Canton Students Honor Late Classmate With Pavilion

Last week’s cold temperatures didn’t keep warm hearts from descending onto the Ralph Bunche Center to honor the brave spirit of a little girl whose contagious laughter and zeal for life left a lasting mark on teachers, staff, students and the community.

A crowd of parents, volunteers and school staff on Nov. 14 dedicated a pavilion built behind the Canton school in honor of Lucy Jackson, a young student at the preschool center who died from mitochondrial disease in December 2012. Lucy’s parents, Ed and Jill Jackson, were present for the ceremony and shared their thanks for the school’s ongoing love and support of Lucy.

Donna Adams, administrator for Cherokee County School District’s Preschool Centers including Ralph Bunche Center, thanked the many volunteers who were essential in fundraising and constructing the Lucy’s Wish playground pavilion, which will be used for outdoor classroom activities, special events and a play area.

“In spite of her disease, Lucy’s love for her family and friends was evident through her continuous effervescent smiles,” Adams said. “We believe that Lucy’s wish would be for others to live their lives in the same manner she did, to show great love to those around them, in spite of their circumstances, to overwhelmingly enjoy even the simplest of moments and to share contagious laughter wherever you go. These were hallmarks of Lucy’s life and are the legacy she has left to all who were so blessed to have known her.”

The Home Depot in Canton, led by store manager Steve Renegar, worked with volunteers from Soleil Optimist Club and Soleil Tennis Club from Laurel Canyon to construct the pavilion and adjacent garden area. Ralph Bunche teachers Michele Parish and Jennifer Fowler served as coordinators of the project to honor Lucy’s memory.

Ralph Bunche students closed the ceremony by performing the song, “Love Grows.”

Photo: Lucy’s Wish garden and pavilion. Credit: Cherokee County School District