Remembering Gabby: Neighbors help clean up roadside memorial for young girl who died in Florida
Remembering Gabby: Neighbors clean up girl's overgrown memorial
The Rossi Family drove by a memorial for Gabby, a young girl who was hit by a car after she got off the school bus. The family decided one day to go out and clean up the girl's memorial, which had become overgrown with plants.
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When a Florida family saw a memorial for a young girl become overgrown with plants and weeds, they decided to clean it up and bring new life to a girl's memory, even though they did not know her personally.
"My boys, wife, and I-Drive by this area every single day," said Kent Rossi.
"It looks like a bush was on top of it – couldn't see anything," said Kent's boys, Nicholas and Andrew.
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According to Kent, Gabby was a 12-year-old girl who died June 2, 2010, a day after she got off the school bus and was hit by a car.
As a parent with kids who also take the bus to school, it hit close to home for Kent.
"One day I mentioned to my family that I think it'd be a nice gesture if we came down here and spruced it up," he said.
So they did. They cleared away weeds, and painted a new sign with Gabby's name, a bright new reminder to the community that Gabby's memory will not be forgotten.
With school in session again, Kent wants it also to serve as a reminder for all drivers – teens and adults – to slow down and to be more careful when on the road, before and after school.