Annual Novi Parks Foundation fundraiser contributes to Jessica Starr splash pad

NOVI  — The Novi Parks Foundation held its annual Pour on the Shore fundraiser July 28 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Jessica’s Splashpad, which broke ground earlier this summer.

The splash pad will serve as a memorial to former FOX 2 meterologist and Novi resident Jessica Starr, who died by suicide Dec. 12, 2018, after suffering from complications of an eye surgery.

“So, the greatest thing was my grandson, he had a breakthrough the other day, and he said, ‘Grandma, I was just thinking when they build that splash park, like, I can take my kids there, and it’s my mom, so I can say, ‘This is your grandma’s memorial.’ Because they are starting to make connections now. They were very young when it happened,” Carol Starr, Jessica’s mother, said.

Carol Starr said she came up with the idea for the splash pad as a tribute to her daughter, who she said prioritized motherhood, family, her kids and laughter. Carol Starr said many people approached her during the COVID-19 pandemic about having a suicide awareness and prevention run in Jessica’s name, but she didn’t want her daughter to be remembered that way. She said she spent quite a while thinking about how to best memorialize her daughter’s life.

“I want it to be something positive,” Starr said.

Starr said she got the idea to do a splash park after seeing how much children and families laughed and enjoyed themselves at a playground in Walled Lake. She said she knew that what she wanted to do in her daughter’s honor was to build either a playground or a splash park.

The family is working toward making its $400,000 pledged contribution toward the construction of the splash pad, which is being built on Bosco Fields, at 11 Mile and Beck roads.  According to Melissa Agosta, of the Novi Parks Foundation, the Starr family had raised approximately $265,000 as of Aug. 7.

“I want people to know that although it’s a tragedy, you can triumph over tragedy,” Starr said.

The fundraiser brought in more than $15,000 for the foundation, with more than 400 people attending the event at Pavilion Shore Park. Participants were able to enjoy eight drink samples from local vendors, as well as food samples, along with the music of the Vinyl Underground. Along with Jessica’s Splashpad, the proceeds will go toward upkeep, maintenance and upgrades at parks throughout the city. The proceeds also will fund scholarships for people to be able to participate in sporting events and other things put on by the city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department.

“My goal was (300 people), so I was pretty happy. We actually sold 60 tickets at the door, which we normally sell 20,” Agosta said. “I don’t know if it was weather or what it was, but when you got to take an extra 60 at the door, right, that’s huge. So that was good.”

During the event, a silent auction and raffle was held, with 100% of the proceeds going toward Jessica’s Splashpad. The Starr family was hard at work throughout the event selling raffle tickets. Between the auction and the raffle, they brought in around $3,000.

The foundation accepts donations throughout the year via noviparksfoundation.org. Donors can choose where to allocate their funds, such as to the splash pad. Donations can also be made by calling (248) 347-0400.