Non-profit group releases renderings for "Eli Hart Playground" in Mound but needs more help
MOUND, Minn. -- What started as a desire to help a stranger has grown into a potential overhaul for Mound's most recognizable park.
Tiffany Beitler and Jen Houghton were two of many disheartened by the news that 6-year-old Eli Hart had been murdered this past May.
Hart was found in the trunk of his mother Julissa Thaler's car after being shot and killed. Thaler was sentenced to life in prison for the murder on Thursday.
"I found out that he was at my daughter's school," Beitler said. "It just hit very close to home. I was extremely sad and depressed about it."
"This is something we just couldn't move past from," Houghton said.
The two put a call to social media. The response was almost instant. People wanted to help. Soon, a suggestion to replace an aging playground at Surfside Park came to the top of the list of ideas.
ELI HART PLAYGROUND: These fly-through renderings show the proposed 'Eli Hart Playground' that a newly-formed foundation hopes to build at Surfside Park in Mound.
— Adam Duxter (@AdamDuxter) February 17, 2023
They're hoping to break ground 10/1. They need your help to do it, though. I'll share how tonight on @WCCO at 6. pic.twitter.com/ASyowRTTut
"We wanted something really fun and exciting," Beitler said. "An attraction for kids, and it to reflect Eli and his childhood."
The group has since raised nearly $30,000 through an online fundraiser. They're also closing in on finalizing their status as a 501c3, which they anticipate helping pull in corporate donations. To reach their goal of breaking ground by Oct. 1, they'll need to raise an additional $170,000.
"I think we were just so passionate about doing this that it could have been any number and we would have just gone forward," Beitler said.
On Friday, Beitler and Houghton shared custom renderings of what the park could be.
"[I'd want people to know] Something good can come out of something so tragic," Houghton said.
An online fundraiser can be found by visiting the Eli Hart Memorial Playground Facebook page.