Donation drive to be held in honor of murdered University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe

SALT LAKE CITY — This past week marked two years 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 close to Aaron Lowe’s heart, involving and benefitting the community.

For two years, Donna Lowe has only had photographs to look at, to see her son’s smiling face.

“It’s been a really rough week. Really rough week,” she said, of the Sept. 26 anniversary of the murder of her son, 21-year-old Aaron Lowe.

The University of Utah defensive back was shot and killed by a man, police say, who has yet to go to trial in connection with the death. He is set to go on trial in January.

So, it’s now also been two years for Donna Lowe, who is 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 Lowe has also 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 Lowe did in Aaron Lowe’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,” Lowe said. “We were able to coat, hat, glove, blanket, just as many people.”

But Lowe 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,” Lowe 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.

A donation drop-off spot is still being coordinated on campus.

As the details are worked out, it shows Lowe that still 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.”

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Related: Utes football team pay their respects to Aaron Lowe at his funeral in Texas