Local 18 Helps w/ Angel of Hope Statue in Washington Park

On October 4, 2008, the Springfield Angel of Hope, NFP dedicated an Angel of Hope Statue in the Washington Park Botanical Garden. The angel statue honors the lives of all children gone too soon and serves as a place of hope and healing for parents, families, and friends dealing with the tragic loss of a child. Over 600 area children's names are commemorated on the Memorial Wall located at the Springfield angel statue site. Information on how to add a child's name to the memorial wall can be found under "Giving Opportunities". The angel in Springfield joins nearly 100 Angel of Hope Statues in other communities across the country (including 7 in Illinois).

The original Angel of Hope Statue is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The statue was first introduced to the world in the book The Christmas Box, a worldwide best-selling story by author Richard Paul Evans. In the book, a woman mourns the loss of her child at the base of an angel monument. Although the story is mostly fiction, the angel monument described in the book once existed but was later destroyed in a flood. In response to reports that grieving parents were seeking out the angel as a place to remember and heal, author Richard Paul Evans commissioned a new angel statue.