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Before her son and two daughters came to pick her up to take her out for brunch Sunday, Shirley Richards lit a candle and prayed to her son in solitude. That afternoon she left a piece of her Mother's Day cake at his gravesite, now an annual tradition nearly 10 years since his brutal death.

Richards, 51, of Landover lost her son, Aaron Kendall Walker, 18, of Southeast Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 1999, after he was stabbed six times after allegedly taking a friend's spot in a $5 gambling game on a sidewalk.

To help her continue to cope with her son's loss, Richards joined the Derek Anthony Moore Charity Inc. Mothers of Murdered Children support group in Lanham in 2008.

DAMCI was founded by the Rev. E. Jean Brockington of Mitchellville in September 1996, the same month her only child, Derek Anthony Moore, 27, was shot to death in Southwest Washington, D.C., at the apartment building he owned while he collected rent checks from tenants. The murder remains unsolved.

Brockington founded the nonprofit in Derek's memory to give back to area youth while raising awareness about senseless violence, and formed the Mothers of Murdered Children support group with two mothers about five years ago. Today, nearly 15 bereaved mothers from Prince George's County are in the group, Brockington said.

"You never really recover, but this helps moms through the process," she said. "There's a sense of brokenness — the goal is to help you become whole again."

The mothers meet once a month to share their stories and pray together.

"We share things family members and friends may not understand," Brockington said. "It's not easy — a mother never wants to bury their child. There's so much loss."

Some moms in the group agreed that Mother's Day, once filled with joy, is now empty and lonely.

Both Brockington and Richards said they spent time Sunday reflecting on the positive memories of their sons.

"I remember his laughter, his cooking, his respect and love," Richards said. "He was a good son, he was a good son, yes he was."

Gail Lawrence, 47, of Bowie joined the group in 2007, two years ago after her son, Terry Smith, 23, of Bowie was stabbed to death Dec. 9, 2005, in Washington, D.C. The murder remains unsolved.

"We basically support each other — we lift each other up through this whole thing," she said.

At the support group's May 21 meeting, in addition to discussing Mother's Day, they will discuss planning efforts to become an activist group of sorts, developing a voice about how to deal with conflict in a non-violent way to foster change, beginning with children.

Since 1997, DAMCI has provided scholarships and funding for children in low-income families to attend camps in the Washington, D.C., area in the organization's Kids to Kamp program. At the camps, children learn Christian values and how to become responsible adults.

In 2007, DAMCI sent 22 children to camp, and at least 34 children in 2008, at a cost ranging from $130 to $631 per camper. The organization hopes to send 100 children to camp this summer, using donations from friends, family and other private donors, as well as churches and county agencies and officials.

"Hopefully we can teach young people to choose your friends wisely [and] help young people make good, sound decisions that will be good for them. [My son's] life will at least stand for something that will help someone else," Lawrence said.

E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski@gazette.net.