Columbine father talks faith, hope

All it takes is one act of kindness.

"Just one act of kindness can change everything," Darrell Scott, father of Columbine shooting victim Rachel Joy Scott, told students last night at a talk in the ARCH Auditorium.

Close to 400 students -- from both Penn and other local colleges -- and community members gathered last night to hear Scott share the story of his daughter's murder and his struggle to forgive.

While eloquent, the talk was anything but easy. Almost immediately after Scott began his presentation, students were brought to tears by a montage of news footage from the day of the shooting.

However, the focus of Scott's presentation was not on how Rachel died, but on how she lived. In fact, he presented slides from her diaries and school assignments.

"How do you know that trust, compassion and beauty will not make this world a better place to be in and this life a better one to live?" she had written in an ethics paper.

"My codes may seem like a fantasy that can never be reached, but test them for yourself, and see the kind of effect they have in the lives of people around you. You may just start a chain reaction."

"It was your generation she was challenging," Scott told the audience. "Give God a chance with your heart."

But the part of the evening students found most moving was when, toward the end, Scott asked students to accept "Rachel's challenge." Many -- tears in their eyes -- raised their hands and vowed to follow Rachel's example in their own lives.

"I was incredibly moved by what he had to say," Engineering sophomore Kate Williams said.

Similarly, College sophomore Brandy Washington said that Scott did an excellent job of engaging the students.

"He really made us feel like active participants," Washington said.

Scott's mission -- to make sure that Rachel's death was not in vain and that her life touches as many people as possible -- began on April 20, 1999, when two male students wearing trench coats shot and killed twelve classmates and one teacher before killing themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

Since the Columbine tragedy, Scott has made appearances at over 50 college campuses across the nation. He is also the best-selling author of Rachel's Tears, which he co-wrote with Rachel's mother Beth Nimmo.

According to Scott, the title came from a drawing Rachel made shortly before she died, showing 13 tears flowing from her eyes to water a flower.

His appearance, which was organized by Penn for Jesus, was the feature event of what the organization has titled "Jesus Week 2003."

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