by Isabela Wilson ’22 (De La Salle House)

For the 2020-2021 school year, Trinity’s De La Salle House chose the organization Randi’s House of Angels for our House charity. The charity is dedicated to Randi Trimble, a Trinity graduate of the class of 1993. She was a part of many school activities including the marching band, school plays, and choir. After graduating, Randi pursued a career in speech therapy. Randi was tragically murdered by a hit man who her husband hired to kill her. Randi’s mother, Nancy Chavez, then started Randi’s Race: A 5K Run/Walk for Hope and Courage in 2005 and later founded Randi’s House of Angels in 2011 to commemorate her daughter.

Randi’s House of Angels assists children and adults who suffer from domestic violence in their households. The organization gives victims access to various resources, such as shelters, therapy, and legal advocacy, all free of cost. The charity raises money by hosting fundraising events, such as Randi’s Race, which has taken place for the past fourteen years and has raised over $423,000.

Trinity’s De La Salle House in particular has supported Randi’s House of Angels by doing various service projects. For Valentine’s Day, each mentor group prepared two gift bags filled with candy and hand-written cards to be distributed to the children who benefit from the organization. They also made no-sew blankets at the school-wide retreat. These blankets will be used by children who will be testifying in court against their domestic abuser(s). This is a daunting task for many children, as it is often a family member who they must testify against, so these blankets will give them a sense of security during the legal proceedings. 

Helping domestic violence victims is especially important in these isolated times. Many families are not receiving the same kind of social support that they usually are and domestic violence rates have unfortunately increased due to quarantine. Doing simple favors like these can remind the children that there are still so many people who care about them and are willing to make them happy. Regarding the Valentine’s Day event, one of the gracious parents wrote to Nancy about how her daughter was not able to exchange Valentine’s at school in-person this year, and that the De La Salle gift bags made her feel very appreciated and less lonely. 

Trinity’s current students being familiar with Randi and other alumni through service projects can help them realize how impactful their predecessors have been on the community and motivate them to be the same way in the future.