Trolley Square widow repaying kindness

Once the shock subsided and the realization set in that her husband, Jeff, had been killed by a crazed shooter at Trolley Square and her teenage son, A.J., was in the hospital with a serious head wound, Vickie Walker remembers this one abiding thought:

How am I going to do this?

The overpowering sense of helplessness hit its apex at the funeral home where Vickie walked through a display of caskets to select one for her husband's burial.

She looked at the price tags, then numbly added up in her head what she had in her checking account and what was left on her credit card.

Through the fog, she knew one thing: She couldn't afford any of them.

"I was entirely overwhelmed. I wasn't thinking correctly," remembers Vickie. "I really didn't know what to do."

Eventually, her world righted itself enough so she could connect the dots and move forward and take care of what she needed to take care of.

In the case of the caskets, she found help through the Crime Victim Reparations fund, a federal assistance program for those victimized by violent crime.

But ever since, she's reflected on how much better it would have been if in those first debilitating moments when she could barely remember how to breathe and walk she'd had more direction in where to turn.

That's why Vickie has organized a nonprofit foundation called Circle the Wagons.

Its purpose: to jump into the breach and assist victims as soon as a crime has occurred.

Ever since the Trolley Square shootings in February 2007, she has carried around the idea.

Eight months ago, she assembled a group of friends and brainstormed how to get it started.

She is formally launching the foundation this week in conjunction with National Crime Victims' Rights Week.

At 7 tonight, she will give a speech about her objectives during a panel discussion at the Salt Lake City Main Library.

Eventually, Vickie sees Circle the Wagons providing therapy help for victims and college scholarships for children of victims, but for starters the foundation is debuting its Can of Comfort program.

The 12-ounce cans contain tips and information about what to do in the aftermath of a crime and phone numbers of various agencies, such as Crime Victim Reparations, that provide invaluable assistance.