A Memorial for Caden McWilliams
Donation protected
Caden McWilliams attended Ellis Elementary and was a model student who was not afraid to do the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do. He was tragically neglected which police believe led to his death, and more about his story can be found here: https://denver.cbslocal.com/2019/03/01/coroner-caden-mcwilliams-dead-storage-unit-meth/
At Ellis Elementary we would like to honor his time and contributions to Ellis. "At Ellis he stood out from others from the moment he walked through the school doors every morning with a huge smile on his face" says Principal Whiteman. “His smile and eyes showed how kind and sweet he was at the core. Other students wanted to be his friend and looked to Caden for what to do next.”
The Ellis PTO would like to set up a memorial to honor Caden. All funds raised through this campaign will be managed by the Ellis PTO. The goals of the memorial will be:
1. Incorporating Caden's memory in a public art project planned to be displayed on the side of Ellis Elementary.
2. A bench and/or a tree at Ellis in his memory
As a long term goal we would like to educate and shore up our community to identify ways that we can help intervene and prevent other tragedies like this from happening to kids in our neighborhood. One idea is to work with local legislators to create a law where parents can drop off their kids at a safe space despite their age when facing mental health or addiction crisis, or just to admit that their kids are not being cared for adequately without fear of arrest or jail.
Additionally there will be a fundraiser for Ellis PTO at Esters located at 1950 S Holly St, Denver, CO 80222 with the funds raised being designated for a Memorial for Caden on April 6. The fundraiser will begin at 3 pm. Please come to support the memorial for Caden.
To stay the most up to date with information about our efforts you can join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/300269370492365/
At Ellis Elementary we would like to honor his time and contributions to Ellis. "At Ellis he stood out from others from the moment he walked through the school doors every morning with a huge smile on his face" says Principal Whiteman. “His smile and eyes showed how kind and sweet he was at the core. Other students wanted to be his friend and looked to Caden for what to do next.”
The Ellis PTO would like to set up a memorial to honor Caden. All funds raised through this campaign will be managed by the Ellis PTO. The goals of the memorial will be:
1. Incorporating Caden's memory in a public art project planned to be displayed on the side of Ellis Elementary.
2. A bench and/or a tree at Ellis in his memory
As a long term goal we would like to educate and shore up our community to identify ways that we can help intervene and prevent other tragedies like this from happening to kids in our neighborhood. One idea is to work with local legislators to create a law where parents can drop off their kids at a safe space despite their age when facing mental health or addiction crisis, or just to admit that their kids are not being cared for adequately without fear of arrest or jail.
Additionally there will be a fundraiser for Ellis PTO at Esters located at 1950 S Holly St, Denver, CO 80222 with the funds raised being designated for a Memorial for Caden on April 6. The fundraiser will begin at 3 pm. Please come to support the memorial for Caden.
To stay the most up to date with information about our efforts you can join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/300269370492365/
Organizer and beneficiary
Christina Hafler
Organizer
Denver, CO
Brooke Webb
Beneficiary