In the early morning hours on April 23, staff and supporters of the Office of Restorative Justice victims' ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles joined more than 550 people in a five-kilometer walk or run around Exposition Park to support the second annual City of Los Angeles Run/Walk for Victims' Rights.

With the theme "Strength in Unity" the event commemorated the National Crime Victims' Rights Week and serves as a fundraiser for 22 organizations that provide services to victims of crime, including the archdiocesan victims' ministry.

Many of the runners and walkers carried posters or wore shirts with photos commemorating their loved ones who had been killed through violent crime.

The event is important in increasing awareness of the real plight of victims, said Father George Horan, director of the Office of Restorative Justice. He said the healthy release of running or walking also helps them in the process of healing.

"It brings them together in a positive, happy mood," he said.

Last year, noted Father Horan, one of the children attending the Run for Victims' Rights told him that he enjoyed the event because it was the first time he had seen his mother smile since his brother was killed.

According to Elo Carillo, coordinator of victims' ministry, the archdiocesan program assists families of homicide including gang violence, hate crimes, domestic violence and rape with "help, hope and healing."

Suzanne Neuhaus, a parole agent in victims' services for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that Run/Walk for Victims' Rights helps them see that they are not alone. She said that it also gives victims' an opportunity to talk with others who have experienced the effects of violent crimes.

Neuhaus said that many of the children that were at the event had parents or relatives that were either killed through violent crimes or who were incarcerated.

"It is important to reach them and to make sure that they heal from the experience," said Neuhaus, whose brother was killed in 1988 --- an action which "spirited her work with offenders."

One of the walkers participating in the event was Belinda Derouen whose son, Christopher Joseph, was fatally shot by a 15-year-old gang member June 22, 2004 at about 1 p.m. while walking to a store.

"The boy cut his life down like a piece of grass," she said.

Wearing a white sweatshirt with a photo of her son on the front, Derouen said she no longer felt any animosity towards the boy who killed Christopher. Working through her grief, she said she prayed and asked God to turn the event around and to release her of any hatred.

"What good would that do?" she asked. "You have to give it all to God. It's very painful."

Derouen, who was a nurse's assistant, is now attending El Camino College studying Early Childhood Development. She hopes to be able help children grow up with healthy, strong values.

As coordinator of victims' ministry, Carillo said she admires the men and women who, though their lives were devastated by violent crime, decide to try to save the life of someone else's child.

"It is an honor to be of service to them," she said. "I have a lot of gratitude and respect for them."

Carillo said that there are 48 homicides a month in Los Angeles. Her job, she said, is to "guide victims through a journey of healing. For everyone, it is different."

The run, Carillo believes, was a positive experience, especially for youth.

"There is a spirit of unity that transcends their pain --- that they can still be triumphant," she said. "The message that we are telling children is profound and hopefully will be everlasting."