RTF Angel Memorial Plaza


Welcome to the RTF Angel Memorial Plaza, in Parker Colorado, USA.

When you arrive at the park, you’ll walk along the tree-lined path that follows Cherry Creek.  You’ll pass the picnic tables and visitor shelter.  Continue north and you’ll see the town’s arboretum and all the young trees that are growing there in a natural setting.  If you wander through there you’ll learn the names of just about every tree that is native to the area.  If you stay on the paved path and cross the old steel bridge, you’ll find an open field with horseshoe prints from rides on the equestrian trail.

Look to your left and you’ll see an angel.

The Angel Memorial Plaza is a peaceful place.  In the Summer the trees and shrubs grow so thick with their leaves that you feel like you stepped off the map into a special little bubble of solitude.  Visitors to the statue at sunset in Winter use words like enchanting, wonderful, and perfect.

The summer after the statue was erected, we installed a pair of walls behind the statue, encircling the memorial plaza.  These walls are now home to engraved memorials honoring children of all ages from all over the world who are so very loved and missed.

If you would like to purchase a tile to have your child memorialized in this way, simply download the order form and send it in.

ANNUAL MEMORIAL EVENTS:

We hold two memorial events at our Angel each year.  In June we host our Butterfly Release and Summer Remembrance Event, and in December we host our Candlelight Remembrance Event.  Both memorial events are free.  Subscribe to our newsletter and check our website and Facebook pages for updates as the events grow near.

Directions to the Angel

HOW DID THE ANGEL COME TO PARKER?

Scroll down and read the story as it unfolded!

We need your help raising money to build an angel memorial in historic Parker, Colorado.  RTF is sponsoring this fundraiser to commission a statue like the one pictured here. This beautiful statue will be placed in a local park and will be a permanent memorial for the public.  Families who have lost a child will now have a place where they can visit, mourn and heal.

This will also be the site of our annual memorial ceremony.  This yearly event, which will be held on Children’s Day, December 6th, will give families an opportunity to gather and publicly honor their loved one.

With the word “hope” inscribed in its wings, this angel will be dedicated as a place of love and healing for all those who have lost a child.  Please help us bring our angel to Colorado.

“We never realized how hard it would be to have our son
buried in a cemetery out of state.  After moving here to
Colorado I have longed for a place to go and think about
him.  This memorial will be perfect for so many parents
who, like me, do not have a place where we can visit
our deceased child.”   – R.A. a bereaved mother.

OUR GOAL:  We need to raise approximately $25,000 for this project.  Costs that need to be covered are the purchase of the statue itself, the purchase of a granite pedestal base for the statue, engraving services for the pedestal base, purchase of a bench for the memorial area, prep and landscaping of the memorial grounds, including plantings and stones depending upon the final approved plan.  Funds raised will also be needed for the dedication ceremony, and annual memorial event.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP:  Donate securely online by clicking on the “DONATE” button here on the right side of this page.

Send a check or money order to our postal mail address made out to:
Rowan Tree Foundation
PO Box 393
Parker, CO 80134

Be sure to let us know if you are donating to honor a loved one.

Call in your Credit Card number at:  (720) 588-8693

Spread the word!  Tell a friend about our project by using the little envelope in the upper right to  “EMAIL THIS PAGE” to a friend, or cut and paste this page’s URL into an email and send it off that way.  Print this page and share it with your friends.

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“No donation is too small when
every penny makes a difference.”
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DECEMBER 8, 2007 – Statue Dedication and First Annual Remembrance Event!  HOORAY!
UPDATE – DECEMBER 8:  Read all about the dedication event, see photos, and view the event program in our event wrap up!

NOVEMBER 25, 2007 – Final Payment Sent to pay for the statue!

NOVEMBER 20, 2007 – PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE DEDICATION !

SEPTEMBER 19, 2007 – PAYMENT SENT Today I shipped off the check for our statue, which is a simple administrative task, but felt like a huge milestone being acheived right here in my office!

SEPTEMBER 18, 2007 – STATUE HAS BEEN ORDERED!  How exciting this has been to start bringing this dream to fruition.  I ordered the statue today and I am told it could be here in time for a December Dedication.  Fingers Crossed!

