The flowers across from the post office on Route 32 have faded, but the memories of Cindy Hughes’ son remain vivid in her memory.

On Nov. 7, 2003 her life changed forever when her son Josh was killed when the car he was driving hit a utility pole on Route 32, near Liberty High School. 

“You never think it’s going to happen to you,” said Hughes. “It’s the worst loss imaginable. There aren’t any words to describe it. It’s something you live with every day.”

Soon there will be a new place for families like hers to visit and remember children and young adults who left too soon. 

Hughes, in conjunction with her nonprofit organization the J.O.S.H. Foundation, named after her son, is constructing the state’s first Angel of Hope memorial garden at the South Carroll Senior Center in Sykesville.

“It helps me having something to focus on,” said Hughes. “After talking to people who organize Angel of Hope gardens in other states, I realized that it gives people who have lost loved ones some purpose and meaning for their life, keeping the memory of their children alive.”

The idea behind the Angel of Hope comes from the popular book following a woman mourning the loss of her child, titled The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans.

To date, there are more than 100 Angel of Hope statues honoring young children across the U.S. and Canada, according to the author’s website, with the original statue standing in a cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah.

When Hughes first learned of the bronze statues, she said she knew it was her calling to create one for the area. 

Four years later, the plans are coming to life. Construction started a month ago on land donated by the government near the South Carroll Senior Center.

Hughes chose memorial tiles and benches for the Sykesville garden. “It’s a different feel," she said. "Most of them either have the memorial bricks or walls, and this is a little more peaceful.”

But the garden cannot be completed without the angel itself, which costs $14,500 alone. All together the organization is looking to raise around $100,000 for the project. 

“I’m trying to find as many venues as I can because it is a lot of money. The generosity has been amazing so far. A mason from Virginia has donated his labor and materials, the county gave us the land, and several local businesses have donated funds,” said Hughes.

The goal is to have the project completed by November so the community can participate in the national Angel of Hope annual candlelight vigil held on Dec. 6.

Hughes said she’s not only looking forward to the vigil and honoring her son, but to having a place she can visit and remember his life.

“I had my son cremated. I could not bear the thought of having him in the cemetery. I just wanted to bring him home, and I look forward to having a place to share with others to go and remember Josh and his life,” said Hughes.

To learn more, visit the organization’s website here.