We wanted to do something to honor our son and to contribute a little to reducing the violence committed by youth who never had the advantages that Andy received through, among other things, his participation in Taekwondo. Although we will never know what the future would have held for him, we do know that he would wish everyone to have an opportunity to follow their own bliss. As a small step toward this ideal, proceeds from this tournament will be used to provide academic and Taekwondo scholarships, and contribute to outreach programs for at-risk youth.

The Andy Wallen Peace Association was established in 1996 after Andy was killed by three young men who wanted to rob him. The Peace Association sponsors a tournament in his memory each fall which is especially designed to give younger students tournament experience in a low key setting. The money raised by this event is used to provide college scholarships to students who have been able to overcome difficulties and are determined to continue their education. We also provide scholarships for children to attend pre-school. Other gifts have been to native American youth programs and for emergency money to families of school children who are in temporary need of food, especially near Christmas time. Recently we have established the Andy Wallen Children's Fund through Brunswick United Methodist Church to provide scholarships to preschool for children who may not be able to afford it. All of these efforts are small, but we hope they will help in the fight to prevent children from growing into the kind of young men who murdered Andy or into the kind of parents who raised them.

--Maxine and Don Wallen