Pat Gioia, a mother of eight children, became a passionate advocate for families of homicide victims after her daughter, Mary Regina, was murdered in 1985. Attending her first meeting of the support group, Parents Of Murdered Children, one month after the murder, she found that offering genuine support and friendship to grieving families can play a major role in their healing. Pat became a leader in POMC and quickly steered it to join with other local victim support organizations to form a coalition that advocates for all victims of crime. Now, in her retirement years, she can devote her full time and energy to this important work.