Media + Blog
June 8, 2026: That's a Wrap!
We hope you had a chance to witness the entrance of Lysander Park turn into a field of yellow this spring. It was spectacular! With the help of Reese's friends and family we planted 10,000 bulbs last fall and they did not disappoint. If you missed Mother Nature's big show, we captured the full bloom on a time lapse camera video, below.
November 20, 2025​: Planting Party Success!
On October 26, 2025, more than 130 volunteers gathered at Lysander Park to plant 10,000 daffodil bulbs. Family members, friends, classmates, teachers, gymnastics teammates from Blaze Gymnastics, and local Girl Scout troops participated in the effort.
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The planting marks the first phase of a multi-year project funded by the Reese Fadden Remembrance Fund at the Central New York Community Foundation. Since May 2025, the fund has raised more than $14,000 to bring the garden to life. When completed, daffodils will bloom along the full length of the park’s Smokey Hollow Road frontage as a symbol of resilience and remembrance.
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The choice of daffodils and the location was intentional. The flowers carry deep meaning for Reese’s family. As her father, Tim Fadden, shared at the event, “We had a daffodil flower that would bloom in our yard and Reese would want me to take her picture with it every year. You can’t make this stuff up, but it hasn’t bloomed since she passed.” Lysander Park was also a place where Reese spent many hours with friends and cousins, playing, exploring, and enjoying the Splash Park.
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The Reese Fadden Remembrance Fund extends sincere thanks to the volunteers and partners who contributed to the project, including Lysander Parks & Recreation, the Central New York Community Foundation, Barton & Loguidice, PC, Pines & Pavers Landscape, OCRRA and Pizza Man.
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Highlights of the planting party are below!
October 10, 2025​: Our daffodils continue to bloom!
As of October 1, 2025, over 110 donors have collectively donated $12,876.42. We have purchased 10,000 bulbs and look forward to being in community with many of you on October 26th for our planting event. Anyone who is interested in helping with the planting, and has not already signed up on our SignUp Genius site, can email us at reeses.remembrance@gmail.com. We will let you know if we can fit you in!
September 11, 2025: Please RSVP for the Planting Ceremony
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Mark your calendars for October 26, 2025 at 1pm! We are currently busy planning an event, which will combine a short ceremony, activities and refreshments with the opportunity to help us get some of the 10,000 bulbs in the ground. Everyone is invited to the ceremony/activity/refreshments portion of the event, but as you can imagine, the logistics of having unknown numbers of people plant thousands of bulbs is hard to get a handle on. Help us out by replying here to our "soft RSVP" if you are interested in planting so that we can get a tentative headcount and plan accordingly for supplies and space. The SignUpGenius will close on September 30th and we will follow up afterwards with instructions to those who have shown interest. Thank you in advance for your willingness to be part of this special day!
September 3, 2025: We did it!!! 10,000 daffodils for Reese!!!
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Thanks to your incredible generosity, we are thrilled to share that we reached (actually suprassed!!) our fundraising goal on September 3, 2025! We've had over 90 donors help us raise$11,211.07 to plant 10,000 bulbs in Lysander Park this fall in memory of Reese Fadden.
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This project began as a simple idea - to create a living, growing tribute to Reese's bright spirit - and it has blossomed into something far greater because of you. Together, we've ensured that every spring the park will be filled with thousands of daffodils, a joyful reminder of beauty, resilience and community love.
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Planting will take place this fall and we will update you soon with the plans for this event. We hope to see you there! Next spring, when the flowers bloom, we encourage you to visit the park to see what we have built together in Reese's honor.
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In the meantime, we are still accepting donations through the Reese Fadden Remembrance Fund housed at the CNY Foundation. We do intend to expand the garden over time, so your continued support is appreciated.
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On behalf of the Fadden family and all who cared for Reese: THANK YOU. Your support has made this dream possible.
August 1, 2025: Thanks to your donations we are well on our way to $10,000!
July 1, 2025: Fundraising is underway and we are making great progress towards our goal of $10,000!!
June 7, 2025: The B'ville Messenger publicizes our project
