On November 23, 2016, the day before Thanksgiving, the Mourning family's lives changed forever. Trina Mourning-Dodson received a call that no one would ever want to receive. Her brother, Arthur Lee Mourning Jr. ("Lee Lee") had been shot in his own home in front of one of his children.

Trina rushed to the hospital after receiving the call and waited hours alone in the lobby until her name was called. The doctors escorted her into the family room to let her know that her brother had died. Once the doctors left, Trina had the daunting task of calling her parents, siblings, and other family members to hear the yells and screams over and over again after telling them that he had died from his gunshot wounds.

The Mourning Family were officially on the "other side of the yellow tape" being that this was the first time they ever experienced a homicide in their family. Arthur left behind six children who needed resources that weren't readily available including mental health care. After years of hurt, grief, and trying to find proper resources for several of her brother's children, a Circle of Hope was born.