In honor of Jessica Ridgeway the family is going to start a foundation that will be named Jessica Ridgeway’s Legacy. The planning for this will be developed over the next year (2013). There are many ideas that are floating around and they all will be considered.
A MESSAGE FROM THE RIDGEWAY FAMILY
The Ridgeway Family has been overwhelmed with the support we have received from people all over our state, the country and even the world. Jessica’s story has touched so many and we would like to give back to the community in her name.
Jessica was a gift to our family. She brought us so much joy and her smile was the fuel that helped propel us through each day. Though she is no longer with us, her spirit is, and that spirit can help many other children to achieve what she was denied. She has inspired many to come together and we want that gift to continue on in the community. Her joy in living, dancing and exploring her world is what will continue on. With your help in the future, we would like to bring that joy to other children through our foundation.
Understandably, our family is still grieving and we need to take each day one step at a time. We ask that you allow us the time we need and continue to support our efforts until we are able to define our plans more completely. Being part of such a caring community has given us so much in this terrible time and we are committed to returning this gift tenfold.
May there be Peace in Jessica’s name.
WORKS IN PROGRESS WITH JESSICA RIDGEWAY’S LEGACY
Renaming Chelsea Park after Jessica
- The motion to rename Chelsea Park passed the advisory board of the Parks & Recreation Dept. in Westminster in November, 2012
- The park’s new name is Jessica Ridgeway Memoral Park
Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park Remodel
- The Chelsea Park sign was removed and replaced with the new Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park sign in December, 2012
- The new sign was provided by Majestic Metals at no cost to the City of Westminster – thank you Majestic Metals!
- The City of Westminster is collaborating with The Ridgeways on the design
- In keeping with The Ridgeways’ wishes, the park will be a celebration of Jessica’s life
- Jessica would want the park to be a place that embraces the fun and joy she had playing there with her scooter, dog and friends
- Purple ribbons are a dominant theme in the proposal, intended to call to mind Jessica’s enjoyment of cheerleading and her favorite color
- The cost for the remodel will be $450,000
- The City of Westminster has committed $200,00 in cash and in-kind services
- The Jefferson County Commission has pledged $100,000 in conservation-trust funds
- $150,000 is needed in community donations over the next two months so that the city can complete the park renovation
- The City of Westminster must decide by March or April how much they will build in 2013
Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Gardens
- The Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Gardens will be part of the new Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park and is in it’s planning stages.
Cheerleading Camp
- Why a cheerleading camp? Jessica really wanted to do Cheerleading and this will be something that will shed a positive light on her memory.
- A cheerleading camp in Jessica’s name is in it’s planning stages.
JESSICA RIDGEWAY LEGACY FUND
The Broomfield Community Foundation accepts donations to the Jessica Ridgeway Legacy Fund, which will support animal and youth initiatives in her memory. Members of Jessica’s family help decide where funds will go.
To donate, visit http://www.broomfieldfoundation.org/donate-now and select the Jessica Ridgeway Legacy Fund from the drop-down menu.
For more information, call 303-469-7208.
Thank you for your support!
HELP MAKE JESSICA RIDGEWAY MEMORIAL PARK A REALITY
To donate directly to the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park Fund visit the GivingFirst.org website by clicking here (major credit cards accepted)
You can send a check made payable to:
Westminster Legacy Foundation
P.O. Box 350356
Westminster, CO 80035-0356
Please note on the check that your donation is intended for the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park Fund.
Donations to the Westminster Legacy Foundation are tax deductible.
Corporate and group donations are welcomed. For more information, contact Laura Magnetti or Karen Layfield, at the Westminster Legacy Foundation, 303-658-2209.
To see all the proposed park designs click here.
NOTE: All designs are preliminary and dependent on funding and final design.
Thank you for the update. I look forward to the day where I will walk through the Memorial Gardens of the park named in Jessica’s memory. On that day I will tell my children about how Jessica’s story touched so many lives, most of whom likely never knew her. God bless the Ridgeway family.
