Five years later, little girl's memory lives on

By Roni Gehlke
For the Contra Costa Times

You won't find a memorial plaque on a new sandbox at the school where 5-year-old Sophia Favalora previously attended. Instead, you will see dozens of kindergartners laughing, playing and building sand castles at Laurel School and only a small heart-shaped tile with her name inscribed.
When a car accident claimed the life of Sophia in August 2005, donations poured in from family, friends and strangers. Her grief-stricken parents were grateful, but had no idea what to do with the money.

They wanted to do something that would be a fitting way to honor Sophia's memory. Remembering a conversation with Sophia before her death, her parents turned to her elementary school for help.
"At first we didn't know what to do with the money," Sophia's father, Frank Favalora, said. The donations equaled $16,000.
"I remembered Sophia telling me that there wasn't anything she liked about the school playground," Favalora said.
When Favalora went to the school to see for himself, the school principal told him that there was a new rule that the sand that used to be under the swings had to be replaced with a special foam material.
"The kids loved playing with the sand, but safety codes said we couldn't have the sand anymore," said Mimi Curran, principal of Laurel School.
With the decision made, Favalora set out to make a structure that was more than just a simple square sandbox. The end result is approximately 45-by-20 feet with a igure-eight shape.
"Sophia loved animals, so there are animal structures where the children can climb," Curran said, talking about an oversized sculpture of a frog and a turtle.
The said box is lined with two-foot walls where the children can sit or line sand trucks up and drive around the structure.

"The kids just love driving the cars around," kindergarten teacher Lisa Odum said. "The sandbox keeps the kids busy. It has been a blessing having it here."
Odum said that it is more than just something to keep the kids occupied during a break. The children don't even realize that they are learning while playing.
The sandbox holds a water feature that is similar to a water fountain. The children have to push a button and water pours along a wooden grade the sends a little water fall down into the dirt area.
"The children take turns. One has to push the button while another collects the water at the end of the trail. This provides socializing skills, learning to take turns, sharing tasks and teamwork," Odum said.

"The wet sand makes the best castles," said 5 year-old Ronald Martinez-Leon, who says he always plays in the sandbox rather than on the climbing structure provided for the children.
The walls of the sandbox are painted with child-friendly art, including lots of greenery and animals. The outside wall, which is seen from the street, holds several mosaic designs featuring turtles and butterflies.
At first there was opposition and delays in the project because of the worry that the sand and water would track too much dirt back into the classroom, but both Curran and Odum said that it hasn't been an issue at all.
"The kids are very good about cleaning themselves off before they come inside," Curran said. "It is really a fabulous feature to have for the children."
The sandbox project was finally completed last year and the water feature was added later. After a little tweaking, the project is finally finished.
"We didn't want to put a plaque on the sandbox because we didn't want it to be a sad place for the children," Favalora said. "We do want to let everyone who donated the money know that it went to a good cause."