Julia's Garden Charity Wine Event
This year the 2009 Wine Event will be held on March 27th 2009 at Christina's in Foxborough Massachusetts.
On
Saturday March 29, 2008, the Cekala family will be hosting “The Julia
Foundation Charity Wine Event” to raise funds to benefit the non-profit
foundation set up in their daughter’s memory. The event will be held at The
Pawtucket Country Club from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Tickets are $30. The evening
will offer wine tasting, food, music, raffles and a silent auction.
The Julia Cekala Charitable Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 foundation that was created by Walter and Lynda Cekala in memory of their 9 year old daughter Julia. The foundation supports the local community through the building and maintaining of the “Julia’s Garden and Playground” complex located at the World War I Park in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Julia
was a student in the North Attleboro school system and a member of the
Southeastern Massachusetts Girl Scouts Troop # 114. She was a patient at Boston
Children’s Hospital where she received medical care and treatment for autism,
epilepsy, kidney disease, kidney dialysis and pancreatitis. Julia spent the last
8 months of her life as a patient in the intensive care unit at Children’s
Hospital.
The foundation provides North Attleboro and the surrounding communities with a handicapped accessible garden, picnic area and playground for people of all ages to enjoy. The peacock themed entrance arch invites visitors to discover the abundance of native flowering plants, shrubs and trees. There is a huge butterfly-shaped water play fountain and a two-story giant tower slide for children and adults to enjoy. The garden also has a magical area where one crosses over two wooden bridges to discover a “life-size” bronze unicorn keeping watch over a waterfall and a play area with giant cattails. A meandering path through a wooded area connects the garden to a playground that consists of two main play structures, two sets of swings and pre-school age play area. Picnic areas are scattered throughout the complex.
The foundation presently has expansion plans for a new addition to the playground in spring of 2008. A beach styled themed sand pit play area complete with a boardwalk, Adirondack chairs, sand toys and water play is on the drawing board! This area will also be handicapped accessible. It will include a row boat for imaginative play and the area will be landscaped with New England beach themed grasses and beach roses. As with the rest of the garden area, the ideas for the play areas come from Julia! Her favorite past-time was playing at home in her HUGE sandbox and she loved her trips to the family beach house in Falmouth on Cape Cod.
It has been a dream of the Cekala family to create a beautiful memorial garden in one of Julia’s favorite locations where other children and their families can relax, laugh and play among the beauty of nature powered by the magic of childhood imagination!
Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering for events or to donate funds, services or items appropriate for raffles or auctions.
Check out the Sun Chronicle article that appeared on Sunday March 9th 2008