I am so happy the Ridgeway family are able to do something positive with all the money that has been collected in Jessica’s name. I think giving back to the community and establishing these wonderful community plans will be the beginning of the long healing for the Ridgeway family and the community. This family has endured the unthinkable and I cannot even wrap my head around what the kidnapping and the death of their daughter and then the outpouring of love and support from around the world has done to this family. I personally would just crawl into a deep dark hole and never emerge. Now they have to get through the holidays without their precious little Jessie. I am praying the support is helping them and not making it harder on them. Ridgeway family, you are in my thoughts and prayers forever. May God surround you with healing love in the difficult days ahead. Linda Evans, Aurora
There are no words for what you are going through :’(. To create something positive out of your tragedy is no small feat. You have proven to be an amazing strong family despite all you have endured. I sincerely admire you. May the Lord comfort you in this process. You will remain in our prayers. Love from my family to yours.
Angelina Bodine
a cheer leading camp is such a great idea, way to be creative
My 10-year-old, 5th Grade daughter looks so much like your baby Jessica. We also live in Colorado. I have prayed for your family since first hearing of this tragedy. No one can even begin to understand your loss and pain. Your little girl is undoubtedly proud of you for enduring all of this, while remaining so strong. She will live forever in your hearts, and in the hearts of those like me who, although we never met her will NEVER forget her. May you continue to be strong and survive.
Dear Ridgeway family, your baby and this tragedy has consumed my heart and mind since the first day. Jessica has been the topic of conversation with my six year old, who is beginning to love many of the same things your daughter did. She asks so many questions and is eagar to know who Jesica was. Talking about Jessica has warmed our hearts. And yet, my daughter inquires about her tragedy and it is very difficult to discuss this in an age-appropriate way while still trying to teach her. I love your plans for the park. What a perfect idea to honor Jessica. I sincerely hope you will gain all your approvals to change it’s name to something fitting as well as to install this memorial garden in her memory. For certain, if I am ever in the Westminister area, I will indeed make my way to your park and offer heart-felt meditative thoughts in Jessica’s honor.
But I also hope that you will find a way to utilize resources to help protect other women and children and in that effort keep your world support committed to aiding in this mission.
I live in Baltimore, Maryland ( i have a Westminister in my suburban neigjborhood too). I have worked professionally and privately to raise awareness to protecting children. Sometimes, it feels like a lonely feat in a world where so many women and children suffer from tragedies like yours or from human trafficking especially of children and so on.
Your daughter is safe. She lives in our hearts. I hope to receive updates from your website telling of your progress. I will never forget Jessica or the way her precious life ended. My heart pours out to you. I wish your family all the warmest wishes as you continue forward through your life’s journey.
Signed,
A broken heart in Baltimore (near-survivor of stranger abduction 1980).
Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you with your Foundation. I am sorry for your loss. I also just lost my baby girl. Praying for your family.
Best Regards,
Benjamin Baldwin
Jessica has touched so many people. What a wonderful tribute to have Chelsea Park renamed in her honor and to have a Memorial Garden.
We have lost such a beautiful bright life. My sadness snd tears are overwhelming.
May God Bless you Sarah, and all if the Ridgeway family.
May God send you love, peace, and strength in your time of need.
Beyond the Tears
Grieving, mourning, and bereavement
When a person loses someone important to them, they go through a normal process called grieving. Grieving is natural and should be expected. Over time, it can allow the person to accept and understand their loss. Grieving involves feeling many different emotions over time, all of which help the person come to terms with the loss of a loved one.
Bereavement is what a person goes through when someone close to them dies. It is the state of having suffered a loss.
Mourning is the outward expression of loss and grief. Mourning includes rituals and other actions that are specific to each person’s culture, personality, and religion. Bereavement and mourning are both part of the grieving process.
The grief process
Many people think of grief as a single instance or short time of pain or sadness in response to a loss — like the tears shed at a loved one’s funeral. But grieving is the entire emotional process of coping with a loss and it can last a long time. Normal grieving allows us to let a loved one go and keep on living in a healthy way.
Grieving is painful, but it’s important that those who have suffered a loss be allowed to express their grief, and that they be supported throughout the process. Each person will grieve for a loved one in a different way. The length and intensity of the emotions people go through will also vary from person to person.
