LAS VEGAS -- Many of the valley's most vulnerable children go unrecognized in death. At least, until now.
Community members dedicated a permanent monument Wednesday to more than 100 valley kids interred without a marker.
Late last year, a local advocate learned that children laid to rest by Clark County do not receive a burial marker for economic reasons. Donna Coleman told 8 News NOW that she couldn't stand the thought of children, poor, abandoned, or abused in life, left unrecognized in death.
So with donations from the community, last February she dedicated 43 headstones. And now, there is a permanent monument for more than 100 kids cremated by the county. During the ceremony at Bunkers Mortuary, participants read the names of 145 children who now appear on a permanent memorial wall.
Among them is baby boy Harrahs. In 2002, the newborn was discovered in a dumpster behind Harrahs Hotel & Casino.
The dedication ceremony closed with the release of 145 balloons to represent each child. Bunkers Mortuary donated the memorial wall, Palm Mortuary donated the weeping angel and the Children's Advocacy Alliance sponsored the event. Coleman says, in all her years working as an advocate, no other project has come together so quickly.
