Waukegan's Tree of Life Program helps to honor victims of crimes

The Waukegan Park District is recognizing National Crime Victims' Rights Week, which is commemorated Sunday, April 23, to Saturday, April 29, with the Tree of Life Program, funded by a grant from the Crime Victims' Service Fund of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court.

The program is an opportunity for families and friends to honor an individual who was the victim of a crime with a tree and a plaque in a local park.

Orders will be accepted throughout the year, but trees will be planted in the spring and fall. The deadline for spring planting requests is May 1, while the deadline for fall planting requests is Sept. 15. A plaque with the name of the honored individual and a brief personalized message will be installed near the tree. The Waukegan Park District will maintain the tree.

The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court established the Crime Victims' Services Fund in 2010 to provide services to crime victims and their families. The fund is administered by the Crime Victims' Services Fund Committee, comprising judges, probation staff, and court staff.

"The Tree of Life Program will provide a lasting memory for families and friends who lost a loved one to a crime," Waukegan Park District Executive Director Jay Lerner said. "The trees planted through this program will be a remembrance that will grow through the years."

More information, including the form for the program, is available at waukeganparks.org/memorialprograms.