Walk set to honor Iskander brothers on third anniversary of Westlake Village crash
Family, friends and community members will head to a Westlake Village neighborhood this week to walk in honor of Mark and Jacob Iskander, local boys killed three years earlier.
The brothers had gone for a walk with their family and were in a crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road when authorities say a speeding car hit them. Mark was 11. Jacob was 8.
Local residents and friends of the Iskander family helped organize a walk to mark the third anniversary of the crash and urge drivers to slow down. People will meet at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Three Springs Park, where the boys used to play, said Julie Cohen, one of the leaders of the effort.
They will have shirts that say "Slow Down Save Lives," which are being sold as part of fundraising efforts to support a foster family center named for the Westlake Village brothers and launched by the Iskanders.
"This could have been any of our children," Cohen said.
For Nancy Iskander, the boys' mom, the walk shows people still care and she could not be more grateful. While the legal system is taking a long time to give the family closure, people still remember her children, she said.
“People still remember Mark and Jacob,” she said.
A social butterfly and a protector
On Sept. 29, 2020, Nancy Iskander and her family went for a walk to get some fresh air. They headed toward the lake from Three Springs, she said.
When they got to the crosswalk, the water looked so beautiful on the other side of the road. Nancy remembers thinking she wanted to take a picture of the three boys — Mark, Jacob and their brother Zachary, who was 5 at the time — with the water behind them.
“But we never made it to the other side,” she said.
Rebecca Grossman, of Hidden Hills, is facing two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving related to the crash. She has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Jury selection for the trial is expected to start in January.
Nancy Iskander described Mark as kind-hearted — a social butterfly who excelled in school. He loved to tell jokes and have fun, she said. The 11-year-old wanted to become a neurosurgeon.
“He was taken so quickly,” she said. “In the blink of an eye, he was taken.”
Jacob also did well academically. At 8, he would say that he wanted to do things as close to perfect as possible, his mom said. He also wanted to be his mother’s protector.
“He wanted to protect all of us,” she said.
She wants people to know that this horrific thing happened, but she is on her feet.
“I’m on my feet because of my faith and because of the support of people around me,” she said. “I would like everyone else out there to know that whatever you’re struggling with, you will be OK, too. Just hold onto to your faith. Find the right support.”
‘Mark my word’
The Iskanders signed the lease for the foster family agency on Sept. 18, Mark's birthday. He would have been 14.
They were working on the paperwork to get the Westlake Village office licensed and ready to go. By the end of the year, they expect to have all services at the Mark and Jacob Foster Care Ministry up and running, Nancy Iskander said.
Families need support, she said. She envisions the agency will provide training, referral programs, support groups and other resources for foster families and those who want to become foster parents.
“Losing our children was the hardest thing that could have ever happened to us,” Nancy said of her and husband Karim.
Now, they want to make their children proud and make the world a little better, she said.
She talked about a time when Mark ran for student council and won a majority of the votes. His campaign slogan was: “I’ll make this your best year if you vote for me. Mark my word.”
His mom now uses similar words as inspiration.
“I’m going to turn this tragedy into something good for the world," she said. "Mark and Jacob my word."
To go
Community members plan to meet at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Three Springs Park, 3000 Three Springs Drive in Westlake Village. They plan to walk down Three Springs Drive to Triunfo Canyon Road. The group will pause at the crash site before walking back to the park, Cohen said.
Anyone not able to make the roughly 2-mile round-trip walk can meet up at the park around 5 p.m., she said. If anyone wants to leave something at the crash site, organizers asked that it be an unused item that can be given to a foster child.
For more information, visit justiceformarkandjacob.com or markandjacobfoundation.org.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Walk to honor Iskander brothers killed in Westlake Village crash
