Photo by Mike Kaminski
Photo by Mike Kaminski
ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- The community held a special ceremony this morning to dedicate Somer's Sunshine Park.
The park is located on the corner of Debarry and Gano avenues in the Grove Park neighborhood. Somer Thompson was walking home from Grove Park Elementary School when she was kidnapped and killed in 2009.
Somer's Sunshine Park was a community-wide initiative. Klaybor and Associates volunteered their services to design the space and several businesses donated materials to complete the work. The Town of Orange Park estimates without contributions, the park would have cost about $25,000.
Orange Park Councilman J. B. Renninger, Clay County Commissioner Travis Cummings, Sheriff Rick Beseler and Somer's mother, Diena Thompson all spoke during today's ceremony. Volunteers will release butterflies and cut a purple ribbon, which was Somer's favorite color.
Diena Thompson said today is particularly difficult because it would have been Somer's 10th birthday.
The Clay County Commission has declared today "Somer Thompson Day."
First Coast News