The outpouring of support for 5-year old Elizabeth “Lizzy” Shelley stretched into the early hours of Monday morning as hundreds of volunteers created thousands of ribbons of all colors.
“Lizzy didn’t have a favorite color,” said Families Feeding Families founder Jaymee Kay Loftin Avery. “She liked all colors and so her favorite color was rainbow, so we did every color we could.”
Families Feeding Families and the Children’s Justice Center sought donations and volunteers to help create rainbow ribbons for the vehicles and motorcycles for Tuesday’s funeral procession. Ribbons will also be given to the hundreds of first responders and family expected to attend the memorial services.
MayMoes restaurant at 981 S. Main Street, hosted the ribbon-making event which began early Sunday evening. Volunteers worked until about 2 a.m. Monday morning, said Avery.
“There were points where there wasn’t even any room,” according to Avery. “People were working on top of garbage cans and in the bathrooms and outside because there was no room.”
Volunteers from every walk of life came together to show love and support for Lizzy and her family, including a two year girl and a “sweet little lady probably in in her 80’s.”
Private donations for the ribbons came from people throughout the community and beyond.
“Somebody from overseas sent us $20. This was his hometown and he wanted to help,” said Avery.
“One thing that was so cute, I got .98 cents from a little girl. Her dad wrote me a note and said these were all her pennies and she wanted me to have them and I just thought that was adorable,” she said. “There was just a lot a neat things that people did and made you feel good to be part of this community.”
There was such an overwhelming response to the rainbow ribbon-making event that volunteers will spend Monday evening decorating businesses along Main Street in Logan, Smithfield and Hyde Park City.
“It totally tells me we’re awesome, that we care about each other,” said Avery. “It just shows that small town mentality and that everyone matters here.”