The Hush Post: Community members in Dallas have planned a bench dedication ceremony and memorial service for the Indian girl Sherin Mathews who was found dead in a culvert in mysterious circumstances in October. The dedication ceremony for the 3-year-old will be held on December 30 at the Restland Funeral Home in Dallas, Texas.
The dedication, mostly on park benches, provides a lasting tribute in honour of a loved one. A memorial bench or memorial seat is a piece of furniture typically made of wood or metal, stone or any synthetic material which commemorates a person who has died. Memorial benches are are placed in public places but are often also placed in domestic gardens.
Following the memorial service, a bench dedication and dove release will take place, WFAA television station reported. The space has been landscaped and provided by Restland as a place for the community to reflect and honour Sherin, adopted by Indian-American couple Wesley Mathews and Sini Mathews.
David Turnblad, a family service counsellor at Restland said he was impacted by Sherin’s story and knew he had to do something to help with the bench dedication. Turnblad met a man named Gene through the Nextdoor app. Gene had the bench but needed a place to put it.
“The thing that I really like is that Richland Park is a very diverse neighbourhood and this crosses all the religious cultural lines, they’ve all disappeared,” Turnblad said. “It’s about the community.” Turnblad said it’s not about money, it’s about recognising the impact that this has had on so many people’s lives.Mike Wilfong, the community outreach director for Restland said he’s happy to be a part of this dedication process. “People haven’t had that chance or opportunity to get together and start that process to begin to come to terms and move toward healing,” he said. Sherin’s father was arrested and charged with felony injury to a child, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.