Family, friends continue efforts to help children of slain mother

They haven't forgotten you, Jessica.

More importantly, they haven't forgotten your children.

When Jessica Korschinowski was fatally wounded in May 2003, the construction company secretary left behind four young children. Although her sisters, Kim Comer and Traci Reiss, stepped up to provide shelter for the kids, the expenses were devastating. The children, Dalton, Derek, Dominique, and Destany, would move to their grandparents' house, but, as any guardian knows, the cost of raising a child never ends.

Her family made a solemn promise but would need help to keep it. More than four years after Korschinowski's death, her family and friends remain determined to provide that assistance.

Back in 2003, Hollie Taylor worked as a waitress at the Rhodes Ranch Golf Club with Comer and Reiss at the time of Korschinowski's death. Taylor, now a real estate agent, has two children of her own.

Taylor never met Korschinowski. In fact, Taylor might easily have left the children's welfare to their blood relatives, but she found herself wondering what might happen to her own kids given such an awful predicament. She realized she had to act, but how?

The answer was all around her at the golf course. In short order, she organized the first Golf Tournament to Benefit Jessica's Children. A tradition was born that continues at 11 a.m. today at the Dragon Ridge Country Club with the fifth fund-raising tournament. (Even if you don't golf, you may want to send a contribution to the Jessica's Children Fund. The address is 6691 Ironbound Bay, Las Vegas 89139. The tax identification number is available upon request.)

"Hollie is a very outward-focused person and has a huge heart and speaks with her heart," Reiss says. "She just felt a connection with my sister even though she didn't know her. She barely knew me when she decided to do the tournament. We've become very close since then. She just felt it needed to be done, and somehow she did it. She just wanted to make a difference in the world. She makes a difference every day, one small act at a time, and all of us can do that."

The money raised has helped create college savings accounts for the four children, 5 to 13 in age. In addition, the proceeds pay for school and sports supplies, birthday and Christmas presents, and the everyday expenses such as food and clothing.

The tournament serves another purpose, Reiss says. For the family, it's an annual time of remembrance for their late sister, a vivacious 26-year-old who died while trying to shield one of her children from the 10 bullets that tore through the front door of her home near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue.

The shooting resulted from a fight between Korschinowski's boyfriend, Charles McDonald, and Aaron Eagles. McDonald was wounded in the arm, but Korschinowski was mortally wounded as she tried to shield her 4-year-old daughter. Eagles was acquitted at trial in March 2004 of murder and attempted murder charges after key witnesses failed to corroborate the prosecution's theory of the case.

"Every year we get to reconnect with her," Reiss says. "She left the Earth but gave up her life for her children. With this tournament, we're able to help support her children."

JP CANDIDATE: Attorney Eric Goodman, son of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, is planning to run for a seat on the Justice Court bench in the newly created Department 11. If he's successful, the younger Goodman will achieve a goal once held by his father, a former defense attorney.

ON THE BOULEVARD: The Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation isn't finished collecting toys to distribute during the holidays. Their Fill the Truck Toy Drive's latest goal is to gather 3,000 toys, and they're accepting donations at Wal-Mart stores and the Palms.

BOULEVARD II: A tip of the hat to Metro veterans Tom Thowsen and Jimmy Vaccaro, homicide detectives with more than 60 years of combined police experience who are retiring. More about them soon. ... It was disappointing to read the name of former UNLV standout and Major League All-Star Matt Williams on the customer list of one of the companies linked to the league's steroid scandal.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.