OGDEN, Utah – A 6-year-old girl who was killed last December in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was remembered in Ogden Saturday night.
The Ogden Raptors “pinked the park” in honor of Emilie Parker.
The Parker family is originally from the Ogden area, and they had moved to Newtown less than a year before the shooting. Robbie Parker, Emilie’s father, was the mascot for the Raptors in the late ‘90s, and Raptor’s owner David Baggott reached out to the family and invited them to spend a night at the ballpark in honor of Emilie. Parker even donned his old mascot suit for the evening.
Players showed their support by wearing pink jerseys with Emilie’s name on the back. The jerseys were also available for purchase, and the money raised will be donated to the Emilie Parker Art Connection.
Robbie Parker said he was grateful for the team's efforts on behalf of his daughter.
"The coolest part about tonight was just that David Baggott had the idea to try and raise some money for the Emilie Parker Art Connection," he said. "That's the gift that my wife and I are trying to leave for Emilie. That's something that was really important to her, so if we can pay it forward--letting other kids use art as a way to express themselves and making sure that they always have the means to do so with the donations that we're able to get and then give to local communities: That's the neatest thing about tonight."
For more information about the Emilie Parker Art Connection, click here.
