A special playground at Prendergast School in Ansonia is now open and each detail was chosen as a tribute to a special 6-year-old girl.
The playground is dedicated in honor of Catherine Hubbard, a 6-year-old girl killed in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December.
On Friday, there were sounds of joy and laughter as children lined up to slide at the new playground.
Catherine’s mother, Jenny, spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
"And remember that no matter what, everybody loves you," she said.
The Ansonia playground is the third of 26 that the New Jersey Firefighters Benevolent Association will build in communities across the northeast in honor of the 20 students and six staff killed in the shooting.
"Our job is to keep children safe and when bad things happen to kids, it's a failure of the system, so this is a way of us trying to heal ourselves and make some sense of it," Bill Lavin, president of the New Jersey Firefighters Benevolent Association, said.
Even the colors chosen for the playground honor Catherine, who loved purple and pink.
"We had Fred, Catheine's older brother, act as the foreman on the job. He steered us to the tire swing, the colors, and it's really a gift," Lavin said.
Michelle Barona, of Ansonia, never met Catherine, but felt compelled to go to the playground and the unique butterfly garden planted in memory of the victims. She said she hopes the playground will stand as a reminder that there is healing after tragedy.
"We’re here for them forever and we'll always keep them in our hearts and prayers every day," Barona said.
