GLOW Peace Garden at Cross Keys Park

Reviewed: August 3, 2026

Some places hold memories long before a sign or garden is ever placed there. Cross Keys Park is one of those places for Elaina Quinn Mammen’s family, and it is the setting chosen for the GLOW Peace Garden vision.

The garden is intended to become a welcoming place for remembrance, reflection, prayer, and peace. It is rooted in love for Elaina while also making room for others who need a quiet place to honor someone, breathe, or simply feel less alone.

Ribbon cutting and open house announcement

GLOW Peace Garden Ribbon Cutting Open House event details — GLOW Peace Garden Ribbon Cutting Open House announcement.

GLOW announced a public ribbon-cutting open house for Sunday, August 2, 2026, from 2–4 PM at Cross Keys Park, 1240 Cross Keys Road in Lexington.

The event announcement was shared by The GLOW Project and Heather Mammen. This page records the announcement as the Peace Garden’s latest confirmed public milestone.

Public reporting from LEX 18 previously documented city approval for the Peace Garden and described the project as a permanent place to remember Elaina and others lost to violence, with a design centered on native Kentucky flowers and plants.

What the garden is intended to offer

The heart of the Peace Garden is simple: a place where people can slow down.

For some visitors, that may mean remembering Elaina or another person they love. For others, it may mean prayer, reading, quiet reflection, or time outdoors. The garden’s purpose is not to tell anyone how to grieve. It is to offer a gentle space where many kinds of people can find a moment of peace.

The vision also reflects something central to GLOW: hope should feel welcoming. Grief touches people across every background, and compassion should not require anyone to arrive with the right words or beliefs.

The Peace Garden taking shape

Community members, volunteers, and families worked together to prepare the garden beds, place plants, and bring the Peace Garden vision to life at Cross Keys Park.

Four volunteers smiling together among plants in the Peace Garden — Volunteers gather among the new plants during the garden work.

Wide view of the Peace Garden beds with new plants and volunteers working in the distance — A wide view of the garden beds as planting gets underway.

Two volunteers positioning a shrub for planting in the Peace Garden — Volunteers position a shrub in one of the garden beds.

An adult and two young children planting flowers together in the Peace Garden — Family members share in the planting work.

Two volunteers preparing soil beside flowering plants in the Peace Garden — Preparing the beds and making room for new plants.

Volunteers digging and planting across the Peace Garden beds — Volunteers work across the planting area.

Two volunteers planting flowers near stacked garden pavers — Flowers are planted near the garden pathways.

Wide view of newly planted Peace Garden beds and light-colored pathways — New plantings begin to define the garden’s paths and gathering spaces.

Two community members talking beside plants at the Peace Garden — Community connection is part of the work.

Canada geese resting in the grass near a park bench at Cross Keys Park — Park life continues around the growing Peace Garden.

Latest confirmed milestone

As of August 3, 2026, the latest confirmed public milestone is the ribbon-cutting open house announced for August 2 at Cross Keys Park.

GLOW will post any follow-up photos, future gatherings, volunteer opportunities, donation needs, or memorial-paver details after those items are confirmed.

How to help responsibly right now

Read and share the verified project page. Sending people to GLOW’s current Projects page helps prevent old dates and links from circulating.
Wait for a confirmed public need before organizing a collection or volunteer group. This helps make sure the help offered matches the project’s present needs.
Use only the donation destination linked from GLOW’s site. Do not send money through an old flyer, screenshot, or third-party post without confirming it.
Carry the spirit of the garden into your own community. Offer a small act of care, make room for someone who is grieving, or spend time listening without trying to fix everything.