Where Angels Play Foundation remembers Sarasota brothers

South Lido Beach is officially home to a new playground.

But it’s one that comes with a mission and extensive purpose, remembrance and reflection.

The playground is the 48th to be built by the Where Angels Play Foundation, which began following Hurricane Sandy and the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Founder Bill Lavin, who at the time of the founding was president of the New Jersey State Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association, had previously worked on building playgrounds with other firefighters following Hurricane Katrina.

He came up with the idea of building 26 playgrounds in honor of the students and teachers killed during the Sandy Hook shooting. Since then, those parents have paid it forward and contribute to building playgrounds in cities across the country, and one in Rwanda.

On April 21, South Lido Beach became home to one of these playgrounds in honor of Sarasota brothers Christopher and Jarrod Ditmars. Christopher Ditmars died in 2001 following a battle with Leukemia. Jarrod Ditmars died in 2015 following a spearfishing accident.

The playground was put together by volunteers on Wednesday, April 18 and Thursday, April 19 before being unveiled on April 21.

“It’s a dream come true,” Maribeth Ditmars, Jarrod and Christopher’s mother, said. “It’s like Sarasota and the whole world is giving us a hug.”

Before the ribbon was cut on the playground, Lavin and others spoke to the crowd. One speaker was Carlos Soto, whose daughter Victoria Soto died in the Sandy Hook shooting protecting her students. He told the crowd that for those that have angels, like his daughter and the Ditmars brothers, they are always near in heart.

“If we believe in our angels, they will move mountains for us,” he said.

The Ditmars had three choices when deciding where to put the playground, but South Lido Beach was the perfect spot to them. It was where they celebrated birthdays and cooked out on the weekends.

Now it’s a place of reflection but also a place where they can see children laugh and play.

“Every parent wants their child’s life to make a difference, and now ours has,” Maribeth Ditmars said.