Kevin Johnson - Memorial Bench

Hello friends and family of Kevin. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mike Flavin, cousin of Kevin.

A couple of weeks ago, Julie posted on Instagram that she wanted to dedicate a bench for Kevin along the route in St. Paul where he used to run and train. Julie wasn't getting any traction in her efforts to contact the St. Paul Parks and Rec Unit, and since the only skillset I possess is tracking down and hounding people, I was able to get in touch with the folks who oversee bench dedications with Julie instructing me.

The reason I wanted to have a degree of separation between Parks and Julie is that I thought it might be a cool idea for her and Kevin's community to help with the cost. The price given to me is $5,000.00 for a new bench dedicated to Kevin's memory (this was the type of bench Julie requested). From the Parks Dept. on the location:

We have a space available at the end of the parkway across the street from Summit Monument Park. There are two benches there now and I’m recommending a third to the left to form a triangle that looks out at the monument and the river beyond. Lots of runners end their Summit workout there, it looks like a perfect spot given the request from Julie.

When I asked Julie if she would like help with the cost, she said she would welcome help but wouldn't expect anyone to and has the funds to pay for it herself. Was thinking that this might be a way to ease her load during a very trying time, even if just a little bit. **JULIE IS UNAWARE OF THIS FUNDRAISER** so if we could all keep a lid on it, that would be great. No pressure on anyone to give, but if you are so inclined, I know Julie would appreciate the support.

Hugs and love to all of you all.