PINE TOWNSHIP, Mercer County — Laura Lee Walker Iannarelli was beautiful, determined, motivated and caring.

A victim of domestic homicide, her tragic death left behind four children between the ages of 4 and 14. It is in her honor that one of her daughters, Laura Colapietro, hopes to give young women in the area a chance to be nurtured.

"Idon't remember much about my mother because Iwas so young,"Colapietro said. "But Ido know that she was all of those things. That's why I wanted to create this group in her honor."

Colapietro, of Grove City, founded Moms Without Moms last April. To date, the group has recruited seven members, all parents who have lost their mothers to death, illness, estrangement or abandonment.

"I had been thinking about starting it for awhile because I lost my mother when I was real young," said Colapietro, who was 7 when her mother died.

"I always thought about forming an organization that would bring other people together who had experienced that same loss so that we could share bonds, stories and struggles."

The group meets the first Friday of each month at the Pine Grove Community Center. It uses the time to discuss parenting struggles and support one another.

"Everyone is kind of at a different place," Colapietro said. "And that's good. Some people lost their mothers a long time ago, and I can relate to that. Others lost their mothers recently.

"Right now I have friends and family talking about how their parents are sick — and it's a whole different thing to me because I will never have to go through that. They talk about how hard it is to go through it and I can't relate to that, but maybe someone else can."

Since its origin, Moms Without Moms has come to mean more than just support. It hopes also to give back to the community.

With help from additional volunteers, the group plans to start a mentoring program for young girls living without their mothers.

"I really think there is a need for it," Colapietro said. "My daughter is young, and two girls in her grade have lost their mothers. A lot of people don't realize what these girls go through. They need a female figure to help them through all the female issues.

"For instance ... when they are going through puberty, who are they going to have to turn to? In most cases, they are going to have a man to turn to. And that can be really embarrassing for them."

Colapietro says the group has already gained a few volunteers to mentor children in the Grove City area. Members, who will provide one-on-one sessions with the children, don't have to belong to the group. Mentors are still being sought.

To get the program started, Colapietro intends to begin collecting names of girls in need of role models and will assign volunteers to mentor them.

Moms Without Moms also hopes to start a housing program for young women who are pregnant or parenting alone, Colapietro said.

Called the Laura Walker project, the homes will house girls and women up to the age of 25.

"The purpose is to teach them how to take care of themselves," Colapietro said. "It can help get them into a position where they can survive on their own.

"We wanted to start homes for girls to mentor them, but we didn't know exactly what the needs were. We sent out a community assessment and found this to be a need. Plus, it goes along with the mission of the organization."

The group has scheduled a July fundraiser at Grove City Memorial Park. Based on the reality television game show, "The Amazing Race," participants will compete in groups to perform tasks at various stations in the park.

Sponsoring businesses that donate the maximum amount of $300 will be placed at a station.

Teams can enter for $50.

"We're hoping that will be a big success for us," Laura said. The group hopes to raise $5,000 from the event.In the meantime, the members will continue to meet, support one another and discuss ways to honor their lost loved ones."It's great,"said Mandy Ritter of Wampum, who attends the meetings. "It lets you know there are people out there feeling the same way you're feeling."For more information on Moms Without Moms, visit the group's Web site at www.momswithoutmoms.org.