Building a Park in Her Honor!

This week I had the chance to volunteer for the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park and Playground construction project along with my husband.  Having been long time residents of the Standley Lake area in Westminster until this past summer, we felt this was a great opportunity to give back to the community we called home for nearly a decade. The morning of the volunteer project we were excited to see so many faces smiling and remembering Jessica as the happy little girl she was.  There was talk of how Jessica’s story has touched each one of us, but the main focus was on the moment at hand and how we could help make this project come together.

Our Westminster firefighters, along with city employees, a few fellow RE/MAX Alliance peeps and other caring folks worked hard putting together an absolutely stunning and unique playscape, which has been designed specifically with Jessica in mind.  Featuring the purple ribbons that she loved so much, the design of this playground invokes a playful spirit and represents a citywide healing process. From digging the holes and attaching the kick plates, to assembling massive design elements like the slides, swing set, and spinners, the entire playground was built by the loving hands of volunteers.  Finishing earlier than anticipated, the project’s architect, Kathy Piper, happily told me that we can expect to see some exciting changes at the park over the next few weeks as all the details start coming together.  The smile on her face as we talked and the sincere way she thanked everyone for their participation filled my heart and has me eagerly looking forward to the park’s official dedication on October 5th, 2013.

I think the same is true for many others as it is for me, that this last year Jessica has never been far from my thoughts. Whether it is a reminder of how precious life is through another amber alert or the smile on my son’s face, volunteering for this project was a way for me to get some closure.  One of the other volunteers commented on 9news by saying Jessica has in a way become the City of Westminster’s little girl, which is truly how I feel about her. Even though I never knew her personally, I will always remember how her story touch my life and that of so many others in our community.