Festival Honors Shantel Bailey's Young Life, Re-dedicates Basketball Court in her Honor

In the nearly seven years since Shantel Bailey's young teenage life was tragically cut short by a speeding motorist on West Main Road, neighbors, friends and caring town residents have never forgotten the impact she had left on this world.

Memorials and tributes have often been seen near the Rogers Lane intersection where the 16-year-old was struck and killed, placed there by Oxbow Farms apartments residents who remembered Shantel's smile and love of basketball and wanted to continue to honor her memory and life.

On Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010, at the "1st Annual Shantel Bailey Day" festival, the Town of Middletown and the Oxbow Farms community invites the public to join a celebration of life, inspired by her life, and to raise awareness about community and child safety. The free event is open to the public and takes place 11 am – 4 pm at the Oxbow Farms apartments on Rogers Lane, off West Main Road.

The family-style cookout will also feature a moon-bounce, rock-climbing wall, and crafting activities for kids, along with other games and activities co-sponsored by the Middletown police and fire departments, Substance Abuse Task Force, and Newport County Boys & Girls Club.

"The goal has been to really bring the community together and honor Shantel and turn what was certainly a terrible tragedy and do something positive for the community in her honor," said Kari Corveno, the senior property manager at Oxbow.

Corveno did not work at Oxbow when Shantel was killed, but was approached earlier this year by Middletown Town Council Vice Chairman Richard Cambra, who suggested a family event open to the public, and she has since served as a liaison between Shantel's family, who no longer lives there, the Oxbow community, and the Middletown officials in organizing the event.

In June, the Middletown Town Council and State of Rhode Island also officially recognized Aug. 12, 2010, as "Shantel Bailey Day," choosing her birth date to honor the life she lived. Shantel's family has been in frequent contact with Corveno, Bay Management, which owns Oxbow Apartments and the town officials and local organizations in planning today's events, said Corveno.

"We really wanted to honor how she touched people's lives for the short time she was here," said Corveno. "And her family wanted to have activities that she would have really liked, or that when you see, you think of her and the joy she got from them."

For starters, Shantel loved basketball. Today's events begin with a re-dedication ceremony of the Shantel Bailey Basketball Court at the heart of the Oxbow Apartment complex on Rogers Lane, followed by a three-on-three basketball tournament, a hoop shoot-out, and driving safety poster contest.

Additionally, a silent auction and 50/50 raffle will be held to benefit the Shantel Bailey Scholarship, another endeavor meant to honor Shantel's memory through life-enriching, positive ways.

Today's "1st Annual Shantel Bailey Day" family festival is free and open to the public. It takes place today from 11 am – 4 pm at the Oxbow Farms Apartments, 80 Rogers Lane. Anyone wishing to drop off donations for the silent auction may continue to do so at the main rental office, said Corveno.

For more information, also visit www.shantelbaileyproject.org.