Spring of 2012, my nephew, Kenya (Kemoe) Cauley, graduated Boot Camp in south Louisiana. It was a requirement that upon graduation that each cadet have a mentor back home, that the facility could check up on the cadet through. While many of Kenya's peers chose coaches, principals and even politicians back home, I was honored when Kenya chose myself. Unfortunately, it would only be a couple months later that my nephew would be shot and killed by a family friend and neighbor.

Being the parents of 6 kids, our home stayed full of our children, relatives and their friends. Kenya was our nephew, that had lived with us as one of our own kids. Least to say that we were devastated by his death at the tender age of 17. To add salt to our wound, for some unknown reason, no charges nor explanation was ever given for this tragedy. It was, to me, as though my nephew's life was not important. Nor did him losing his life seem to matter to those that vowed to stand for justice.

Yet in our hearts, Kemoe did matter. So many nights I lay on my bed thinking of ways to honor his life and scream at the top of my voice that Kenya's life did, does and will always matter. And since he asked me to be his mentor, and since he didn't live long enough to have kids to bare his name. The mentoring group was birth in my heart. To declare that Kenya and other kids are beautiful and precious. And that their futures are important. And that every single one of their lives matter, regardless of who thinks otherwise. Each life matters because God created each of us. Each child deserves to live a full and prosperous life and at Kemoe's Kids, its our goal to do what we can to help point them in a positive direction.