The four victims of the Oxford school shooting will soon have a beautiful place of memorial thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, the dedication of a local father, and the greater community. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Hana St. Juliana Memorial Fund, and the Four County Community Foundation announced the campaign today, which is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.
If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by June 21, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/hana.
“Hana’s Garden will be a space of serenity and remembrance for the Oxford community,” said MEDC Regional Prosperity Managing Director Paula Holtz. “We are honored to support and provide resources for this project through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”
The public garden will center around a design concept of “four,” representing the four lives lost. The vibrant space will highlight perennials and native flowers, bushes, trees, and a water feature. The funding from this campaign will contribute towards the garden’s development and completion with a sculptural tree covered in Wisteria, hardscape and softscape materials, and will cover maintenance and upkeep costs. The visual mix of stunning plants and flowing water will combine to provide a small oasis of healing and remembrance for the community.
Hana’s father, Steve St. Juliana, said of the project, “This Public Spaces Community Places matching grant will bring us that much closer to realizing our vision for Hana’s Garden by enabling us to fill in the missing pieces to bring the garden to completion.”
Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity, in which local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.
”Placemaking is all about creating space for a community to come together, and Hana’s Garden will do just that,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League. “This park has a deep connection for the members of the Oxford community. It is a beautiful way to honor the four students and a way to help bring the community together as they continue to heal.”
The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of April 29, 2024, MEDC has provided more than $12.4 million in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 375 projects have been successful in reaching their goal, with more than $14.4 million raised from 68,793 individual donors. Communities have a 97 percent success rate in achieving their goals and earning matching funds.
About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.