BELWOOD – More than 200 people gathered as dusk fell at Belwood Lake on Feb. 22, paying tribute to Kaden Young one year after his death.
Some brought Teddy bears or painted stones to lay before a memorial by the shore, close to where his body was found last April after a two-month search.
The wooden cross is engraved: Kaden Forever Young.
The three-year-old was swept into the Grand River on Feb. 21, 2018 after a minivan driven by his mother, Michelle Hanson, passed a road closure sign on the 10th Line near Waldemar and entered the river.
Hanson got the boy out of the van, but he slipped from her grasp.
On Oct. 11, Hanson was charged by Dufferin OPP with impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death.
The case is still before the courts.
Some of the volunteers in the search effort were at the Friday memorial, and Kaden’s father Cam Young offered his thanks.
There was a recitation of the song Tears in Heaven, and people joined in singing This Little Light of Mine and in the release of Chinese lanterns before walking to the Belwood Hall for a reception.
“Kaden is with us each and every day,” said Shawn Hillier, one of the search team leaders.
“Let’s take that extra minute every day to make this world a better place. Kaden is smiling down on us.”
Another searcher said, “We came together as one with a mission, to bring Kaden home for his family. Together as a community, we endured so much to bring him home.”
The woman continued, “We battled the elements, extremely rough terrain and the ups and downs of an emotional roller coaster.
“Many of us never had the pleasure to meet Kaden here in the physical world, but that sweet boy brought us all together: family, friends and strangers.
“He taught us to be kind, even to strangers.”
