Proceeds to benefit For the Love of Nature Fund…Forever Justin Shilling Foundation
By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
OXFORD — Justin Shilling loved nature. He loved being outdoors with family and friends, playing sports, going on nature walks or volunteering to help on the Polly Ann Trail.
On Saturday, Justin’s family and friends and dozens of supporters from the community held the first annual Justin’s Nature Walk in honor of Justin. The event included the opening ceremony of a pollinator garden next to the Polly Ann Trail off of Pleasant Drive, unveiling a plaque on Justin’s Boulder in the garden and walking along the Polly Ann Trail to Lake Powell and back.
“Thank you to everybody who came out in support today, came out to walk with us,” said Jill Soave, Justin’s mother. “It just warms my heart to see everybody coming together in honor of Justin. He’s not forgotten; he’s with us here today.”
Justin’s Nature Walk is the first community fundraiser for the “For the Love of Nature Fund…Forever Justin Shilling Foundation,” started by his family. All proceeds will be directed to the fund created in Justin’s memory and administered by Four County Community Foundation.
“Justin loved nature, he loved this trail and he has so many memories here with his friends and just spending time in nature. We plan to do big things with his foundation – planting trees, giving back to the community, supporting local initiatives to do more pollinator gardens, like this one,” Soave said. “This could not have happened without all of your support, so I appreciate it immensely.”
Polly Ann Trail Manager Linda Moran said all of the materials for the pollinator garden were donated by local businesses or groups, and the work to install everything was 100% done by volunteers. The boulder in the garden, the plaque honoring Justin and the signs were also donated.
“Everything that is here has been donated from the community,” Moran said.
A pollinator habitat brings in pollinators like bees and butterflies, Moran said. Along the portion of the trail near the pollinator garden are also Mason bee hives, which are houses for native bees, that pollinate 100 to 1.
“So, whatever 100 European honey bees pollinate, one Mason bee will pollinate,” Moran said. “It’s not just honey bees or Monarchs, we have a lot of different pollinators. Without pollinators we’re kind of sunk. And it’s just kind of a nice place to be.”
Oxford Early College student Braden Quesenberry designed the 12-foot by 100-foot pollinator garden space as part of his capstone project.
Trail users – whether walking, running or biking – are also encouraged to paint a small rock and bring it to the pollinator garden.
“We encourage everyone to paint a rock and bring it in honor of Justin and the others lost in the Oxford High School tragedy—Tate, Madisyn and Hana—and place them by Justin’s Boulder,” Soave said.
For the Love of Nature Fund…the Forever Justin Shilling Foundation’s intent is to award grant dollars to projects that encourage local residents to be outdoors in nature. His family envisions those projects to include everything from school gardens to support for local nature centers.
“And now we have Justin’s Garden, and he was a hero to me. He would come out and work on the trail. Justin was a good boy. So, we made this happen for him and his family and his friends,” Moran said.
To donate to For the Love of Nature Fund, visit www.4CCF.org and click on the “Initiatives” tab.