Florida resident Gabrielle Bolen has opened a permanent Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, giving families a place to remember pets they have lost, Cape Coral Breeze reported.
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Breeze → open → pets
The memorial opened on Saturday after Bolen spent about 18 months planning, fundraising and working with local businesses and community members to turn her idea into a physical space where visitors can leave collars and tags in honour of their pets.
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visitors → open → pets
Bolen, a lifelong dog lover, had been working on the project for more than a year before it became a reality.
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it → work → year
The memorial was created as a place for people to grieve, remember and celebrate pets that were part of their families.
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that → create → families
The memorial is inspired by the well-known Rainbow Bridge poem.
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memorial → inspire → poem
A place to remember lost pets
The Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial is designed as a symbolic bridge that visitors can walk around rather than across.
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visitors → remember → that
The structure is surrounded by landscaping and a seating area, creating a space where people can spend time remembering their pets.
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people → surround → pets
Visitors are invited to bring a collar or tag belonging to a pet they have lost.
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they → invite → pet
These tributes will become part of the memorial and create an evolving display of the bonds between people and their animals.
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tributes → become → people
“What started as a simple idea grew into something much larger than I ever imagined,” Bolen said in a prepared statement.
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Bolen → start → statement
“This bridge truly was built by a community of people who understand how deeply our pets become part of our families.”
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pets → build → families
Bolen said the completed memorial was emotional for her after the long process of bringing the project together.
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memorial → say → project
“Seeing it completed is incredibly emotional, and I hope this space becomes a place where people can come to remember, to grieve, to celebrate and to feel connected to others who understand that kind of love,” she said.
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she → see → love
The Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial is now a permanent part of the Alliance for the Arts campus
Local community helped build the memorial
Bolen spent more than a year working on planning, making connections and fundraising for the project.
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Bolen → build → project
After the groundbreaking ceremony in August, local businesses and community members helped turn the plan into a completed memorial.
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businesses → turn → memorial
Support for the project included funding, construction, labour, materials, engineering, signage, landscaping and other services.
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Support → include → funding
Every donor, including businesses, service providers and individual contributors, will be recognised with a commemorative plaque near the memorial.
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donor → include → memorial
Bolen said the community support helped make the memorial something larger than the original idea.
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memorial → say → idea
“This bridge truly was built by a community of people who understand how deeply our pets become part of our families,” she said.
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she → build → families
Memorial becomes permanent part of ArtsPark
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The Alliance sees the project as part of its wider ArtsPark initiative, which aims to create arts, nature and community experiences across its 10-acre campus.
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which → see → campus
Neil Volz, executive director of the Alliance for the Arts, said the memorial would add another space where people can connect with art and nature.
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people → say → art
“The Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial is creating a place where residents and visitors can experience the arts alongside nature as a source of healing, connection, and enjoyment right in the heart of Fort Myers,” Volz said.
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Volz → create → Myers
“The Alliance is honoured to be the home of this special space.”
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Alliance → honour → space
The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers.
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Alliance → locate → Myers
The nonprofit visual and performing arts centre has been working in the community since 1975.
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centre → perform → 1975
“I think this space will mean something different to everyone who visits,” Bolen said.
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Bolen → think → everyone
“For some, it may be a place to remember a pet they’ve recently lost.
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they → remember → pet
For others, it may bring back memories of an animal who was part of their family many years ago.”
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who → bring → family
“My hope is that children and adults alike can find comfort here and know that they aren’t alone in their grief.
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they → find → grief
The love we have for our pets is real, and that love deserves a place to be remembered,” she said.
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she → have → place
The Aporia
