The deadline to contribute a brick to the construction of a Purpose Garden in honor of Erin Hook is Friday.

“We’re going to place our first brick order. These are memorial bricks that people can buy. They’re varying sizes,” said Bill Titcomb one of the organizers.

Titcomb said the project is a way to honor and memorialize Erin Hook.

“Erin was a wonderful and talented woman who grew up right here in St. Joseph but died just a month before her 21st birthday in an automobile accident back in March of 2014. Erin was very active and an inspiring person to those who knew her and around her,” he said.

Over the past year and a half volunteers have come up with a tribute to Erin called a Purpose Garden. Mike Veale another organizer said Erin wrote on social media to “Live with a purpose” shortly before her death.

“Erin as most young people are they’re kind of famous for tweeting and stuff like that that some of us older people don’t understand but one

of the tweets that she did shortly before her death was ‘Live with a purpose’. You’re still on this earth for a reason, find that purpose and hold onto it for life.”

The Garden, which will be located on the St. Joseph Community Campus will include a Little free library, a reading nook, a memorial brick patio and several more features.

“It’s on the honor system which you bring a book and take a book. This little free library will will in the middle of a beautiful outdoor garden that will have native plants and flowers, a water feature. It will just be really well landscaped and the Master Gardner’s a local group here are really helping us out with that project,” Titcomb said. “They’re really passionate about it as well. It’s just a feel good story with all these people that have come together to honor this young woman.”

They said they hope to have the project completed by the end of March.

“We wanted to let the people out there know because we know there are a lot of people out there that wanted to participate that maybe haven’t already and this is a reminder to do that, Titcomb said.

Veale said the number of bricks available could vary.

“It’s going to be kind of up to everything we do of how we design this. If we get more to take up the space we’ve got plans. This is going to be a living memorial. We can expand. We’ve got designs for putting bricks depending on how many we get in other areas,” Veale said.

Anyone who wants to contribute a brick can pick up a brochure at either YMCA in St. Joseph or by calling Bill Titcomb at (816) 344-2476 or Mike Veale at (816) 596-0438.  CLICK HERE for more information.