Loving Laura Project
Donation protected
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Laura. She was a cheerful girl who loved to smile…
Summary: The Loving Laura project is a community-supported fundraising project to honor the life of Laura Cummings. The drive will fund two main portions of the project: a burial plot and memorial headstone, providing for Laura a peaceful, final resting place; and a bronze, ‘Angel of Hope’ memorial statue named in her honor to stand as a symbol of hope for all who have lost a child and as a symbol for justice against child abuse and domestic violence.
Background: Laura Cummings was a sweet, precious, child of God who was murdered following years of brutal emotional/psychological/physical/sexual abuse at the hands of her mother and oldest brother. At the time of her death, January 2010, Laura was a 23-year-old young woman, but had the mental capability of a seven- or eight-year-old child. Laura was completely defenseless against the evil that consumed her life*.
* To learn more, watch:
The Loving Laura Project: The Loving Laura project provides a vehicle for the Western New York community-at-large to come together for a common purpose in honoring Laura’s life. Though the community could not hear Laura’s cries for help when she was alive, Loving Laura provides for her, in death, a strong voice that speaks out with a bold statement against the atrocities waged against a beautiful, innocent girl.
Unifying the community around the Loving Laura project may also offer an opportunity to help strengthen the relationships between and among Laura’s remaining siblings, allowing them to continue healing together from the domestic violence they also experienced. By honoring their sister in this manner, the Loving Laura project seeks to represent a loving respect for each of Laura’s siblings: Patricia Wright, Edward Overmoyer, Richard Cummings and Krystal Cummings.
The two main portions of the Loving Laura project are summarized below. Should the fund drive exceed the expenses of these aspects, the additional proceeds will be donated in Laura’s name to domestic violence charities in the Western New York Region.
1. Headstone and Burial Plot: To honor Laura’s memory with the dignity she deserves, a burial plot and memorial headstone will be purchased to mark the site where Laura may be laid to peaceful rest. This site will provide an intimate setting for her loved ones to mourn her death.
2. ‘Angel of Hope’ Statue: The ‘Angel of Hope’ statue will be placed in honor of Laura in a public space that provides a setting for others to mourn the loss of a child and a place that stands as a powerful, visible testament against domestic violence and for justice for the most defenseless in society, our innocent children. The location of the Loving Laura angel statue has yet to be determined. It is hoped to stand in a location donated through the Loving Laura project, possibly along the re-developing Buffalo waterfront, in a historical cemetery, or within a prominent public park setting. As the location for the statue is identified, an update to this GoFundMe site will provide the details.
The Christmas Box Angel Statue was introduced to the world in the book The Christmas Box, a worldwide bestseller and hit television movie by author Richard Paul Evans. In the book, a woman mourns the loss of her child at the base of an angel monument. Though the story is mostly fiction, the angel monument once existed but is speculated to have been destroyed. Richard Paul Evans commissioned a new bronze angel statue, in response to reports that grieving parents were seeking out the angel as a place to grieve and heal. The monument was dedicated in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 6, 1994… corresponding with the date of the child’s death in The Christmas Box. (Coincidentally, December 6th is celebrated in many parts of the world as Children’s Day).
In addition to the angel in the Salt Lake City cemetery, there are Christmas Box angel statues, each often named ‘Angel of Hope,’ in more than 120 places*, primarily across America, but also throughout the world, including Canada and Japan. None exists in the WNY Region… yet.
But soon, one will stand in memory and honor of a lovely girl named Laura.
* For the list of already placed angels, visit: http://www2.richardpaulevans.com/angel-statues/locations/
Loving Laura Cost: Donations will support all costs associated with the purchase of the burial plot; headstone; bronze ‘Angel of Hope’ statue; angel’s base; monument inscriptions; placement of memorials, including delivery; and site of angel placement.
Tax-Deductible Donations: Churches In Action*, a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, has agreed to partner with the Loving Laura project to receive contributions which will provide a tax-deductible option for donors. Therefore, especially for those contributors interested in making a large donation (over $250), please make your check payable to: Churches In Action, and mail to: 177 Main Street, Hamburg, New York 14075. Please include Loving Laura on the memo line of your check.
*For more information about Churches In Action, visit: www.churchesinaction.com
Loving Laura Administrator: I am a friend of Laura’s youngest sister, Krystal Cummings. I was moved to start the Loving Laura project after learning about Krystal’s desire to lay her sister to rest and mark the presence of her life and burial site with a headstone. For the sole purpose of adding credibility to the sincere intentions of Loving Laura, I identify myself as Suzanne McKenney, president of the Character Council of Western New York*. For questions relating to the Loving Laura project, please contact: [email redacted]
* Loving Laura is not a project of the Character Council of Western New York.
