Remembering Becky
BookCrossers around the world celebrate the short life of my daughter
by ResQgeekMay 25, 2011
Monday, August 30, 2010, is a date that is forever seared into my memory. On that beautiful late summer afternoon, my family’s world veered violently off its course when our nine year old daughter, Becky, was struck by a car and killed while riding her
bike. In the aftermath of our tragedy, we have found incredible comfort in the overwhelming support we’ve received from our family, neighbors, and friends, including those here on BookCrossing. In particular, the members of BC-in-DC, our local group of BookCrossers
here in the Washington, DC area, wanted to organize a memorial release for Becky, and suggested that it might be appropriate to hold it on Valentine’s Day, her birthday.
An announcement was posted in the Forums and an article was written for the newsletter, and BookCrossers from around the world volunteered to release books in Becky’s memory. Many released their books on her birthday, while others (myself included) stretched the releases out across the entire month of February. In the end, at least 29 different BookCrossers, from 7 countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom, United States) released well over 300 books! Some people released one or two books, others released as many as 72.
The evening of her birthday, a group from BC-in-DC met in Old Town Alexandria (Virginia) for a memorial release walk. The group included members who are very active and others who aren’t, and even a brand new BookCrosser who joined just for the event! About a dozen people joined the group for the six block walk to the waterfront where a tree had been planted in Becky’s honor, releasing books along the way. Even though it was cold and very windy, everyone was in high spirits and it was an excellent celebration of our daughter.
A number of the books released in Becky’s memory have been caught and journaled, including the copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that I released at the ski area in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a copy of Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger Too that 6of8 gave to a child on a Metro train in Washington, DC, and a copy of Dinosaurs Before Dark released by melydia not far from the White House. There are even books that have been caught twice, including Hello Spring, which I released during the release walk in Old Town Alexandria and How to Catch a Heffalump, which was released by eponine38 in Massachusetts.
It has been a great pleasure to see so many books released in Becky’s memory, and my family has found great comfort in seeing that she continues to inspire people. We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who released books in her honor.
You can find out more about Becky and her legacy at the Becky's Hugs page at Facebook.
An announcement was posted in the Forums and an article was written for the newsletter, and BookCrossers from around the world volunteered to release books in Becky’s memory. Many released their books on her birthday, while others (myself included) stretched the releases out across the entire month of February. In the end, at least 29 different BookCrossers, from 7 countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom, United States) released well over 300 books! Some people released one or two books, others released as many as 72.
The evening of her birthday, a group from BC-in-DC met in Old Town Alexandria (Virginia) for a memorial release walk. The group included members who are very active and others who aren’t, and even a brand new BookCrosser who joined just for the event! About a dozen people joined the group for the six block walk to the waterfront where a tree had been planted in Becky’s honor, releasing books along the way. Even though it was cold and very windy, everyone was in high spirits and it was an excellent celebration of our daughter.
A number of the books released in Becky’s memory have been caught and journaled, including the copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that I released at the ski area in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a copy of Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger Too that 6of8 gave to a child on a Metro train in Washington, DC, and a copy of Dinosaurs Before Dark released by melydia not far from the White House. There are even books that have been caught twice, including Hello Spring, which I released during the release walk in Old Town Alexandria and How to Catch a Heffalump, which was released by eponine38 in Massachusetts.
It has been a great pleasure to see so many books released in Becky’s memory, and my family has found great comfort in seeing that she continues to inspire people. We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who released books in her honor.
You can find out more about Becky and her legacy at the Becky's Hugs page at Facebook.
