Curtis Hudson's memory lives on in Goulds neighbourhood 7 years after his death
After Curtis died in 2017, Krista Hudson set out to help his peers
Lisa Winsor's classroom in Goulds Elementary is a colourful place.
At the front of the room is a framed art assignment by one of her former students — a collection of hand prints in the shape of a sun.
"Curtis Hudson" is signed at the bottom.
It's a monument to a child who lit up the school with his kindness and curiosity. Those are traits everyone who knew him say they remember fondly.
Curtis was six years old when he died after complications with brain cancer in 2017. Seven years later, his memory lives on in the form of art and community initiatives.
"Curtis was in my kindergarten class," said Winsor, fighting tears with a smile. "He was just the sweetest, kindest little boy."
That sense of kindness is not lost on her current students. She teaches the first grade now, and just outside the classroom there's a bench adorned with hand prints of every colour, where students can sit and reflect.
"The bench outside is our buddy bench," said Winsor. "That's where we go to sit down if we need a moment or if we want to talk about our problems."
It was built by the father of one of Curtis's classmates, to honour his kindness — always a friend to the school community, no matter who needed a shoulder to lean on.
A legacy of love
Seven years later, that's exactly how Curtis's classmates remember him: patient and softhearted.
Although they're in Grade 8 now, his former classmates still make the effort to remember him.
"Even when he was going through such a hard time, he was still always so kind," said classmate Abi Mootrey.
Along with Winsor's first grade class, those in Grade 8 make Christmas cards every year in support of the Curtis Hudson Memorial Fund.
That fund, spearheaded by Krista Hudson — Curtis's mother — is hoping to achieve a dream next year: a new playground in a grassy area behind Goulds Elementary where Curtis used to play.
"He loved the outdoors, he loved camping, you know, everything nature-focused," Hudson told CBC News.
She says he would have loved a bigger, better place to play and even though he's not here to enjoy it, a new playground is the best way to honour him.
The proposed design for the playground includes sensory panels and ramps for accessibility purposes.
The Curtis Hudson Memorial Fund is a registered non-profit organization that relies on several sponsors, the community, as well as sales from Christmas cards to support the playground initiative.
Hudson hopes she can break ground this coming summer, and that the site will be a reminder to others to be kind.
"[Curtis] went out of his way to do kind things for people, even the littlest gestures," said Hudson.
"It's important that we remember that we don't know everybody's struggles … just be kind to your peers."
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