Family seeks to keep girl's memory alive with 'buddy' benches

The parents of a five-year-old girl who died last summer in a Churchill, Man., canoe accidentare carrying on their daughter's memory in a way they hope strengthens ties on the playground and inManitoba communities.

"My daughter was a beautiful sweet child and I just want everybody to know her and just appreciate everything about her," said Toni deLaroque, Danica deLaroque's mother.

"It is hard to make sense of what has happened to our family, but it has made us stronger."

Danica was in a canoe with her father, Donnie,and younger brother, Connor, in July 2016 that capsized in the cold waters of the Churchill River, causing her to experience hypothermia and later die in hospital. Her father and brother were also pulled from the frigid water but survived.

"She was on the river with two of the people she loved the most," deLaroque said. "They were canoeing out to the belugas, she was singing Baby Beluga.The canoe capsized for no reason."

The family canoed the same waters a year earlier while on vacation and didn't encounter any problems, deLaroque said.

"Never ever did the thought of somebody dying from hypothermia cross my mind. I felt safe when we were canoeing, and obviously my husband did, too he would've never put the kids in harm's way."

All the kids in the school will know to look for kids on those benches and say, 'Hey, why don't you come play with us?'- Toni deLaroque, Danica's mother

An outpouring of community support followed that encouraged deLaroqueto start Danica'sVillage, a charityin the works that will focus on spreading a positive message about the importance of community.

"The saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child'is definitely an approach that we took as parents," she said. "Youjust rely on people to help you raise your children."

To that end, money raised through Danica'sVillage will go toward the construction of "buddy benches," conventionally used in anti-bullying campaigns. ThedeLaroquefamily wantstheir colourful Danica-inspiredbenches installed on school grounds in Manitoba.

"All the kids in the school will know to look for kids on those benches and say, 'Hey, why don't you come play with us?'" she said.

"That is apicture perfect [example] of whoDanicawas. She would always go and grab kids she didn't know she would just pull a kid in."

The family sold T-shirts and mugs at a Canada 150 event in their home community ofGrosseIsle, Man., on July 15to raise money for the project.

The items, which are still for sale, includethe words "Find Your Village, Love Them Hard," borrowing the name and merchandise idea from a fundraiser set up by family friends in the wake ofDanica'sdeath to help cover funeral costs.

The shirts and mugs are available for purchase through the Danica'sVillage Facebookgroup.