St. Augustine-by-the-Sea To Erect Fountain of Joy
by Carolyn Sackariason A local church will erect a monument in memory of a Santa Monica woman who was murdered in February. Kristi Johnson, 21, was found on March 3 at the bottom of a ravine in a remote neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills - her wrist bound, her body partially clothed and covered with a sleeping bag. Johnson's mother, Terry Wark, who lives in Los Gatos, Calif., came to Santa Monica to help local police find her daughter, who disappeared on Feb. 15. The search for Johnson and the Santa Monica Police Department's subsequent investigation into finding her alleged killer, Victor Paleologus, gained national media attention. Paleologus is currently in custody, awaiting trial on capital murder charges. When Wark first learned that her only daughter was missing, she immediately called St. Augustine-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church on Fourth Street for support and guidance. The church, according to Wark, offered the distraught mother reassurance, provided support and gave her strength during the stressful days of the search. Now, Wark wants to give back to the community she so heavily relied upon. "The community was so supportive of me when I was down there for those two weeks," she said. "They carried me through. It made it so much easier for me with the pain I was going through." Wark came back to Santa Monica earlier this month to work with the church in designing the Kristine John-son Fountain of Joy, which will be built in St. Augustine's courtyard. The church had for years planned to build a fountain, but it never came to fruition, said parishioner Ann Mohr. "It had fallen off the radar," she said. "It was beyond our financial capabilities." When Johnson's body was ultimately found, Wark said she felt she had to do something for the church and the Santa Monica community. So she began thinking about ways to channel money into the project on Johnson's behalf. Wark, along with the church's parishioners, are embarking on a fundraising effort within the Santa Monica community to help fund the construction of the fountain, which is estimated to cost $20,000. About 25 percent already has been raised. "I want to offer the same solace and comfort to people that the community and the church gave me," Wark said. During the search for Johnson, St. Augustine's opened its doors for a candle vigil on Feb. 27 - Johnson's birthday. Wark also held a memorial service at St. Augustine's shortly after Johnson was buried during a private service in Los Gatos, where she was born. Mohr, who is the chair of the church's buildings and grounds committee, hadn't met Wark until the candlelight vigil. "We were having a meeting there and it was the vigil," Mohr said. "There was something about (Wark) that touched me ... she has a great outlook on life, and I feel so terrible because no one should have to lose a child." Wark hopes the fountain will serve as a place where the community as a whole can come to find peace, meditate or renew their faith. The monument, which is designed as a woman with her arms raised up with water cascading down her, will celebrate the life of not just Johnson, but of all women. "It will be a place where you can tune in with yourself, re-energize ourselves," Wark said. "I hope it will remind people what we are grateful for." "Kristi was a such a beautiful and wonderful person to be around," she added. "God was with Kristi when she died and the water is a representation that God is always with us, and I hope it offers tranquility for people." Wark said water fountains represent a lot of her daughter's life. When Johnson was young, Wark would take her daughter and son, Derek, to her parents' home in northern California, where there was a large water fountain in the middle of the driveway. The kids used to ride their big wheels around it and it also served as the centerpiece of the home where most of the family photos were taken. Because it's centrally located in downtown Santa Monica, Wark and the church hope the fountain will serve as a respite for many people, including those who were touched by the July 16 Farmers Market tragedy, which occurred only a block away. The car accident claimed the lives of 10 people and dozens more were injured. St. Augustine still holds weekly services on Wednesday mornings for market vendors and patrons. As Wark and Mohr put the final touches on the fountain's design, the first round of fundraising is about to begin. They will work with business districts and start an effort to let people know about the project and how they can donate.
Donations can be sent to:
Copyright © 2003 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
|
