Introduction

The Toledo Children’s Memorial was first established in 1999 by Daniel Cole on a 30 x 18 foot plot of land generously loaned to him by DuPont. The following year a 6x8 foot granite monument was installed on the property. The monument includes heartfelt, poetic inscriptions along the faces of the children that perished in 1999. Alysia Van Camp, a local artist who now resides in Minnesota,  generously donated her time and effort to meticulously engrave the likeness of each precious child lost in 1999 on the monument‘s granite face.

The memorial has grow beyond it’s initial vision with the addition of a brick walkway, landscaping, irrigation and lights. The brick walkway honors lost children with ‘Angle Bricks’  installed along the winding path leading up to the monument.

Recently the new owners of the property, Axalta Coating Systems, headquartered in Philadelphia, generously donated a 1/2 acre of land encompassing the memorial allowing me to expand the site.  Axalta also donated and erected fencing and gates enclosing the property along with installing a stoned parking area.

I cannot thank Axalta and their management enough for all of the heartfelt support they have extended to me and the families who truly cherish the memorial and the spirit of life it projects. 

Presently the memorial is undergoing a transition with the larger parcel of land soon to be acquire.  John Connor of the Toledo based company Site Solutions, Inc., along with the support of his wife Patty, have generously donated time and effort to rehabilitate the memorial and surrounding property recently.  

John has also offered to maintain the properly free of charge through the end of the year. I cannot thank him enough for stepping forward and offering his professional services to revitalize the site.