12 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2018 Very Inspiring Parent AWARD By AliciaWanek JONNI HARE’S FIGHT TO FIND HER DAUGHTER AND SEEK JUSTICE IS A TESTAMENT TO THE STRENGTH OF A MOTHER’S LOVE. HER PERSISTENCE AND COURAGE HAVE BEEN AN INSPIRATION. THAT’S WHY SHE’S A VERY INSPIRING PARENT. T wo thousand one hundred eighty-five days. That’s how long Jonni Hare waited to find her daughter after her disappearance during Labor Day weekend 2014 until her remains were found in March of this year. And every one of those days, Jonni advocated for her daughter Christina, kept her name in the media, sat through court proceedings, and searched for her only child. “There was no other option. Nothing else existed but finding her,” she says. “I pushed like hell to help her take her first breath, and I would continue to fight like hell for her.” Jonni realized “…the only thing I have control over is being my child’s voice.” Christina Morris, age 23, disappeared following a night out with a group of friends at the Shops at Legacy in Plano. Three months later her DNA was found in the trunk of the car of the young man with whom she had been seen on surveillance camera in the parking garage. Since she was still missing at the time, he was tried and found guilty of aggravated kidnapping in 2016. Many of us have heard that story, but that’s not what Jonni wants people to remember about Christina. “I choose to focus on the wonderful memories I was blessed with,” Jonni says. She remembers her “amazing” daughter for being very driven and for her passion for life. “She found goodness in everyone,” her mother remembers. Christina loved beagles, especially her own, Emmitt and Madden, so named because of her love of football. She liked fashion (Jonni says Christina was like her – “she didn’t follow a trend; she made it!”), and she didn’t give up on a project. The two were always close, and Jonni takes comfort in knowing that Christina knew how much she was loved. That deep love and commitment carried her through those long days. Jonni, with the support of Christina’s dad Mark, stepmom Anna, and lots of friends and extended family worked tirelessly to find her. They made flyers and posters as soon as Christina was missing. When Christina still couldn’t be found, Jonni met with the police department; held fundraisers; interviewed with local news, national television shows and magazines. “I had to hold on to the belief that the media would tell her story the right way,” she says. Countless days she searched. Some days from the first glimpse of sunlight to sundown, they went to look for her. Strangers came to help from all over after hearing Jonni tell about her missing daughter. When asked how she was able to sustain her vigilant fight without losing hope, Jonni just says, “I woke up knowing I was fighting for the same thing every day.” When Jonni learned that remains were found this spring, she knew in her heart they were Christina’s. “I had accepted that day would come,” she says, “but there was always that 1% UNSTOPPABLE “Dream as if you’ll live forever and live as if you’ll die today.” - Christina’s life motto which is quoted on her headstone