Photos: 18 Years Later, Jenny Lin's Memory Lives On

After 18 years, family, friends and the Castro Valley community continue to remember and honor the life of Jennifer Han-chi Lin.

On Friday, a crowd of 100 people gathered at the to in her Palomares Hills home in 1994.

"This group of people have done a great deal at putting this case out in front of the public and that makes our community stronger," said Jenny's father, John Lin.

Blue balloons and ribbons — Jenny's favorite color and also serving as a reminder that her case has yet to be solved — adorned the outside of the library. Inside, tables displayed awards and photos of all that the young girl had accomplished during her short lifetime. Aside from having a strong academic record, she was also musically gifted.

A $100,000 reward is still being offered for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of Jenny's murderer.

"There's obviously an emotional reason we do this. We desperately wait for people to come forward that can lead to convicting the murderer," John said.

A Sincere Speech From the Sheriff

Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern attended the ceremony as the keynote speaker. At the time of Jenny's murder, he was working with the county's investigations unit. He brought in the team that is still working to solve her case.

"Jenny's one of the reasons we have this cold case unit," he said. "In 1994, we had evil come into Castro Valley and take Jenny."

Ahern added the unit is currently working on investigating prints found on duct tape discovered at the scene of the crime. Police had sent the evidence to a lab and hope to get results in the next month or so.

Since the murder, police had identified a suspect in the case, Sabastian Alexander Shaw. He is currently serving life in prison without parole for killing three other individuals.

"Our work doesn't stop," Ahern said. "So many count on us and we just want them to know we're doing our best [to solve this case]."

As the crowded room remained silent, Ahern struggled to continue on with his speech. Jenny's mother, Mei-Lian Lin, went up to the podium to give the sheriff a heartfelt hug before he took his seat.

"We're speechless of the support we've received from him," she said.

Gail Steele: Refusing to Forget

Jenny's death sparked former county supervisor Gail Steele to create the from Alameda County who have lost their lives to violence.

On the to hear the names read of each child who has died since 1994 (some even earlier) to the previous year. A plaque is added to the octagon structure and a tree is added to the grove of oak trees that lead to the memorial.

What happened here [with Jenny] is happening across the country," she said.

She's worked with the Lins and other parents throughout the years to make sure these children are not forgotten. However, maintaining and finding space for the following year's oak trees is beginning to become an issue.

Gaile introduced her plans to place statues made by slupturist Dennis Smith in Hayward and Oakland in the near future. Two-thirds of total youth deaths in the county come from the two cities.

Smith agreed to make up to 30 statues costing $30,000 a piece to be placed in cities across the nation "so any city just as distraught as we are can afford to have one of these," Steele said. Names would continue to be placed along the bottom of the statues.

"I'm very aware this is not going to stop the violence," she continued. "But just as you have pink T-shirts to stop cancer, we have to keep people very aware."

Steele has already raised funds for the county's two statues, which include Jenny, Warren Hoffman, 3, and Christopher Jones, 17, of Oakland. Steele chose these three individuals because of their "different ethnicities and ages."

Though the bronze structures are close to completion, Steele is still working with parents and the artist to make sure the faces of the statues are as accurate to the children as possible.

Continuing Jenny's Musical Legacy

Since her death, Jenny's parents have created a nonprofit organization in her honor. The Jenny Lin Foundation promotes child safety and youth music education through various events, most notably an annual six-week youth music camp during June and summer concert in July put on by students from more than 30 schools throughout the Bay Area.

"As we keep the music program growing, we meet new parents and new students who hear about our case and then show their support," Mei-Lian said.

Mei-Lian's coworker Lee Yip attended Friday's candelight walk and vigil. She said the Lins have been a remarkable inspiration to her.

"I was just so touched by how they took this tragedy and turned it around to do something positive for the community," she said.

Each year, the foundation awards one violist at the concert the opportunity to play a specially-made viola for the next year, inscribed as "Jenny Lin's viola." The instrument was purchased by a group of parents in Jenny's honor.

"[The program] gives us comfort. It's as if we see Jenny in each and every one of [the students]," John said.

This year's Youth Music Concert titled "A Whole New World," is on Friday, July 27, 2012 at 7 p.m. at . For more infomation on the concert and the Jenny Lin Foundation, visit www.jennylinfoundation.org