Through the wonderful process of adoption, I was able to become a mother to a beautiful baby boy, who turned into this wonderful young man. As my son continued to grow over the years, I was lucky to be able to learn so much from him. In Jay's nineteen years of life he showed me how important it was to love and be loved.

Jay's father and I had divorced, which left the two of us as a family, a single mother with an only child. Through this we grew even closer. During his childhood I owned a business, so Jay was able to be with me most of the time. He was like so many other boys and was interested in boom boxes, cars and everything else with a motor and wheels. He was a young man that gave one hundred percent of himself to everybody and everything.

Graduating from Marion High School, as an honor student gave him the chance to be a member of the National Honor Society. He also belonged to the Thespian Club, and S.A.D.D. (Students Against Drunk Drivers). Classmates chose him to be secretary of their senior class. Jay's interest in foreign language gave him the honor to receive the Fulbright Medal in French his senior year.

Jay was seriously involved in sports, including track, baseball, basketball, and football. His love for football and the respect from his teammates gave Jay the chance to play his senior year as varsity football captain. His love for weight lifting meant hours spent in the weight room with many of his friends.

Jay's variety of interests gave him many other opportunities which included belonging to the Screen Actors Guild due to working on national commercials and print work. Through his work, Jay and I were able to travel many places and meet many interesting people which we both enjoyed.

I considered myself a very lucky person, until that day of May 20th, 1994. On that spring day, Jay had decided to take his motorcycle for a ride while he was taking a late lunch break from work. While returning to work on a road which he had traveled quite often during his life, another young person driving in another vehicle lost control. In a matter of moments Jay's life was over, and I was left alone. Many decisions had to be made; was Jay to be an organ donor, the funeral arrangements, and an estate to be handled.

In memory of Jay I continue to support the many things that he was involved in, especially through the high school Jay graduated from. With the Marion High School Foundation's help I have been able to find several ways to help other children. A scholarship fund was set up so that two graduating seniors would receive awards each spring. Our middle school was blessed with new playground equipment, (the playground was than dedicated in memory of Jay White in the fall of 1996). The Jay White Enhancement Fund was also set up, this helps with many unfunded projects that the Marion Independent students can get involved with.

With the help of the local motorcycle clubs and the Cedar Rapids Jaycees, and my concern for the safety of motorcycle riders, we now on the first Sunday of May each year ride as a group to promote the much needed awareness of motorcycles. The ride is called "The Jay White Memorial Safety Awareness Ride" and is open to all motorcycle riders. The proceeds from this ride goes for the Toys 4 Tots Program in our community, this program helps needy families have a better Christmas.

My book "Tears From A Mother's Heart," dedicated in memory of Jay, helped in releasing many of my emotions. By publishing the book, I hoped that I might help someone else who is going through some rough times. I know putting the words onto paper helped me, and is continuing to do so everyday through my grieving process.

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