By Cecilia Nasmith
Losing their precious daughter in a tragic incident last May does not mean that the date that would have been her third birthday will go by without a commemoration.
As a close friend of the Irwin family – whose daughter Vienna died while at her Baltimore daycare last spring – Heather Field is trying to make sure that this celebration happens, inviting members of the community to join her in a quiet remembrance of the day on March 30.
It takes place at 7:45 p.m. in front of Victoria Hall, Field said in an interview this week. And everyone who wants to show support for Vienna's parents Claire and Clay Irwin is welcome.
Bring your good wishes and, if possible, some celebratory or supportive touch – balloons, glow sticks, your butterfly Justice For Vienna lawn signs, or those butterfly lights that her mother has found comfort in as “a nice way to light up the sky every night for Vienna.”
There is no program as such – no speeches or happenings, just a chance “to show support for her parents, who would be planning a third-birthday party Saturday,” Field said.
“To show them that Vienna is not here, but she is not forgotten.
“Nothing negative – honestly, just to show love and support for Vienna's birthday, because she should be at her house blowing out her birthday candles. This is what we are going to do instead.”
There is also the hope to spread awareness.
“A lot of people think this was an accident – she fell down an open well or tank, and everyone has been cleared and her parents have their answers,” Field said.
“But what actually is happening is, we are doing Justice For Vienna to raise awareness among the community that this is still an actively ongoing criminal investigation. We want answers for Vienna's parents and people to be held accountable.”
And while the investigation goes on, she added, Vienna's third birthday will be celebrated with a quiet rally in front of Victoria Hall.
“We can't celebrate with her here, so this is the only way we know how to celebrate her.”
