Keeping their memories alive
Our Angels In Heaven founder Chrissy Burbank holds a picture of her daughter Tina, who was killed in 2000.
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Updated: September 16, 2009 3:27 PM
This Saturday morning (Sept. 19) at 10:30 a.m., about 50 people will gather at Surrey's Valley View Memorial Gardens at 14644 72 Ave. to remember children lost to crime.
There will be a service for the families of the young people whose names are carved in stone at the Our Angels in Heaven monument.
As they have before, some family members will release balloons into the air that bear messages for the sons and daughters who died before their time.
It is the 10th anniversary memorial for the Surrey-based group founded by and for parents of children killed by criminals.
Unlike previous memorials, there will be no motorcycle ride.
Group co-founder Chrissy Burbank says the members decided they wanted a quieter, more intimate event.
Burbank's daughter Tina would be turning 20 this year.
She was 11 when she died because two youths in a stolen vehicle blew through a stop sign and collided with the SUV driven by her mother.
There is a strong bond between parents who understand that kind of loss, Burbank says.
They hold regular support meetings, arrange home meals for a mother who must attend the trial of her daughter's killer, and even help overwhelmed newcomers decide what to do with their child's clothing.
More information about Our Angels in Heaven can be found at: http://www.ourangelsinheaven.ca
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