Parents and Families Honor Late Children at Angel of Hope 10 Year Anniversary

DULUTH, Minn. — Parents and families honored the 10 anniversary of the Angel of Hope Memorial residing in Leif Erickson park with a vigil.

The Angel of Hope Memorial has brought parents who have lost a child an area to grieve and remember.

The memorial first started when a group of 5 families got together and wanted a place where they could keep their children’s memories alive.

Sunday the statue of an angel was at the center of the anniversary ceremony as parents gathered and held candles.

A moment of silence was held before parents had the chance to read off their child’s name.

Flowers were also place around and on the statue by the families.

“It’s a club we don’t want to belong to, but also when you have a child die, you feel so alone. So this is a way to come together and just have parents support each other and know that we’re all walking this journey with others, not alone,” said Debbie Davis, Parent Coordinator of the Memorial.

Not only is the powerful statue in place at the memorial, but there is also engraved bricks that have messages and names of children who have lost their lives.

There are over 100 memorials across the United States, and unlike most, the city of Duluth maintains the area, taking away another burden for the parents.

“We’ve had some people who have asked their children’s brick put by somebodies that they know, so that it feels like they are kind of together. So even that doesn’t seem like we’re alone in walking around the bricks and seeing how many of us have been touched by this terrible tragedy,” said Davis.

T-shirts were being sold at todays ceremony, the funds go toward helping a parent pay for a memorial brick around the statue, or gifting a brick to a family in need.

For parents who want to honor their child with a brick, information can be found on their website.