Children and YouthChildren's Memorial Project
Each year, hundreds of children around the country die by violence. In the past decade in Alameda County, more than 230 children under the age of 18 have died by violence. At the last Board of Supervisors meeting of each month, Supervisor Lockyer presents a remembrance of the children who've died, and the County lowers its flags to half-staff on the following Friday to honor them and heighten awareness of the tragedy of these lost children.
In addition, the fourth Friday in April is national Children's Memorial day. In Alameda County, the Children's Memorial Project holds an annual ceremony in the Children's Memorial Grove at Fairmont Ridge in San Leandro to install a permanent plaque with the names of the children who have died by violence from the previous year. This year's ceremony will take place on April 22, 2011 at 3 p.m. Supervisor Lockyer has convened the Children's Memorial Project Planning Committee to help in this meaningful effort. The committee is made up of the Alameda County Fire Department, Alameda County Sheriff's Department, Alameda County General Services Agency, East Bay Regional Parks District, Children's Hospital - Oakland, Health and Human Resource Education Center, Retired Supervisor Gail Steele, 1000 Mothers to Prevent Violence, and parents of the children.
- Children's Memorial Grove Ceremony Flyer and Map (PDF - 365kb) *
- Congressional Concurrent Resolution (PDF - 29KB)*
- "Children's Memorial Day" Resolution (PDF - 149KB)*
- Flag Protocol (PDF - 65KB)*
Children's Memorial Day
The California Assembly in April 1997 formally declared the fourth Friday in April as a statewide annual observance day: on the fourth Friday in April every year the Children's Memorial Flag is to be lowered statewide in memory of all California children dying by violence in the previous year. This effort has now become nationwide. On April 4, 2001, the United States Congress through the leadership of Congressman Pete Stark (Cal.) passed a concurrent resolution supporting this National Children's Memorial Flag Day and its regular annual observance on the fourth Friday in April.
The fundamental wish of the Memorial Committee is that the Children's Memorial Flag be available to any community that loses a child through violence. The CWLA has flags available -- please check the CWLA website at www.cwla.org/advocacy/memorialflag.htm
* Portable Document Format (PDF) file requires the free Adobe Reader.