In the eight months since Janel Tupuola was beaten to death on a Kailua street, her family has tried to weave a safety net of love for her five children.

But the task is daunting. They are growing up in three separate homes, and the strongest influence they have ever known is gone. Without their mother, Tupuola's relatives worry about who will provide for their future.

They are hoping to find an answer in the kindness of strangers. Tomorrow, the family will hold an entertainment-laden benefit at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park to raise money for a trust fund.

Featured performers include 3 Scoops of Aloha, Ilona Irvine, Simplisity, B.E.T. and Crosswinds. Da Braddahs will emcee for some of the show, which runs from 7 p.m. tomorrow to 2 a.m. Sunday. There will be food, a beer garden, games and prizes. Admission is $20.

"It will definitely give the kids more stability," said Tupuola's niece, Diamond Badajos, who is hoping for a sell-out crowd of 3,500 people. "I want to give them something to look forward to."

The 29-year-old Tupuola was in the process of leaving an abusive relationship — one of several that she seemed drawn to, Badajos said — when she was hunted down by her estranged boyfriend.

Police allege that Alapeti S. Tunoa Jr., 30, of Salt Lake, found Tupuola driving in Kailua on Jan. 16 and chased her with his Ford Explorer, ramming her car until it stopped. Then Tunoa allegedly dragged her from the car and beat her with the butt of a shotgun, swinging it like an ax in front of horrified area residents.

Tunoa has been charged with second-degree murder.

The Kailua mother, who worked as a dental assistant, left behind five children — Kealii Toelupe, 14, Malama Toelupe, 10, Angel Toelupe, 8, Trulyn Tupuola, 3 and Junior Tupuola, 2.

They are scattered now as leaves to the wind.

SCATTERED ALL OVER

The oldest child lives in Mililani with Tupuola's brother, the next two children in Waipahu with their father, and the two youngest in Red Hill with Badajos' mother.

"Hopefully this concert can bring them all together," Badajos said. "They don't spend much time together. They see each other on the weekends but not as much as we would like."

Badajos, a 20-year-old Makaha resident and student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, said the separation really bothers Tupuola's oldest child, now in his freshman year at Mililani High School.

"He really misses them," Badajos said. "He really wants to be there for them, to be the older brother and set an example."

But the youngest children, the ones in her mother's home, have formed an unexpected relationship, Badajos said.

"They call my mom, mom," she said. "But whenever they see a picture of their own mom, they call her mom, too."

It wasn't difficult lining up entertainers because many of them are family friends, Badajos said.

Da Braddahs — Tony Silva and James Roache — attended Waipahu Intermediate with Badajos' mother. The popular comics were stunned when they discovered the connection earlier this year, Silva said.

"I think with the kids, it really hit home," Silva said. "We both have children. Just the thought of leaving this world and your children not having a parent is terrible."

When they learned a benefit was being planned, they didn't hesitate to volunteer. Their message tomorrow night will be simple.

"We are definitely going to celebrate her life," Silva said of Tupuola. "Celebrate that and celebrate the reason she was here. We are going to have an opportunity to provide money for her children. Be happy for that."

CHANGING HER LIFE

Providing a better future for her children was Tupuola's consuming drive in what turned out to be the final months of her life. She was attending church regularly and attempting to reconcile with her husband.

But the key change was the men in her life. She had long been attracted to men who turned on her and chose to leave that to better raise her children, Badajos said.

"Some of her past relationships kind of got out of hand," Badajos said. "The men would do reckless things in the house. They would punch holes in the walls or be real aggressive."

Some would beat her. Ultimately, Tupuola decided she didn't want her children to think that was acceptable, Badajos said.

"They were trying to get away from all that," she said. "She wanted to move to the Mainland and start a new life."