Rooted in Remembrance: BrightView Builds Memorial Gardens for Two Communities in Mourning

In moments of unimaginable loss, communities can often find strength by coming together and leaning on each other, honoring those gone too soon, and creating spaces for remembrance. Across two towns hundreds of miles apart, that’s exactly what unfolded as school communities and BrightView teams joined hands to build memorial gardens that offer peace, healing, and hope.

This spring, the Levittown community in Pennsylvania honored the memory of three lives taken far too soon. In March 2024, three were killed, including a teenager, in a devastating act of domestic violence. The tragedy shocked the town, including the local school district, where one of the children attended middle school.

What began as an effort to clean up an overgrown footbridge evolved into a renovation that included a garden space and a memorial bench honoring the victims. Spearheaded by Manor Elementary School and supported by the Pennsbury School District and community leaders, the project quickly gained momentum with help from BrightView, the district’s landscape partner.

“We sourced and provided the plant material and soil for the raised garden bed,” said Andrew Jones, BrightView’s Northeast Regional Sales Leader. “The team also took time out of their day to work with the students during the cleanup and installation. We had them join our stretch-and-flex and taught them how to identify the various plant materials. The kids are the ones who did the plantings, but we supervised the entire process.”

Associate Branch Manager Chris Clarke, along with Crew Leaders Ernesto Alvarado and Hector Colon, from BrightView’s Central Jersey branch, played a key role in bringing the vision to life.

“This wasn’t just a landscaping project, but a way for us to stand beside the school and help the kids channel their emotions into something lasting and beautiful,” Clarke said. “It’s incredibly meaningful to be able to partner with a district that cares so deeply and to give back in a way that helps the healing process begin. We were honored to be a part of it.”

More than 600 miles away, in Oxford, Mich., another community continues its journey of remembrance and recovery.

There, a new memorial garden now grows in Seymour Lake Park, an oasis of calm and peace dedicated to four Oxford High School students, all victims of a school shooting in November 2021.

Known as Hana’s Garden, the space was envisioned by one of the students’ father and took more than two years of planning, design, and perseverance. At one point, when he faced challenges securing donations and labor, BrightView stepped in.

“We started out consulting and working with Steve and the architect on the plant list and finding suppliers,” said Jon Wurges, Account Manager at BrightView’s Pontiac North branch. “I was able to get our local supplier involved, as well as get the plant count down and within Steve’s budget.”

A week before installation, another landscape company fell through on labor and equipment, but BrightView quickly mobilized, pulling together staff and volunteers from across the branch. Led by Wurges, Samir Namuk (Branch Manager), Sam Ventimiglia (Vice President & General Manager), Paul Carrick (Enhancement Manager), and Jose Louis Nunez (Enhancement Crew Leader), the installation was completed in just two days.

The effort was deeply personal for many involved. Several BrightView team members had children at the school including Wurges, Nunez, and Crew Leader Todd Delano.

“We are a small community where everyone knows each other, and the shooting rocked all of us,” Wurges said. “I will never forget that day.”