SEPTEMBER 17, 2007 – APPROVED!  It is official! The Parker Town Council voted to accept the License agreement between Rowan Tree Foundation and The Town of Parker for the memorial plaza.  On the heels of our fundraising goal having been met, this is perfectly timed and now the statue order can be placed!

AUGUST 7, 2007 – Corinne On the Radio!  Thank you to the guys over at the Uncle Nasty Show for having me on to discuss RTF and the event.  Matt Need, the co-host and producer who attended our event and made this happen… you’re awesome!!

AUGUST 4, 2007 – We’ve reached our fundraising goal! Thanks to everyone who helped make our 2nd Annual Charity Benefit such a fabulous success!  We have raised over $10,000 for the memorial project and with the help of The Outsiders, Inc.  Landscaping Company who has donated the base, design, and labor… we’re there!  Now, we’re just awaiting the OK to break ground!

Lots going on in the interim here… just not so much time for website updating!!  😉

SEPTEMBER 1, 2006  In the News!  Our golf tournament made the paper!  RTF’s golf event, the Memorial Project, and the good work we do here at our website and in person locally were all featured in a terrific article that was printed in The Parker Chronicle, September 1, 2006.

AUGUST 30, 2006:  Today I met with the Parks and Recreation Department again to go over the legal bits and pieces, and start the process of getting a license agreement in place between RTF and the City of Parker.  It looks like we’re moving ahead wonderfully and should be able to get the blessing of all the council and the Mayor soon.

JUNE 2006:  Looks like we’ve got a location that we all agree would be perfect for our memorial!  Next step is to get the contracts and other administrative details out of the way.  So exciting!

MAY 26, 2006:  Today I was taken on a tour of all the possible locations that might be suitable for our memorial.  The Parker Parks and Recreation Department has been working with us to make our project happen here in Parker, and I send my gratitude to the folks at the town offices!  We found some great sites… stay tuned.

APRIL 5, 2006:   In the news!  Corinne was interviewed for a local broadcast cable program called “Around the Town” which aired this evening on the Altitude Channel.  This weekly half-hour program films on location at a different place each week in the Denver-metro area.  They feature the local sports and entertainment happenings of the week, talk about the location where they are filming, current events, etc.  Interest in our Memorial Project is growing, and we are grateful for the support of the folks at the Altitude Channel for helping us spread the word about the foundation, our Memorial Project, and the upcoming Golf Tournament Fundraiser.  The Altitude Channel is on Comcast Ch. 25, and Dish Network Ch. 410.  “Around the Town” airs: Wed-5pm, Thurs-5:30pm & 10:00pm, and Fri 6:00pm

FEBRUARY 15, 2006: Today, we met with the town Parks and Recreation Department to talk about the project, its scope, our flexible expectations, and the possible locations for the statue.  The gentlemen of this department were very receptive to our requests, and made some suggestions that were beyond our hopes!  Our next step is hearing back from them about the need for a future meeting, or an approval on our project.

FEBRUARY 6, 2006:  We’ve been talking with the town Parks and Recreation Department, and they are really excited about the opportunity to build this memorial for the public!  We have their support on requesting that the town donate the land to the project!  They also plan to be there alongside us to share their support before the Town Council.

ABOUT THE STATUE: “The Christmas Box Angel” Statue was introduced to the world in the book The Christmas Box, a worldwide bestseller and hit television movie by author Richard Paul Evans. In the book, a woman mourns the loss of her child at the base of an angel monument. Though the story is mostly fiction, the angel monument once existed but is speculated to have been destroyed. The new angel statue was commissioned by Richard Paul Evans, in response to reports that grieving parents were seeking out the angel as a place to grieve and heal. The monument was dedicated on December 6, 1994-corresponding with the date of the child’s death in The Christmas Box.  At the request of Sexton Paul Byron and Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini, Salt Lake City donated the land on which the original monument stands. The sculpture is the creation of a father and son from Salt Lake City, Utah, Ortho and Jared Fairbanks, and modeled according to the description in Evans’ book. The face of the angel is that of Evans’ second daughter, Allyson-Danica. If you look closely you can find on the angel’s right wing the word “hope.”