The 29th annual Season to Remember Memorial Service for families who have lost loved ones to homicide will be held Thursday evening, December 14, at 5:45 p.m. in Centennial Park.
The memorial service, sponsored by the police department’s Family Intervention Program, the District Attorney’s Office, Tennessee Voices for Victims, and the United States Attorney’s Office, helps families ensure that homicide victims are not forgotten during the rush of the holiday season.
During the service, relatives and friends of the victims will place Christmas ornaments on a tree in the Children’s Garden in memory of their loved ones. There will also be a lighting of the Menorah to commemorate Hanukkah, and the Kinara to commemorate Kwanzaa.
Since 1995, families and friends who have lost someone to homicide have come together to place Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa remembrance decorations/ornaments on a special evergreen tree.
In preparation for Thursday’s service, families of homicide victims are being invited to gather to make ornaments in honor of their loved ones at 5 p.m. Tuesday, December 12, in the community Room of the Midtown Hills Precinct, 1441 12th Avenue South. Amy Griffith Taylor of the police department’s Family Intervention Program is the coordinator for this event. She and her colleagues will be on hand early to offer support to family members.