The city of Santa Clarita will host the ninth annual Youth Grove Evening of Remembrance on Wednesday, Sept.10 at Central Park, located at 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road. The event will begin with the inaugural Walk of Remembrance at 6:45 p.m., followed by the Evening of Remembrance at 7:15 p.m.
The event honors Santa Clarita youth 24 and younger who lost their lives on the road, and serves as a powerful reminder about the importance of safe driving.
“Motor vehicle collisions remain the number one cause of death for teens, with texting and driving accounting for more than 3,000 teen fatalities each year,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste. “The city of Santa Clarita and the Blue Ribbon Task Force host the annual Youth Grove Evening of Remembrance to honor the young Santa Clarita lives lost due to traffic-related incidents, and remind the entire community about the importance of being safe, sober and focused behind the wheel.”
For the first time, the Youth Grove Evening of Remembrance will begin with the Walk of Remembrance. The community is invited to take part in the walk to show support and walk alongside friends and neighbors who lost loved ones behind the wheel.
The Santa Clarita Youth Grove was created in 2005 by the city and the Blue Ribbon Task Force. The half-acre memorial is home to 91 individual pillars, each with a plaque bearing the name of a young life lost in a traffic-related incident. The pillars surround a central monument urging the community to “Know More” about safe driving habits and to pledge that “No More” young lives will be lost behind the wheel.
For more information on the 2014 Youth Grove Evening of Remembrance or the inaugural Walk of Remembrance, contact the city’s community services division at (661) 250-3727 or visit Santa-Clarita.com/BlueRibbon.
