Donation drive will honor murdered U of U football player Aaron Lowe
Sep 29, 2023, 10:57 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — This week marks the two-year anniversary since University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe was murdered, deeply impacting the football and campus communities.
Now, Aaron Lowe’s mother and team are honoring his memory with a cause that was close to Aaron’s heart, involving the whole community,
It’s now been two years of only photographs for Donna Lowe to look at, to see her son’s smiling face.
“It’s been a really rough week. Really rough week,” she said, of the September 26 anniversary of the murder of 21-year-old Aaron Lowe.
The U of U defensive back was shot and killed by a man who has yet to go to trial in the death.
So it’s now also been two years for Donna, of waiting for justice.
“We went to the second anniversary of his death, and we still hadn’t prosecuted anybody,” she said. “So that that kind of has took me, because there is no closure yet.”
But Donna has had two years of spreading her son’s kindness.
“Aaron was a kid that will give you the shirt off his back. He always tried to help others,” she remembered.
The first big thing Donna did in Aaron’s honor took place last year in Texas. The Keep’em Smiling Alowe Foundation, along with the No More Violence Organization, hosted a clothing drive and event to feed the homeless.
“I was able to feed well over 150 people,” Donna said. “We were able to coat, hat, glove, blanket, just as many people.”
But Donna says the donations almost all came from Utah rather than Texas, as people shipped her winter items to hand out.
“I couldn’t have did what I did last year for the homeless here in Texas, if it had not been for the state of Utah,” Donna expressed. “They stepped up and they made sure that I had everything.”
The Keep’em Smiling Alowe Foundation and No More Violence Organization are doing the clothing drive and food event again this year, in November.
From now until the event, they will collect cold weather gear and blankets, plus monetary donations.
There’s an effort up at the U of U from Aaron’s football community to help his home community in Texas.
A donation drop-off spot is still being coordinated on campus.
As the details are worked out, it shows Donna that two years later, her son’s life and memory matter.
“I’ve never felt the love that I’ve felt from the people of Utah,” she said. “They really loved my baby.”
