On Mother's Day, May 14, they'll be rallying in Washington, Los Angeles and 38 other cities across the nation to demand concrete action against the gun violence that scars the face of America like a festering wound.

In the ranks of the Million Mom March will be mothers, "honorary" mothers, husbands, and their parents and children.

The families whose children were in the line of fire during the horrifying shooting spree last year at the North Valley Jewish Community Center (NVJCC) will be in the vanguard of the march.

It was this attack by a lone gunman on Aug. 10 that shook the nation, triggered the concept of the Million Mom March, and has mobilized thousands of hitherto indifferent or half-hearted citizens.

"I'm going to Washington because I have to do it, I need to do it," says Donna Finkelstein, who will be accompanied by her 17-year-old daughter Mindy, one of five wounded in the JCC attack, a second daughter, and her husband David.

The Finkelstein family.

Some 50,000 to 100,000 participants will join in the all-day rally at the National Mall in Washington. Gail Powers, the Southwest regional coordinator for the march, believes that a minimum of 500 Californians will make the trip, and possibly 400 more if plans materialize for charter flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Two separate marches are set for Los Angeles on May 14. The first, in West Los Angeles, will start at 9:30 a.m. at the Federal Building, corner of Wilshire Boulevard. and Veteran Avenue.

During the program, the names of all children killed with guns during the past year will be read aloud and relatives of victims will come forward and place flowers on a large wreath, says Ann Reiss Lane.

Lane is the co-founder, with Rabbi Laura Geller, of Women Against Gun Violence, which is coordinating the event.

Lane says that she is encouraged by the support of West Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley synagogues and the National Council of Jewish Women.

"Our march is really about telling Congress that we need sensible gun laws consistent across the country. We are telling lawmakers, in our loudest voices, that enough is enough," she declares.

To emphasize the point, Lane says that in 1998, some 1,088 residents of Los Angeles County lost their lives to guns. Of these, 157 were under 18 years old and include 20 suicides.

The second Los Angeles rally will start at 12:30 p.m. on May 14 at Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles, across from the Union Station.

"This is the Southern California regional march, and we expect some 10,000 participants from Los Angeles and neighboring counties, representing all the different colors and religions of our area," says coordinator Victoria Ballesteros.

The march will wind three blocks from Olvera Street to the Roybal Federal Building, where participants will create a memorial of flowers to honor the victims of gun violence. There will be special activities for kids, and participants are urged to take public transportation to the site.

Many taking part in the earlier West Los Angeles rally are expected to join a bus caravan to the Olvera Street event.

Additional California marches are slated for San Diego, Oakland/San Francisco, Sacramento and Watsonville in Santa Cruz County.

Whatever the location, the marchers' basic demands will be the same:

Enactment of federal laws requiring cooling-off periods and background checks for all gun purchases; licensing of handgun owners and registration of all handguns; safety locks for all handguns; limits on handgun purchases to one per month; and stricter enforcement of gun laws.

None of the Washington marchers will be more motivated than the parents of the North Valley JCC campers, whose traumas are as vivid now as on the day of the shooting.

They and others have been meeting weekly at the center to map plans for the march and raise money by selling pins and T-shirts.

Eleanor Kadish, whose son Benjamin, then 5, was the most critically wounded among the five victims, says, "Not a day goes by that I don't think about it, and that will never go away... I am just amazed how the idea of the march started from nothing and now has spread across the country."

Last Sunday, the Kadish family was at the White House, with the relatives of other gun victims, to hear President Clinton pledge his unremitting efforts in getting federal hate-crime legislation passed.

The highlight of the meeting for young Benjamin was to meet Buddy, Clinton's Labrador retriever. "I asked him if I could see his dog and he brought him in," Benjamin reported.

Nancy Parris Moskowitz, president of the North Valley JCC, first heard about the attack from her son Adam, 21, a head counselor at the camp, who helped lead the frightened kids to safety.

"At times, the whole experience seems surreal, but when something horrible happens, rather than dwell on it, we have to move forward," she says.

The collective trauma has brought the NVJCC community closer together. "Many who dropped out have returned, and those who were inactive have become involved," says Moskowitz. "People now recognize more than ever what an important role the center plays, and plans for a full-scale summer program are in place."

For Donna Finkelstein, one of the reward in planning for the Washington march has been her encounters with African American and Latino mothers, who have lost children or relatives to gun violence. "I have really learned that this problem affects everyone, regardless of ethnicity or background," she says.

Loren Lieb, whose son Joshua Stepakoff, then 6, was shot in the hip and through the leg, is taking her husband, two sons and mother along for the Washington march.

"Actually, it was the kids' idea that we all go," Lieb says. "I know it will be a very emotional experience for all of us and I am kind of worried what the psychological effect will be on Joshua. He has healed physically, but he is still afraid of loud noises and sirens. One of the adults may have to take him aside."

Gail Powers, the regional coordinator for the Washington march, had her 4-year-old son Nathan at the JCC. He was unharmed, but the mother will never forget the emotional terror of that day.

Like many other parents, she blames herself for not acting and speaking out earlier for stricter gun control.

"I saw the Columbine school shooting on TV, but did nothing but send condolences. I remember telling my husband, 'Thank God, this will never happen to us.' Four months later, it happened here," she recalls.

"When we meet at the JCC, we ask ourselves who was responsible for the attack. We are all responsible. I feel responsible anytime there is a shooting.... I don't want another mother to feel the way I did that day. I know we can make a difference, and I will fight against gun violence until the day I die."

For information about or to participate in the West Los Angeles march, phone Women Against Gun Violence at (310) 204-2348, or e-mail gail@millionmommarch.com.

For information about the Olvera Street rally, phone (800) 346-2536.

For information about the Washington march, call toll-free (888) 989-6667.

A Web site -- www.millionmommarch.com -- is open for people to register for the Washington march and has general information about related activities in other cities.