Summary: The Loving Laura project is a community-supported fundraising project to honor the life of Laura Cummings. The drive will fund two main portions of the project: a burial plot and memorial headstone, providing for Laura a peaceful, final resting place; and a bronze, ‘Angel of Hope’ memorial statue named in her honor to stand as a symbol of hope for all who have lost a child and as a symbol for justice against child abuse and domestic violence.
Background: Laura Cummings was a sweet, precious, child of God who was murdered following years of brutal emotional/psychological/physical/sexual abuse at the hands of her mother and oldest brother. At the time of her death, January 2010, Laura was a 23-year-old young woman, but had the mental capability of a seven- or eight-year-old child. Laura was completely defenseless against the evil that consumed her life*.
* To learn more, watch:
The Loving Laura Project: The Loving Laura project provides a vehicle for the Western New York community-at-large to come together for a common purpose in honoring Laura’s life. Though the community could not hear Laura’s cries for help when she was alive, Loving Laura provides for her, in death, a strong voice that speaks out with a bold statement against the atrocities waged against a beautiful, innocent girl.
Unifying the community around the Loving Laura project may also offer an opportunity to help strengthen the relationships between and among Laura’s remaining siblings, allowing them to continue healing together from the domestic violence they also experienced. By honoring their sister in this manner, the Loving Laura project seeks to represent a loving respect for each of Laura’s siblings: Patricia Wright, Edward Overmoyer, Richard Cummings and Krystal Cummings.
The two main portions of the Loving Laura project are summarized below. Should the fund drive exceed the expenses of these aspects, the additional proceeds will be donated in Laura’s name to domestic violence charities in the Western New York Region.
1. Headstone and Burial Plot: To honor Laura’s memory with the dignity she deserves, a burial plot and memorial headstone will be purchased to mark the site where Laura may be laid to peaceful rest. This site will provide an intimate setting for her loved ones to mourn her death.
2. ‘Angel of Hope’ Statue: The ‘Angel of Hope’ statue will be placed in honor of Laura in a public space that provides a setting for others to mourn the loss of a child and a place that stands as a powerful, visible testament against domestic violence and for justice for the most defenseless in society, our innocent children. The location of the Loving Laura angel statue has yet to be determined. It is hoped to stand in a location donated through the Loving Laura project, possibly along the re-developing Buffalo waterfront, in a historical cemetery, or within a prominent public park setting. As the location for the statue is identified, an update to this GoFundMe site will provide the details.
The Christmas Box Angel Statue was introduced to the world in the book The Christmas Box, a worldwide bestseller and hit television movie by author Richard Paul Evans. In the book, a woman mourns the loss of her child at the base of an angel monument. Though the story is mostly fiction, the angel monument once existed but is speculated to have been destroyed. Richard Paul Evans commissioned a new bronze angel statue, in response to reports that grieving parents were seeking out the angel as a place to grieve and heal. The monument was dedicated in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 6, 1994… corresponding with the date of the child’s death in The Christmas Box. (Coincidentally, December 6th is celebrated in many parts of the world as Children’s Day).
In addition to the angel in the Salt Lake City cemetery, there are Christmas Box angel statues, each often named ‘Angel of Hope,’ in more than 120 places*, primarily across America, but also throughout the world, including Canada and Japan. None exists in the WNY Region… yet.
But soon, one will stand in memory and honor of a lovely girl named Laura.
* For the list of already placed angels, visit: http://www2.richardpaulevans.com/angel-statues/locations/
Loving Laura Cost: Donations will support all costs associated with the purchase of the burial plot; headstone; bronze ‘Angel of Hope’ statue; angel’s base; monument inscriptions; placement of memorials, including delivery; and site of angel placement.
Tax-Deductible Donations: Churches In Action*, a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, has agreed to partner with the Loving Laura project to receive contributions which will provide a tax-deductible option for donors. Therefore, especially for those contributors interested in making a large donation (over $250), please make your check payable to: Churches In Action, and mail to: 177 Main Street, Hamburg, New York 14075. Please include Loving Laura on the memo line of your check.
*For more information about Churches In Action, visit: www.churchesinaction.com
Loving Laura Administrator: I am a friend of Laura’s youngest sister, Krystal Cummings. I was moved to start the Loving Laura project after learning about Krystal’s desire to lay her sister to rest and mark the presence of her life and burial site with a headstone. For the sole purpose of adding credibility to the sincere intentions of Loving Laura, I identify myself as Suzanne McKenney, president of the Character Council of Western New York*. For questions relating to the Loving Laura project, please contact: [email redacted]
* Loving Laura is not a project of the Character Council of Western New York.
Organizer
Suzanne McKenney
Organizer
Hamburg, NY