Character Counts Photo Gallery
Isn't Don Peslis related to Sandy Patty somehow? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else, idk.
zdebz
Yea, I already knew that, I just wondered who else did. Thanks
zdebz
Hi, my name is Laura Brinker. My daughter, Amanda Christian Brinker was brutally murdered at Edgewater Park by a 20 year old evil monster named Jesse Lee Pitts. My cousin introduced me to this website in the hopes of getting some support in raising funds for my daughters burial costs.
We have been to the Herald Bulletin many times and they always say they will "help" by publishing an article to help us with asking for donations. But no one ever does anything. No one helps. I have asked kpaul if he would support me and my daughters friends and family in this and he said he would but I would have to write it. So I am asking now, again. If I can write an article , what format, word count, etc. do you need?
I have seen articles on that young man that died from Anderson High school and all the people that rallied together to raise funds for his funeral. why did he get so much press? Because he was an athlete? Why isn't my daughter that important? A year later, I am still overwhelmed with a growing funeral bill and the cemetery bill which they will not let us put a marker on her grave until it is paid. My baby has no marker on her grave. When you go to Anderson Memorial Park to visit her grave, no one would even know where she is. No one can imagine how that makes me feel...
I don't expect any one to understand what I am about to say. I am commenting here on this thread about the block party and edgewater park that recently took place. I have seen the article in the newspaper, I have seen the photos and the video that AFP made. I realize that the Character Counts program is a positive and wonderful program for kids in our community. Of my 3 children, all of them have participated in it at their schools. I support it. But as a grief stricken mother who lost her child to a brutal, SENSELESS crime at the very park where all of this great fun and games were taking place was a little unnerving for me.
The walk that goes along the river was the same path that Jesse took my daughter down,just on the other side of the parking lot where all the festivities were taking place, at 7 am in the morning in the dark. It is where he bludgeoned her to death with 7-9 blows to the back of her head with a tire jack and drug her body by the back of her studded belt that she put on that morning while getting ready for school and put her body in the White River and then left her to die.
I believe she should have been remembered and honored at that place. She was just a child. She didn't deserve what happened to her there. I lost my baby girl. My oldest daughter lost her only sister. My son lost his older sister. The loss we experienced in unspeakable.
It has been a year and I have survived. But I will not let her or her memory be FORGOTTEN. I will speak up and I will rally for her. I will never let what happened to her be the end. I realize the world is going on and I understand that. But why Edgewater Park? Why did they pick that place to celebrate? And there are still some tokens of her memorial that hundreds of her friends made for her after her untimely death. There is a poster with a poem that I wrote about heaven that her friend made for her tacked to a tree. It is visible from anywhere in the park.
I wonder if anyone thought of her that day? I wonder if anyone walked over there to see the few tokens that are there that didn't get washed away over the winter. I think she should be honered and rememberd in this community. She was a part of this community. She was an Anderson High school freshman, a beautiful, funny, loving, amazing little girl. She was my daughter. I will not let her be forgotten.
Her character COUNTS.
Sincerely,
Laura Brinker
And yes, I thought of Amanda that day. And my daughter Ashli thought of her. We discussed the tragedy, along with one of my older daughters. I did not visit the Memorial site because I had 5 small children with me that I could not leave unattended while I went to look at something they did not understand. But Ashli went. Your daughter was thought of on that day, and remembered well.
I did think of Amanda, we have never met, but a young lady at my church was friends with your daughter, her father, the minister at our church, asked for us all to remember your daughter and your family in our prayers. I don't drive past Edgewater Park often, but the few times I have, I thought about her and your family.
A couple suggestions on fundraising, contact Applebees and see if they would work with you on the fundraising events, I think you either get 10 or 15%, you would have to get the flyers out, but that would be the easy part. How about a car wash, Dr Young (?), the one at 38th and Main seems to do a lot of them.
I will mention this to my minister and his family, and the church, maybe the church can think of something to do, if that is ok with you????
Please PM if you would like to give me more details or find out more about me.
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.
You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
Kristin Bell's mom???? What is your name? My daughter had sooo many friends and I have talked to so many people they all seem to be jumbled together in my head sometimes!
Thanks so much for responding and for your offer of support. i tried to pm you but it said 'access denied.' Maybe it's because I'm new??
You have lost 2 sons? Oh my goodness, I am so very sorry. My heart truly goes out to you. I would absolutely love to talk. I have so few friends since this has happened. Everyone is afraid of me now. I have lost people that I thought were friends. they just have disappeared. Even the one I called my best friend- of 15 years - has forgotten about me. My 2 sisters said they would come to the funeral and never showed and then one of them chewed me out and ripped my already bleeding heart out in an email. I was mortified. I still can't believe how cold and selfish people can be. I guess I remind them that bad things DO happen and maybe they don't like it. I don't know...
Anyway, thank you again and please pm me since I can't pm you.
{{hug to you}}
Laura Brinker
I did think of Amanda, we have never met, but a young lady at my church was friends with your daughter, her father, the minister at our church, asked for us all to remember your daughter and your family in our prayers. I don't drive past Edgewater Park often, but the few times I have, I thought about her and your family.
A couple suggestions on fundraising, contact Applebees and see if they would work with you on the fundraising events, I think you either get 10 or 15%, you would have to get the flyers out, but that would be the easy part. How about a car wash, Dr Young (?), the one at 38th and Main seems to do a lot of them.
I will mention this to my minister and his family, and the church, maybe the church can think of something to do, if that is ok with you????
Please PM if you would like to give me more details or find out more about me.
Laura, I don't know if I am going to say will help or not, but here goes.
I spoke with Stepanie Moran of Character Counts just a few days before the celebration in the park. She did mention your daughter and the events of that horrible morning. As I understand there was the hope of taking back the park, not from your daughter's memory, but from the memory of Jessie. Does that make sense? Kinda of like those "Take back the street" marches. A "Take back the park" celebration.
But if it helps, you daughter was remembered in the planning of the event.
President Just a member of ACSC Board of Trustees
Here's the link to the Anderson Character Counts Celebration photo gallery
http://www.andersonfreepress.net/image/tid/2561
And while I have your attention, apologies for not figuring out a better method on the photos yet and 'clogging up' the tracker page. You can go to multiple pages again, though - thank Colts Fan for speaking up!