AMHERST COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – An Amherst County family is turning tragedy into hope this holiday season.
In November 2019, they lost a husband, brother, and son when Amherst local Justin Samuels was murdered.
Now, that same family is giving back in Justin’s name.
One of seven boys, Justin, and his brothers were raised to know the value of giving back to their community.
“He was very generous because he knew what it was like to go without,” said the late Samuels’ wife, Christine Samuels. “As he did well for himself, he very much gave back and we wanted to continue to do that.”
Justin’s family started the collection because they wanted his generosity and kind heart to define his memory.
“Justin was so much more than how he was taken from us,” said Samuels. “I don’t want that to be the prevalent memory. I want his heart and his generosity and his soul, which were so pure, to be the legacy, the memory.”
Taking up the collection around Christmas goes beyond the holiday being known as the season of giving.
It was also one of Justin’s favorite holidays; not for the gifts, but for time spent with family.
“It was always a big thing for him to be around my kids as they were growing up and having his family around and his brothers and it was always the camaraderie and that love that he liked to share,” said family member Olga Dawson.
Last year, the family was able to raise $1,000 each for two Amherst families in need of a boost.
“Knowing that as we’re sitting in our warm homes with our families after we’ve opened gifts and we’ve had these amazing meals that somebody else got to have that and that’s pretty amazing,” said Samuels.
Up until this year, the collection has always been raised almost exclusively by the family and close friends.
This year, in an effort to help more families have a good Christmas, they have extended the invitation to give across social media.
In addition to the Christmas fund, the family is also fundraising for a scholarship in Justin’s name.
That scholarship will be awarded in the spring to a senior at Amherst County High School planning to pursue a trade after graduation.
The family is also in the process of creating an official foundation in Justin’s name and hope to have it up and running within six months.
The creation of an official nonprofit will make it easier for the family to raise money to give back to the community that Justin held dear.
“There’s a lot of bad in this world but there are a lot of good people,” said Samuels. “And there are so many good people in this county deserving of a little break,”