EVERETT — A somber ceremony is planned in September to remember victims of local DUI crashes.
More families are encouraged to apply for the bricks being added to the DUI Victims Memorial Wall at McCollum Park in south Everett.
Already 125 names are engraved into bricks in the wall, which was built in 2001. So far at least six families have applied for new bricks.
Each brick represents someone who was killed by a driver impaired by drugs or alcohol. The ceremony to unveil the new bricks is set for 1 p.m. Sept. 17.
Families of victims have until Aug. 7 to apply. It will be the first time names have been added to the wall in five years, Jan Schemenauer said. She oversees the Snohomish County DUI Victim Panel, which provides presentations on the dangers of DUI at local schools and for offenders. Schemenauer lost her first husband and her nephew in separate DUI-related crashes. She helps manage the memorial wall.
Families of victims will speak at the ceremony in September. Thirteen names were added to the wall in 2010.
“It signifies that somewhere in the world, with the exception of their grave, is their name,” Schemenauer said. “It’s a lasting memorial to honor their life.”
For each ceremony, the wall is unveiled with the new bricks installed, and families are given a rose to set at the base, Schemenauer said. The six applications she’s received so far are for adults and teenagers. The names of children are on the wall, too.
The wall also is meant to remind people of the dangers of DUI. A man who served time in prison for vehicular homicide donates his time to install the bricks before the ceremony, Schemenauer said.
“Basically it’s gathering people together and remembering a life and honoring a life and reminding people to please be responsible and don’t drive under the influence of anything,” she said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
Families who have lost someone to a crash involving alcohol or drugs are encouraged to apply for a brick at the DUI Victims Memorial Wall at McCollum Park in south Everett. The deadline is Aug. 7 for a September ceremony to unveil new bricks. Drivers who were drunk or high and died in a crash aren’t eligible for a brick. Victims must have lived in Snohomish County at some point or have died after a crash within the county.
More info: 425-388-7269, janice.schemenauer@snoco.org. Applications also are available online at snohomishcountywa.gov/466/DUI-Traffic-Safety.
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