HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The memory of Tarina Fields Price, a woman killed five years ago by her husband, is moving dozens of people to help in the fight against domestic violence.
Her family held a masquerade ball to honor her and help raise money for the cause.
The "Story Behind the Mask" gala is not only a story of Tarina. It is also an event to help prevent others from having the same tragic ending.
Karin Fields, Tarina's mother, said, "Come forward and let the family members and friends know so that something can be done. Because if you wait too late, then it's too late. And then you'll be like I was and you bury someone you love, and you see a light leave this world too early."
Tarina was stabbed and shot by her estranged husband outside her home in Harrisburg. The 33-year-old was a middle school teacher who went to church often.
Fields said, "Tarina was joy. She really was. And she always had God first. That's the most important. Family second. Herself last."
The masquerade ball held at the Hilton in Harrisburg is a fundraiser for the Dauphin County Victim/Witness Assistance Program. That program helped Tarina's three sons and family recover after she was killed. Dozens of people came out to support the cause and honor her memory.
Shanelle Watson, Tarina's cousin, said, "It just shows that she was a very beautiful person, very important to the community. And all these people in attendance are just showing the love that she gave them."
Tarina's family wants people to know that it's important to be a voice when you see or know someone who is domestically abused.
Watson said, "It's a silent epidemic. And we want others to know those that are being affected by it, those that have been affected by it, they're not alone."
They want that silence to turn into sound.
Rev. Thornell Strawn, the pastor at John Paul Scott Community Church, said, "What happened to her could happen to anyone. So we're trying to prevent that from happening not only in our community, but everywhere in Harrisburg."
Tarina's mother hopes the story of her daughter's death will move people to help make a change.
Fields said, "We don't need to control, we don't need to hurt, we don't need to harm. Just be kind, and start loving. Make this world a better place."
This was the first gala in honor of Tarina, but her family hopes to have more events in the future.