Moms Bonded by Grief create extraordinary healing garden in memory of victims of gun violence
Moms Bonded by Grief create extraordinary Botanical Healing Garden in Southwest Philly
A group of moms who have lost their children to gun violence are working to save our streets with a new spot blooming in Southwest Philly meant to bring peace to those in pain. It’s called the Botanical Healing Garden. Check it out.
PHILADELPHIA - "I wanted to put our children’s name down as a reminder to memorialize our children," said Terrez McCleary.
Bricks line the path into the Botanical Healing Garden at 51st and Woodland in Southwest Philly.
Each one has been crafted with care and bears the names of loved ones taken by gun violence.
"Tamara was my firstborn. Beautiful," said McCleary whose daughter’s name is on one of the bricks.
She was a nursing student and a mom of a two-year-old when she was killed a month after her 21st birthday on April 12, 2009.
"I struggled. I was filled with hate, anger and animosity," said McCleary.
It is the reason she founded the organization Moms Bonded by Grief and wanted a healing garden in Philly after seeing one in Connecticut.
The moms did the digging and planting over the past year before completing it for a grand opening to be held this weekend.
"Each tree has a different year to it and we put the number of homicides that occurred that year and we made a river rock with each individuals name and age on it to represent that year," said McCleary.
The women painted about 1500 rocks with the names of other victims.
"Just come past and look at this and let it sink in what the gun violence is doing to our community," said McCleary.
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Two other women held pictures of their sons tightly.
"This is pure joy. A light out of darkness," they said.
They are proud of the garden that they literally had a hand in.
"Somewhere we can go when we need to cry instead of a gravesite," said Janae Greene. Her only child Jamir Braxton was killed in April of 2021. He was 26 years old.
Deemika Twine’s son Terrell Arnold, was killed in September 2020. He was 25 years old.
"It's no words for that. It is very emotional but we want every child to be remembered," said Twine. "People live their lives and they just have normal days after that. We will never have a normal day again," she said.
The garden is therapy for Tanya Anderson after losing her son Tyeece Lovett when he was 21- years old in May 2022.
"It's my safe haven place. This is the only connection I have with my son besides the ashes I wear around my neck," said Anderson.
"We're living life without our babies. So this is a healing garden. This is something help us remember our children forever," said Greene.
If you would like to attend the grand opening of the Botanical Garden of Healing, check out this flyer for more information:
