The city of Santa Clarita is now accepting names of Santa Clarita youth, ages 24 and younger, who lost their lives in traffic-related incidents, to be added to the Youth Grove in Central Park, located at 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91350. To be considered for addition to the memorial, youth must have lived in the Santa Clarita Valley or attended a local school.

The half-acre Youth Grove in Central Park is a public memorial that began as a grassroots effort and is supported by the city of Santa Clarita. It is dedicated to raising awareness about safe and responsible driving and offers a place for reflection on the tragic consequences that can result from drinking and driving, as well as reckless and distracted driving.

The Youth Grove currently has 118 individual pillars shaped as cut tree stumps to signify young lives cut short from traffic-related incidents. Each pillar has a plaque bearing the name of a young life lost. The pillars surround a central monument urging the community to “Know More” about safe driving habits and to pledge that “No More” young lives will be lost behind the wheel.

To submit a name to be added to the Youth Grove in time for the annual Evening of Remembrance event, which will take place on Aug. 23, a parent must submit a signed release form by July 7.

For more information on the Youth Grove and to obtain a release form, please visit santa-clarita.com/YouthGrove or contact Gabby Vera at (661) 250-3708 or gvera@santa-clarita.com.