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His challenge was to build a memorial garden at the site of a bench and memorial red sunset maple tree donated by the employees of Upper Valley Medical Center and dedicated in summer 2015. The tree and bench were to serve as living reminders of sisters Dionanna Alexander-Bishop, 14, and Dejah Alexander-Bishop, 13, and their cousin, Jakia Jones, 13.
The girls died in early 2015 from carbon monoxide in their home near the community center, where they spent time along with Jakia’s brother, Jahari Ward, 8, who was hospitalized for a time but survived the incident.
“I selected this project because it was something that I felt like I could turn into something beautiful to honor the lives of those three girls,” said Twiss. He is 16 and the son of Mike and Erin Twiss.
Caleb Twiss planned the added landscaping including more plantings and a walkway to the bench and memorial area.
He met with different companies about donating materials and/or money to help make the project a reality. Materials needed for the project were contributed by Lowes, Greentech, Chick-fil-a and Level MB Construction.
The planning and gathering of the materials was the hardest part of the project, he said.
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The work itself was done over several hours April 8 with the help of Boy Scout Troop 1033, Level MB Construction and Greentech, Twiss said.
He has been a member of Troop 1033 for five years. Twiss said he plans to attend college but has not yet settled on a school.
He said he was glad he chose the project and was pleased with the results.
“I think my project enhanced the existing memorial and allowed people to easily access the memorial,” Twiss said.
Shane Carter, Lincoln Community Center’s director, said the landscaping renovation/beautification project adds to the memorial area. “The project completes the Bishop Memorial area really nicely,” Carter said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com.
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