MOORE,Okla.- A year ago, seven pairs of grieving parents gathered to remember the lives of their children.
They worked together to create a memorial for the children who never came home from Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 20, 2013.
That vision has become a reality, giving visitors a small glimpse into the seven lives that won’t be forgotten.
“There are stories here and that’s important,” said Chad Vice, president of the Plaza Towers Memorial Committee.
The elementary school was reduced to rubble on May 20, 2013 when a tornado tore through Moore.
“This is holy ground,” Vice said. “Lives ended here.”
Video doesn’t do justice to the pain and heartache this community felt.
“We will all remember what happened here, but we don’t want that to define them. We want them to be defined and remembered for what they loved,” Vice says.
The new memorial gives life to the little ones gone far too soon.
“What you see is seven benches, and each bench represents each child and each parent created their own bench,” Vice said.
Words engraved in the ground tell stories about each child’s character.
“Each one has things that made them who they were,” Vice said.
The silhouettes show what each child lived for.
“That’s what they love, this is what was special to them,” Vice explains.
It’s a memorial to never forget.
“You don’t take a day for granted. I know that there are seven parents that woke up and sent their little kids to school and they didn’t come home,” Vice said.
The memorial was privately funded through donations, but they are still about $40,000 short.
If you would like to donate, visit the memorial site here or visit any Republic Bank for more information.
There is also an official ceremony planned for Monday, Nov. 17 at 5:30pm at the Plaza Towers Elementary School entrance.