Community Corner
Remembering Diona: Candlelight Bowl Event Honors Memory of Plainfield Teen
Ten years after her death, friends are organizing a March 9 charity event in honor of Diona Garcia.
“Always remembered, never forgotten.”
The slogan adorned photos, bumper stickers and even websites created in memory of Diona Garcia, a Plainfield teen who died following a Jan. 6, 2003 car accident while on her way to school at Plainfield South High School.
Ten years after her death, Diona’s friends are proving that she is indeed never forgotten.
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A March 9 candlelight bowling event at Pioneer Lanes in Plainfield will honor the memory of the girl whose parents dubbed her their “flying angel,” raising money for Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Diona, the daughter of Susan and Casper Garcia, was 16 years old. A cheerleader, she attended Plainfield Central High School until the opening of Plainfield South in 2001.
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Recently, Susan Garcia said she got a call from Diona’s close friend, Nicole Pasdertz.
“Her friend Nicole came to me right before the holidays and asked for my input and my blessing on something,” Susan said.
Diona’s friends wanted to do something to give back and to honor Diona, Susan said.
In the past, the Garcias coordinated a scholarship fund in Diona’s memory for students at Plainfield Central and Plainfield South.
“We give scholarships to kids almost all the way through college,” Susan said.
This time around, Diona’s friends wanted to give back to charity — and they asked the Garcias to choose the recipients.
Susan said she chose St. Jude because it benefits children, and Gift of Hope because the couple donated their daughter’s organs following the accident.
Event information
Bowling begins at 10 p.m. March 9 at Pioneer Lanes, and guests are asked to arrive 30 minutes early to check in. Tickets are $50 per couple, which covers three games of bowling, shoe rental, pop and pizza. The event will include a raffle, split the pot and door prizes.
To purchase tickets or make a donation, contact Pasdertz at nicolemariepasdertz@gmail.com.
Click here for more information.
Susan said the March 9 event is a chance for Diona’s friends to get together and remember her.
“It’s amazing after 10 years the friendships she still has even though she’s gone,”
Susan said. “I’m just very excited, and I was very touched.”
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