ORANGE CITY, Fla. – An Orange City mother spent the past six years raising money to build a skate park in her son's memory, after he was killed while returning home from skating with friends.
Casi Sprague said her son Colin Anderson, 12, loved sports and enjoyed skateboarding with friends Fridays after school. She said they would go around town looking for places to practice.
"Getting out and just kind of doing it all on his own. That freeing experience of skating where he wanted to be who he wanted to be," Sprague said.
In February 2013, Colin was walking home from a skateboarding session and crossed U.S. 17-92 when he was hit by a vehicle. He died of his injuries.
Before he died, Sprague said, Colin told his family he wished there was a skate park for children to safely enjoy the sport.
Sprague made it her mission shortly after burying her son to make his dream come true, no matter how long it took.
"That was my lifeline. It was through this I could move forward," she said.
During the past six years, Sprague raised $200,000 through donations, fundraisers and grants to build "Colin's Dream" park. The skate park is in Coleman Park.
The city broke ground for the new park Wednesday.
Sprague said she wishes her son could be here, but feels comforted knowing he would be proud.
"He'd say, 'good job,'" she said.
Sprague adds the park is more than honoring her son's memory. She said this park will outlive her son's short life and will always be a place for skaters to safely enjoy the sport.
"He would love the fact that this is here. That we can possibly save somebody else from doing this," Sprague said.
Sprague said construction is estimated to take about six weeks and hopes the park will open around what would have been Colin's 19th birthday.