Cause for Effect ::: Turning tragedy into triumph.

About Us

OUR MISSION:
To help people recover from crisis and use their experiences to assist others.

OUR CORE VALUES:

Care, compassion, community.

Help where help is needed.

Focus on critical needs of victims and their families.

Educate others on how to "give forward" through community service.

Do business with priority on integrity, responsibility, and acceptance.

What We Do

OUR VISION:
Cause for Effect strives to be a leader in helping vulnerable members of the community recover from crisis.

We operate on a "give forward" mentality. Not only do we wish to ease the healing road to recovery for those who have dealt with serious setbacks, we want to inspire survivors to use their experiences to help others.

Hope is a powerful tool.

WHO WE HELP:
Currently we provide assistance, educational resources, and donations of goods and funds to crisis centers, shelters, first responders, orphanages, hospitals, and child safety and enrichment programs in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, and Oregon. In times of emergency need we have also helped animal rescue organizations. We are a small but growing 501(c)(3) with a big heart: It is our goal to one day support vital facilities and programs in every state.

Some of the organizations we have helped include Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation, the Childrens' Home of Lubbock, JeffCo DeAngelis Foundation, Columbine Memorial Foundation, Fort Wayne Police and Fire, Phoenix Police and Fire, Square One Villages, the Columbus Zoo, Children's Cancer Network, and several Arizona hospitals and family advocacy centers.

Our History

* 1999: A Columbine Site launched online on April 21 as a memorial tribute to the victims of the Columbine High shooting. Over the next 25 years the site would come to be known as the world's leading resource about the event.

* 2013: Semper Memento formally incorporated in 2013 as a nonprofit focused on educating the public about mass shooters following the tragedy at Columine High School. Our goal was to help educators, students, and first responders develop lessons, assignments, and public action plans for active threat situations. A Columbine Site reaches over 1,000,000 unique readers per year worldwide.

* 2015: We started working with advocacy groups to help victims of tragedy recover from trauma and to use their experiences to help others. The next 10 years our mission expanded to include supporting orphanages, family crisis centers, hospitals, and homeless shelters by fundraising and hosting events on their behalf.

* 2024: Semper Memento restructured as a 501(c)(3) so we can continue to grow our mission.

* 2025: Cause for Effect brand name registered to be the easy-to-remember face of our mission.

Where we're going: We intend to be a leader in assisting survivors of misfortune and those who help them by raising funds and support for aide centers and programs and by providing education and resources for individuals, professional groups, and foundations to make a positive difference in the world.

Who We Are

Cyn Shepard - President, Chief Executive Officer Cyn is the award-winning author of A Columbine Site, A Columbine Book, and several other books. Born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas, she moved to Arizona in 1989. She works in library services, holds several certificates, and is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Media and Mass Communication. She has devoted over 25 years to volunteer work in schools and with first responders to aid families in crisis and assist the shelters who house and care for them. She incorporated Semper Memento in 2013 and continues as the board-elected President.	Alex Shepard, R.N. - Executive Vice President Alex is a registered nurse who since graduation has worked in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit saving lives of infants with a variety of life-threatening ailments. She has also worked in care facilities that help infants who were born to mothers with substance abuse problems. She is passionate about healthcare and helping others. In 2025 she was elected to the position of Executive Vice President.
Gary Shepard - Treasurer Gary was born in Arizona. He is a passionate about aiding and stabilizing communities and helping others when hard times come. He has been a volunteer with several charity events over the past seven years. Gary is currently pursuing an associate's degree at Rio Salado with emphasis on numbers and humanitarian issues. Gary works as a cleaner and aide for those who need help sorting their things.	Leaf Graham - Secretary, Director of Outreach Leaf was born in Texas and later moved to Arizona. He has an extended history in technology and has worked with companies such as Intel and Lexcel. Globalization and communication are his specialties. He loves to volunteer helping collect and deliver supplies to homeless shelters and family crisis centers. He has established connections with charities and shelters in Arizona, Texas, and Ohio.
Andrea Walker - Senior Advisor Andrea has worked with several companies in the finance and PR departments, including Vanguard. She lives in rural Arizona where she manages a small community dedicated to providing affordable housing for retired veterans who are living on their own. She also runs a small bird sanctuary with the help of her sons. In her spare time Andrea operates a mobile gymnastics school that provides services to low-income families.

Cause for Effect

Helping the displaced, the homeless, and victims of tragedy and abuse.

A Columbine Site

"Active threat" resources and information for educators, first responders, and researchers.