Only those who have lost a child can begin to understand how Ron and Sharon Matusek feel. Their son Aaron, a freshman at Palo Verde High School, died of a sudden heart attack on March 10, 2005. He was 14.

Now, almost two years later, Aaron's parents have turned their grief into something positive. They set up the Aaron Matusek Memorial Scholarship Fund and, this summer, awarded a $3,000 scholarship to Elise Barrio, now a student at the University of Nevada, Reno. The money came from donations in lieu of flowers at the funeral.