iBerkshires Profiles Donna Morgan: Seeking An Angel Of Hope
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| Donna Morgan hopes to raise funds to erect a children's memorial park at the Southview Cemetery.[Photo by Sue Bush] |
North Adams - Donna Morgan knows well the pain of losing a child, and the comfort that may come from remembrance and reflection.
"A parent's worst fear is losing a child and should you lose a child, the biggest fear becomes that the child will be forgotten," she said, during a May 25 interview.
Morgan's only child, daughter Diana Maria Morgan, died of bacterial meningitis in her mother's arms 11 years ago, Morgan said. Diana Morgan was a first-year student at Marist College in Poughkeepsie N.Y. at the time of her death. She was 19 years old. Diana was a Hoosac Valley High School graduate with dreams that included fashion design.
A Perfect Gift
Donna Morgan retired from a 35-year teaching career at the Clarksburg Elementary School in 2006 and since her retirement, has dedicated her time to creation of a children's memorial park. The planned park would host an Angel of Hope statue and provide a quiet place for people to meditate, pray, grieve, or remember, Morgan said.
Folks with knowledge of her plans have begun referring to the proposed park as "Angel Park" and the "Garden of Hope," she said.
Earlier this year, city Mayor John Barrett III donated a parcel of land at the Southview Cemetery as a memorial park site. The property is surrounded by nature and is an ideal, serene location for the park, Morgan said. She recalled the moment when she and longtime friend Angela Lora, also a former Clarksburg school teacher, came upon the site.
"Angela and I were walking through the cemetery," Morgan said. "It was a fall day and we came to this beautiful spot, with trees at the four corners, and I said 'oh my God, this would be perfect.' There was a pond and the beautiful sweep of weeping willow trees. You could hear birds, and you could see the mountains."
Morgan approached Barrett with her idea and her belief that the Southview site would be an ideal place for a children's memorial park. She learned just before Christmas that the city would provide the land for the park.
"I cried," she said. "It was the perfect Christmas gift."
Morgan said that the city will provide lawn mowing services and basic park maintenance but cannot provide any funds toward creating the space. All financial obligations, such as acquiring the angel statue, and any additional construction, maintenance, or other expenses are the responsibility of the park's organizing group.
"Angel Of Hope"
Barrett has been very kind to her, Morgan said.
"He's been wonderful to me about this idea," she said. "He has a good heart. He cares. And I am just thrilled that he's supported me in this. This has meaning for so many parents."
Morgan is accepting park and statue donations and has collected about $650 since late winter. She said that building the park and acquiring the statue is expected to cost about $25,000. The cost of a large angel statue is now about $14,500, she said.
About 75 Angel of Hope children's memorial parks have been built across the country. An "Angel of Hope" statue was introduced as part of author Richard Paul Evans' best-selling novel "The Christmas Box." The story and the statue were fictional but after people began traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah [the novel's site for the fictional statue] in search of the storybook angel, Evans arranged for an actual Angel of Hope to be created and developed a park around the statue.
Regionally, similar parks have been built in Easthampton, Mass. and Rutland, Vt.. Morgan learned of the parks when she was told that the Easthampton-based park was increasing its' size. Morgan purchased a "paver," which is a brick engraved with the name and birth and death dates of a child, to be placed at the park.
"I wanted my daughter to be remembered," she said.
Landscape artist Martha LaValley has agreed to donate her services for design of a city-based park and Charles H. McCann Technical High School administrators have pledged that students enrolled in specific curriculums, such as carpentry, will volunteer with the project as well, Morgan said. Tangley Memorial owner Joseph Lora has agreed to assist the project as has Daniel Calnan, Morgan said.
For All Children, Families And Memories
Morgan said she is seeking more donated revenue than what park construction costs might be because all children are special and deserve a remembrance. But not all parents are able to afford the purchase of things such as pavers, she noted.
While families may not be equal in terms of community reputation, standing, or wealth, the emotional devastation that accompanies the death of a child is not decreased for lesser known or less affluent families, she said.
"Whether a lot has been done publicly in a child's memory or there is no public attention, we all have one common thread, we've lost a child," Morgan said. "I believe that I have to build this park and I believe that it has to be for everybody. I need to have some funds for families who would like to have their child remembered, who would like a paver, but cannot afford one. And I believe that this park must be a place that is open to all the people of the Berkshires and southern Vermont. We've lost so many children and it is so important to me that people have a place to come, a place meant for the children, the families, and the memories. And it has to be for all of them."
The park would be inclusive of families who lose adult children, Morgan said.
"To me, if a 90-year-old mother loses a 70-year-old son, that is her child," Morgan said. "Age does not diminish a parent's pain at losing a child. And if a child is stillborn or lost to a miscarriage, that child is loved by the parents. This garden will be open to them."
Morgan has been engaged with past public action.
Work Toward Vaccine Awareness
After her daughter died, Morgan learned that a vaccine protecting against bacterial meningitis existed, but colleges did not require students be vaccinated prior to admission. Morgan believes that had her daughter been vaccinated, she probably would not have become ill and her death would have been prevented. After Diana's death, Morgan spent much time urging parents to request the vaccination for their college-bound children. Many colleges have recognized the importance of the action, she said.
"Now, most colleges are demanding that students be vaccinated before they come to the campus," she said.
"I've Always Loved Children"
Morgan has been surrounded by children throughout her life. She spent her childhood in Clarksburg, and her father, Albert Bona, launched Bona's Garage decades ago. The business remains in operation and is operated by her brothers Robert and Alfred Bona. Morgan's mother Angelina Bona was kept busy raising Morgan and her siblings, Morgan said.
"I went to the Clarksburg Elementary School as a child and that's when I knew I wanted to be a teacher," she said. "I always loved Mrs. Babcock [former teacher Mabel Babcock] and I always said that I wanted to be a teacher just like her. I've always loved children."
Morgan's first public appeal for park funding is scheduled for June 14 during an Adams Lion's Club dinner meeting. She admitted to feeling a bit nervous about the presentation but said that her desire for a park and the comfort a park could bring to families is stronger than any public speaking jitters.
"This is something that I truly want and truly believe is needed. A beautiful place for people to remember their children, a place with benches and flowers, a place where birds sing and you are surrounded by nature, yes, I believe in this. For my child and for all the other children, for the families, I believe in this."
Additional information about Angel of Hope parks and statues may be acquired at www.richardpaulevans.com or at http://careandkindness.org/angelofhope Internet web sites.
Additional information about Morgan's planned park may be acquired by calling 413-663-3555 or 413-281-4832. Morgan may be contacted at a dmorgan9876@yahoo.com e-mail address.
