Rocks hold a special meaning for the McGrath family.
“After the accident, when we were still in the hospital, people dropped off painted rocks on our front steps. It started with one rock that just said ‘love’ on it,” said Kerri McGrath, Colin’s mom. “And the next thing you know, our entire front steps were covered in rocks.”
Colin McGrath was almost 3 years old in July 2018 when he was killed by a vehicle in South Boston.
Despite their grief, Kerri and Brendan McGrath started Colin’s Joy Project to bring joy into the lives of others just as Colin did.
Wednesday’s Colin’s Joy Project Rock Painting & Music Party was a celebration of love, joy, and remembrance.
Kerri said people had also left rocks at the accident site at L and 6th streets, which has become Colin’s Courtyard. “We saved all the rocks and we’re like, one day, we’ll know what to do with them.”
All those rocks are in Colin’s Rock Garden at the Courtyard.
Some of the rocks were starting to look a little sad, so the family decided to hold the rock painting event, which also included tunes from Little Groove.
The event not only provided new rocks for Colin’s Rock Garden, it also raised awareness about Colin’s Joy Project and Colin’s Courtyard.
“We wanted to make sure people knew about this space,” Kerri said. “So that’s why we decided to do [the event] here.”
There are families who are new to the area or don’t know about the Project, so this event helps bring in new kids and families to Colin’s Joy Project.
The organization’s goal is to create joy for children and families in the community. Through the enhancement of play spaces and funding for family-focused programming in the South Boston area, the McGrath family’s hope is to see Colin’s smile reflected in their joyful faces.
