SPRINGFIELD — A volunteer group says someone stole material from a memorial pond and garden honoring deceased children.
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Just a few weeks ago, over a ton of landscaping mulch was donated for a children’s memorial garden in Springfield.
Now, more than half of it is gone, setting the group back and leaving unanswered questions.
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“We’re doing this out of the great graciousness of our hearts, so that being said, whoever you are, you’re taking from honest people,” Khaliid Smoot, a volunteer, said.
The Children’s Memorial, located just off Section Street, honors children who were killed in and around the city of Springfield.
Smoot, a volunteer working to restore the memorial’s pond and garden, told News Center 7 that it started with two girls, Martha Leach and Phree Morrow.
“Their parents were the first to have the children’s names put here in dedication,” Smoot said.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, over a dozen names have been added since then.
Smoot said they started to beautify the space just a few months ago.
“A lot of people came here saying to themselves, ‘I know how to do this. I want to do this for Springfield,’” he said.
Through their efforts, just under a ton of mulch was donated. They were going to replant the top as a community garden, but when they came on Saturday, the mulch was gone.
“There aren’t words to describe the anger,” Smoot said.
He told News Center 7 that the group already raised $1,600 for this revitalization project. Now, part of that will have to go to buy more mulch.
Smoot said they still have other things to fix.
“We will have plants and beautiful flowers planted where you see the tarping up there,” he described. “We’ll have the names redone, and we’ll have, hopefully, a stronger fountain.”
Even with the minor setback, they hope to have this restoration finished by mid-September.
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