Community members raising money for playground, honoring boy who was killed
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The last two months have been filled with many days of darkness for the family of Eli Hart. Now, a group of community members want to brighten the family’s life help honor their little boy.
In May, the Mound Police Department found 6-year-old Hart in the trunk of his mother’s car – according to charging documents Hart was shot up to nine times. His mother, Julissa Thaler has been charged with murder in the case.
![](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ELI-1024x576.png)
To make sure Eli is remembered forever, there’s an effort to build a new playground at Surfside Park, in Mound – it would be named the ‘Eli Hart Memorial Playground.’
![](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Playground-1-1024x576.jpg)
“We’re just honored that they want to do this for Eli, that they want to help heal their community,” Josie Josephson, Hart’s father’s fiancé, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on the phone.
“What a better thing to do than a playground,” Josephson said, adding: “Eli loved playgrounds, I couldn’t tell you how many different playgrounds we have taken him to.”
![](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ELI-MONKEY-BARS-1024x576.png)
The grassroots effort kicked off during Mound’s Spirit of the Lakes Festival – the group was able to share their plan with the community and share how they can help.
![](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Playground-festival-1024x576.jpg)
There’s still a lot more fundraising to go – as of Sunday night, the GoFundMe has more than $3,500 of the $200,000 goal.
“[It’ll be] an area for kids just to be kids and a place for families to make memories,” Josephson said. “Now, all we have are those memories and they’re very precious to us. [So], the thought of them building a playground in honor of Eli, where the families can make those memories that they’ll treasure, it makes us so happy.”
You can donate to the playground here.