AKRON, Ohio — The Victim Assistance Program’s annual Angel Tree Ceremony will once again honor the memory of people who died in Summit County because of violent crime.
More than 1,000 people have died from violence in Summit County in the past 25 years, Victim Assistance Program said in a statement.
Now in its 28th year, the Angel Tree Ceremony features the Angel Trees, on which friends and family members hang angel ornaments displaying their loved ones’ names, and the Wall of Remembrance, displaying photos of those who were lost to crime.
The ceremony will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 5 at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St. in. in downtown Akron.
The event also will be livestreamed on the Victim Assistance Program Facebook page and recorded.
The Angel Trees and the Wall of Remembrance will be displayed throughout December.
Victims remembered at an Angel Tree Ceremony in the late ’80s. (Photo courtesy of Victim Assistance Program)
Those wishing to have a memorial photograph included on the wall can submit a 5-inch by 7-inch photo by Thursday, Dec. 1.
For anyone who’s lost a loved one to violence but can’t attend the event, a Victim Assistance Program advocate will place an angel on the tree on their behalf, the agency said.
Active in Summit County for the past 50 years, Victim Assistance is available 24/7 to help anyone who has been victimized, and filing a police report is not required.
The agency’s goal is to place a victim advocate on site within 30 minutes of an event, to advocate for and shepherd the victim through whatever follows.
For more information, call Victim Assistance at 330-376-7022 ext. 218 or email the photo along with the person’s information.