It is normal for people to feel better for a while, only to become sad again. Sometimes, people wonder how long the grieving process will last for them, and when they can expect some relief. There is no answer to this question, but some of the factors that affect the intensity and length of your grieving are:
The kind of relationship you had with the person who died
The circumstances of their death
Your own life experiences
Researchers have studied grief to better understand the ways people work through a loss and over time come to accept it. They have identified emotional states that people may go through while grieving. The first feelings usually include shock or numbness. Then, as the person sees how his or her life is affected by the loss, emotions start to surface. The early shock and numbness is often replaced by other emotions, like anger, loneliness, disbelief, or denial. These feelings can come and go over a long period of time. The final phase of grief is the one in which people find a way to come to terms with and accept the loss.
Shock, numbness, and disbelief often come first
Many times, a person’s first response to a loss is shock, disbelief, and numbness. This can last anywhere from a few hours to days or weeks. During this time, the bereaved person may feel emotionally “shut off” from the world. Still, the numbness may be disturbed by waves of distress, which are often triggered by reminders of the deceased. At these times of distress, the person may feel agitated or weak, cry, engage in aimless activities, or be preoccupied with thoughts or images of the person they lost.
The rituals of mourning — seeing friends and family, preparing for the funeral, and burial — often structure this time for people. They are seldom left alone. Sometimes the sense of numbness lasts through these activities, leaving the person feeling as though they are just “going through the motions” of these rituals.
Facing the loss brings out painful emotions
At some point the reality of the loss starts to sink in, and the numbness wears off. This part of the grief process, sometimes called confrontation, is when the feelings of loss are most intense and painful. This is the time the person starts to face the loss and cope with the changes the loss causes in their lives.
People have many different ways of dealing with loss, so there may be many different, equally intense emotions. During this time, grief tends to come in waves of distress. The person may seem disorganized. He or she may have trouble remembering, thinking, and doing day-to-day activities. This can last for weeks to months. Some or all of the following may be seen in a person who is grieving. The person may:
Withdraw socially
Have trouble thinking and concentrating
Become restless and anxious at times
Not feel like eating
Look sad
Feel depressed
Dream of the deceased (or even have hallucinations or “visions” in which they briefly hear or see the deceased)
Lose weight
Have trouble sleeping
Feel tired or weak
Become preoccupied with death or events surrounding death
Search for reasons for the loss (sometimes with results that make no sense to others)
Dwell on mistakes, real or imagined, that he or she made with the deceased
Feel somehow guilty for the loss
Feel all alone and distant from others
Express anger or envy at seeing others with their loved ones
It is often during this time that a grieving person needs the most emotional support. Finding support can be the key to a person’s recovery and acceptance of the loss. Sources of support can be family members, friends, support groups, community organizations, or mental health professionals (therapists or counselors).
Accepting the loss means learning to live without the loved one
By this time, people have begun to recognize what the loss means to them in day-to-day life. They have felt the pain of grief. Usually, the person comes to accept the loss slowly over the months that follow. This acceptance includes adjusting to daily life without the deceased.
Like the first and second parts of the process, acceptance does not happen overnight. It is common for it to take a year or even longer for someone to resolve the emotional and life changes that come with the death of a loved one. The pain may become less intense, but it is normal to feel emotionally involved with the deceased for many years after their death. In time, the person should be able to reclaim the emotional energy that was invested in the relationship with the deceased, and use it in other relationships.
Getting help through the process of grief
The grieving process can be very painful and difficult for people who have lost someone close to them. Bereavement counseling is a special type of professional help. You may be able to find it through hospice services or a referral from a health care provider (doctor, nurse, or social worker). This type of counseling has been shown to reduce the level of distress that mourners go through after the death of their loved one. It can help them move more easily through the phases of grief. Bereavement counseling can also help them adjust to their new lives without the deceased.
Grieving can go on for many years
Still, adjustment does not mean that all the pain is over for those who were very close to the deceased. Grieving for someone who was close to you includes losing the future you expected with that person. This must also be mourned. The sense of loss can last for decades. For example, years after a parent dies, the bereaved may be reminded of the parent’s absence at an event he or she would have been expected to attend. This can bring back strong emotions, and may lead to mourning yet another part of the loss.
GOD BLESSthe Ridgeway Family , what a tribute for that beautiful girl . Oregons in the house.