TACOMA, Wash. – Real heroes come in all ages and sizes. This was apparent at a breakfast Friday, Dec. 10, as the American Red Cross recognized a group of young and old Real Heroes for their three years of work to rejuvenate Tacoma’s Central Hilltop neighborhood by renovating McCarver and Wright parks.
The $3.5 million fundraising and park redesign was all part of the Zina Linnik Project, a community enterprise that started when students from McCarver Elementary School wanted to find a way to honor the memory of 12-year-old Zina Linnik, a fellow student who was tragically kidnapped and killed in July 2007. The students engaged local politicians, city officials, professors, college students, and families to help them fix up the two parks and they now expect to have a grand opening in May 2011.
University of Puget Sound was among the community partners who were presented with the Good Neighbor Award at the 2010 Red Cross Real Heroes ceremony, held by the Mount Rainier Chapter of the national charity. Professors Monica DeHart, Renee Houston, and Amy Ryken have been acting as educational partners for the Zina Linnik Project, advising, researching, organizing, and supporting the initiative. The project’s partners also include Metro Parks Tacoma, Greater Metro Parks Foundation, McCarver Elementary School, and University of Washington, Tacoma.
The award presented at the breakfast was accepted by McCarver school counselor Carol Ramm Gramenz and four of the school’s students: Tristan Bower, Alex Sambrano, Mushawn Knowles, and Destinae Doss-Bryant. It was then handed off to Sharon Chambers-Gordon, a member of the Greater Metro Parks Foundation Board and staff member at Puget Sound. The Good Neighbor Hero award was sponsored by State Farm Insurance.
Real Heroes celebrates ordinary people who perform extraordinary acts of courage and selflessness that save lives. The heroes are nominated throughout the year by the public and recognized in ceremonies across the country.
The Zina Linnik Project has raised more than $3.1 million so far. The two parks will be renovated with new playground equipment, picnic tables, a community garden, a spray water park, and a memorial for Linnik. They will officially open on May 13, 2011—a day that the project is calling Play in Peace Day. The event will end with a public march and a talk by Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Tacoma Dome. Tickets to the talk will go on sale in early February.
For more information on the Zina Linnik Project visit: http://www.metroparksfoundation.org/zina-linnik-project
For more information on the talk by Archbishop Desmond Tutu visit: www.gtcf.org
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