Butterfly bench for Grace

Dear friends and family,
I am writing to you today to ask for your help in creating a memorial for my daughter Grace. On June 15, 2017 Grace passed away just 3 months after she was diagnosed with HLH, she was 8 years old.

Grace was bright and spirited girl. To me she was a living expression of love and freedom. Her softness and gentle nature is something I will never forget or ever stop longing for. For me the tragedy and heartbreak of my daughter's passing will never diminish.

As a way to honor and remember Grace I have been working closely with a local sculptor to create a fitting memorial. Together over the past few months we have designed a beautiful bench that will be placed on the playground at her school, Harvey Scott Elementary in NE Portland. It will be there for the parents and children of my community to enjoy, to remember their friend and her enduring spirit of playfulness, love, light and freedom.

We have worked carefully with the school and artist to design the bench so that it will be accessible to all, safe and beautiful, but I need your help to make this bench a reality. The artists who will create this piece have generously donated many hours of work to this memorial but they cannot make it a reality without funding for materials. The funds raised here will go directly to making Grace's butterfly bench a reality.

The bench will be installed on June 8, 2018, the last day of school. We will commemorate this day with a celebration. Any funding that does not go toward the installation of the bench will go directly to the HLH Center of Excellence at Cincinnati Children's Hospital - https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/h/hlh

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider helping with this project. Your support means so much. Love, Alison

Bench design by Dave Gonzo - http://www.davegonzosculpture.com/