me only, and I expect that the only things taken from these pages are true sentiment and honesty. Click here to view it in Google Docs.

My mom and dad asked that I post their victim impact statements, too, so that they could possibly help someone.

Click here for my mom's VIS.

Click here for my dad's VIS.

VA Fund Raiser

I remembered two important things at the fund raiser yesterday:

1. I have amazing friends and family.
2. Dogfish Head rules.

We had an awesome turnout of supporters, and I was thrilled to be at a cool restaurant surrounded by so many people I know and love. I can't thank all of you enough for your support, not just yesterday, but every day.

I have been a fan of Dogfish Head beer for quite some time and was excited when the restaurant opened in Falls Church September of last year. The restaurant boasts yummy beer, good food, and the nicest staff around. The 12 hours that I spent at the restaurant Tuesday were well worth it. DFH generously donated 15% of their profit yesterday to the scholarship fund, which totaled approximately $1,600. On top of that, we raised about $800 from the silent auction and pint glass and t-shirt sales. (We still have lots of pint glasses left, so contact me if interested!)

We now have about $12,000 in the fund, very close to our $15,000 goal. Stay tuned for more fund raising events to come.

Poem

I found this nice poem today while putzing around on the Web:

We thought of you with love today,
but that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday
and days before that, too.
We think of you in silence,
we often speak your name.
Now all we have is memories
and your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake
with which we'll never part.
God has you in his keeping;
We have you in our hearts.

One Week Away - Spread the Word!

Location: Dogfish Head Alehouse (click for directions)
When: Tuesday, July 15
11:30AM to 11:00PM

Come for lunch or dinner and live music. Dogfish Head will donate 15% of all money raised the entire day to the scholarship fund. Participate in the silent auction and win some awesome items, including sports tickets and memorabilia!