PANAMA CITY — A table set for 10 holds the pictures and stories of people who will never sit there.
The empty table is for new additions to the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center’s ninth annual Missing Place at the Table memorial, as well as a place for domestic violence victims, a high chair for child victims and a special place for founder Charlotte Greathouse’s daughter, Kelli Bailey.
“Twelve years ago, my daughter’s life was taken in an act of random violence. We were invited to go to Tallahassee to remember her at a similar event,” Greathouse said.
Greathouse said the event inspired her to start Missing Place at the Table and that it brings her “peace” to work with the advocacy center.
PHOTO GALLERY
“The families that have participated have all said that it helped them to have closure because this day is to remember the joys of our loved ones that we’ve lost,” Greathouse said. “To me, that’s where the healing comes from.”
The memorial will be Monday at 11 a.m. at the Panama City Mall to remember murder victims within the 14th Judicial Circuit, which includes Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties.
Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center Kid’s Court advocate Lizabeth Berry said the event is “an opportunity for families to celebrate their loved ones.”
Other tables held displays of pictures and notes for almost 100 loved ones lost to violent crimes. Some of the displays include descriptions of how the victim died and their murderer’s name; others hold only stories of happy memories of the victim.
“They’re not just a statistic,” Berry said. Looking at the displays, she added, “You know these people.”
Monday’s program will feature speakers from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office and the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. The names of victims at the table will be read and their families will be recognized. The memorial will remain on display in the mall until Sunday for National Crime Victims Rights Week.
WANT TO GO?
-Who: Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center
-What: Missing Place at the Table
-When: 11 a.m. Monday
-Where: Panama City Mall center court near World Market entrance