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ManiFest is their brainchild.

Article Excerpt
Byline: PEOPLE By Mark Baker The Register-Guard

Mani Shimada was an only child. And he is most likely the only person, living or otherwise, to have an annual "ManiFest" held in his honor.

The parents of the 16-year-old Eugene boy, who lost his life to bacterial meningitis on Sept. 26, 2003, say their tradition of throwing a hard rock concert - featuring mostly young "heavy metal" and "death metal" bands like the ones their son appreciated - at the WOW Hall is an annual manifestation of their son's wild and free spirit.

It's a chance to "transform this horrible negative thing into something positive," says James Fox, Mani's stepfather, who adopted him the same year he died.

"Your grief and sorrow can get on top of you and crush you down if you're not careful," he says. "But your heart gets bigger, and you become more compassionate, when you realize you have an opportunity to make a difference."

For Mani's mother, Miya Shimada, coping with her son's death means teaching yoga, meditation, Buddhist studies and her native Japanese at the Quaker-influenced Eugene alternative high school, Wellsprings Friends School, that her...

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