South Shore residents paint rocks in memory of Wolfville boy who died in flood
Painted rocks will be added to Eli Young's memorial site in Wolfville
Inspired by a list of what he loved, volunteers on Nova Scotia's South Shore painted rocks in memory of Eli Young over the weekend.
Eli, who lived in Wolfville, died July 11 when he was overpowered by strong waters as the remnants of post-tropical storm Beryl swept through the western part of the province. He was 13, having just finished Grade 7.
The rock painting event was held Sunday in Blockhouse, about 90 kilometres south of Wolfville.
"Being on this side of the province an hour away, I thought this was something that we could do here that we could bring to that side for them," said Eli's uncle, Bill Young, who is the chief of the Blockhouse & District Fire Department.
"There's a lot of people in the area that know myself [and] my family and support us in this tragedy, so it's a good way for them to express something for my nephew Eli."
People who attended the event also had the opportunity to learn more about Eli, who loved his friends, playing basketball and video games, and collecting sneakers.
His uncle said he was also a young entrepreneur who sold candy on the Acadia University campus.
"He would leave the house with $5 in the morning and he'd come home with 50, 60 bucks," Young said Sunday.
"And then he would turn that money not into stuff for himself, but he would actually take his group of friends out and buy them burgers and shakes at a local diner or something … he was always giving back."
The painted rocks will be added to a memorial his friends set up at the Wolfville park where Eli was lost in the floodwaters. Dozens of colourful rocks have already been placed at the site.
"I just thought that it would be a good thing to do, to kind of send support from the South Shore and love and let them know that we're thinking about them at this very difficult time," said Reena Wentzell, who helped organize the event on Sunday.
Eli's uncle said he's thankful for the community support and for fellow first responders who took the call that night.
He highlighted the importance of seeking mental health support as a first responder.
"These critical stress incidents that we go through is something that no matter how much training you do, it hits everybody in a different way," Young said.
"For myself, I've seen enough stuff that I know that anything to do with children is where it's going to be my weak spot. Just talking about Eli almost two weeks after the fact is still going to be hard and it's never going to get easier."
With files from Josh Hoffman
