Greg Zanis is a carpenter from Aurora, Illinois, whose father-in-law taught him the trade. In the process the two became best friends. In 1996 Greg's father-in-law was the victim of a violent crime and died.

In an attempt to express his deep grief and personal sense of loss, Greg built an eight-foot wooden cross and planted it at the scene of the crime. But that was only the beginning.

Greg began building eight-foot wooden crosses and erecting them at the scenes of fatal crimes or accidents. He constructed the crosses standing in honor of the victims at Columbine High School.

What began as a personal response to the loss of human life has become a ministry to help people heal and to remind them that Jesus gives peace and grace. His ministry is called "Crosses for Losses." Zanis builds crosses for families of victims of violent crimes from across the country and then personally delivers the crosses in his pickup truck. To date he has planted hundreds of eight-foot-high crosses.