In a project that took a year and a half to complete, 26 playgrounds now stand in tribute to the lives lost in Sandy Hook two years ago this December.
Principal Dawn Hochsprung’s playground was the last to be built, but just as emotional as the first. It was filled with the names of the six teachers and administrators that were lost, and designed to represent Hochsprung's personality.
At the ribbon cutting was Sunday, Hochsprung’s daughter remembered her mother.
“For 27 years of my life, my mom wasn't just my mom she was my best friend. She was my mentor. She was my hero,” Erica Smegielski said.
Smegielski described the Where Angels Play project as something that helped all the families heal.
“They’ve give us a place to go, a place to celebrate and a place to remember the people we treasured most,” she said.
The family hopes the playground will be a place of laughter and joy for children for years to come.
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Bill Lavin, the founder of the project, said the experience has been filled with miracles as the playgrounds came together and said the heroes are the families.
“Their strength under the worst circumstances has been our inspiration,” he said.
He added that this is not the end of the project – the organization will do upkeep on the sites, and will go to Boston, Oklahoma, any place that needs a playground. That is the legacy of Where Angels Play.
With all the playgrounds complete, the families know their loved ones legacies will live on in the children who play.
Carlos Soto, Vicki Soto’s father, summed it up.
“I wish you all to have fun and never forget about us. Thank you.”
