HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Nearly three years after 13-year-old Lucia Bremer was shot and killed in Henrico County while walking home from school, her family, friends and community continue to honor her memory with acts of service.
The Canterbury Recreation Center held its third-annual “Lucia Bremer Day of Service” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. In partnership with Feed More, the center hosts this food drive to collect needed food items for community members experiencing hardship.
Lucia’s parents requested a day of service be held on the one-year anniversary of her tragic death to bring those who loved her together in the name of positive change.
According to Angie Hutchison, the facility manager of Canterbury Recreation who knew Lucia, her parents didn’t care what the good acts being done were — just that they were done in her memory.
The Canterbury Recreation Center, being a large community asset, worked with the family on what it could do to best grant their wishes. In the end, it was decided to begin this food drive tradition out of love for Lucia, who was very involved in the center’s activities before her death.
“She was [a] very sweet, loving girl — she was very involved in her community,” Hutchison said. “This is just a way to honor her and keep that light shining. So, I think her family is just interested in associating her with that positive spirit, rather than such a negative thing.”
Those who loved Lucia often describe her as someone who was vibrant and bright.
“Her name means light,” Hutchison said about Lucia and what that energy means for these events. “It’s just a way to spread light in an otherwise dark time.”
Piles of food were collected by community members on Sunday, with people of all ages getting involved and spreading the word about both Lucia and the food drive being supported in her memory.
“A lot of her friends are still around that want to help and want to do something,” Hutchison said, speaking to the high youth engagement at these events. “So it’s a great way for families to come together and help.”
According to Hutchison, these days honoring Lucia have generated a total of about $14,000 for Feed More over the past three years.
To learn more about Lucia’s life and death, as well as what her family has done in the three years since, view our full coverage here. Keep scrolling to see more photos from today’s food drive.
