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41 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 9, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 1, 2003 Medford may get healing labyrinth By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Putting her energy into building a memorial labyrinth keeps Jenny Lee, 20, from feeling despair over the deaths of three Medford friends in 10 months, one of which occurred last week. "It keeps me distracted from dwelling on: ‘Oh, what is the point?’ " she said. Lee is one of nearly 30 young adults in Medford working on Jacob’s Memorial Labyrinth, a 50-foot-diameter concrete and tile meditation path proposed for Medford. The project is named for Jacob Lowell, 21, who ended his life in September. Chris Bitgood died at 23 in January in an accident and Matt Naumes died at 22 last week unexpectedly. Alba Park in downtown Medford is among the sites the group is interested in because of its central location. Advertisement Part of the proposal includes having tiles for teens and young adults to personalize to honor someone they have lost. "We’ve suffered a lot of teen and young adult deaths recently," said Kris Earl, case manager for Rogue Valley Medical Center Hospice services and coordinator of the project. The deaths are unrelated except that they have had a profound impact on the survivors, she said. With more than $1,000 raised toward their $10,000 goal, the group is not asking the city for money, just for land. And they have some support. "I’m excited about the idea of having a labyrinth in Medford," said Councilman John Michaels. "It’s something I’ve been advocating for a long time." He said not only are labyrinths "meditative celebrations of life," but they’re pieces of art and they’re easy to maintain. "I would like it centrally located," said Michaels. "I would like Alba Park, but there’s not a lot of support for it." Earl said she’s heard arguments that a labyrinth would be better suited to a place with less traffic and activity, but she disagrees. "It creates its own sacred place," said Earl. "It doesn’t need to be somewhere quiet." And by the young adults building the labyrinth themselves, it gives them a way to share feelings and create something good, she said. "It’s that ritual of doing something that helps heal the kids," she said. She said often young adults don’t feel heard and end up doing inappropriate things like creating a graffiti memorial. "That is just screaming: ‘I am hurting,’ " she said. The labyrinth project can channel that energy into something positive that benefits the whole community, she said. Lee said she knows some in her group of friends get drunk "because they don’t know what to do with themselves." "They want to numb the pain," said Earl, adding, "There are also kids suffering from the deaths of these kids who are thinking of suicide. "We need to teach this generation that’s coming up about death and life and grieving," she added. "A lot of times, when grief hits kids, they think they’re going nuts," said Donna Stribling, bereavement coordinator for Asante Hospice. She is also involved in the project. She is counseling a group of teens who were friends with Justin Debo, a 15-year-old Applegate resident who died in October in a car accident. Stribling said she’s impressed with these particular friends. "This group of kids has pulled together and made their own support group," she said. Michaels said he’s hopeful about the project’s success. "They’re working with the city and the Parks Commission to pick a location," he said. Councilman Bob Strosser also said he supports the labyrinth project, no matter what site is chosen. "I think this speaks well of our young people to want to do this," he said. Donations can be made to the Jacob Lowell Memorial Labyrinth Fund at Wells Fargo Bank branches. For more information, contact Kris Earl at 734-5625. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times