Eighteen years ago today, Debi Faris established the Garden of Angels, a cemetery for abandoned newborns.
For the last eighteen years, she has been the final caretaker of babies who were thrown away in a desperate attempt to cover up a secret. Debi has blessed each infant with a name and a dignified burial, and she has been the only family these children have had.
Since 1996, the Garden of Angels has become the final resting place to 108 babies, and one adult. “Grandpa Joe” suffered brain damage when he was thrown into a trash can shortly after his birth, but he went on to live 66 years before joining his brothers and sisters in the Garden of Angels. It’s absolutely sickening to think that anyone would do this to an innocent baby.
Debi has been a crusader for our most vulnerable children, and without her help, passion and perseverance, we would not have the Safe Surrender program here in Los Angeles County. Since establishing the program, we’ve saved the lives of 122 babies and created 122 new families.
Today’s anniversary is a somber reminder of how far we’ve come in our efforts to protect newborns from abandonment, and a rallying cry for how much more work we have to do.
I ask you to join me in saying a prayer for all those children buried at the Garden of Angels, and the 122 newborns who were given a second chance at life.