Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Unveils Final Piece of COVID-19 Memorial at Meadowbrook Park

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was joined today by the County’s Department of Recreation & Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan, community members, and local officials to unveil the final piece of the County’s new COVID-19 memorial at the Meadowbrook Park in Ellicott City, a 16-foot-tall bronze and stainless steel sculpture.

Crafted by Florida artists Jim Benedict and Lily Kuonen, the sculpture features intricately fabricated bronze and native Bay Forget-Me-Not flowers, memorialized and supported by an elegant, stainless-steel base. The flowers represent the cycle of life – from buds to blossoms – and symbolize remembrance, comfort, hope, empathy, compassion and the strength of the human spirit, celebrating the connections that bring the community together. Photos from the event can be found on the County’s Flickr webpage and video on the County Executive’s Facebook page.

Benedict and Kuonen’s design was chosen from more than 40 submissions and is featured amongst the Memorial’s 44 native River Birch trees and polished black granite water feature surrounded by stone benches, which Ball revealed in September 2024 at the Memorial's official opening. Like the sculpture, the Memorial’s other features also contain symbolism. The native River Birch trees were selected for their resilience and representation of renewal and growth, and their seasonal transformation adds natural beauty and reflection. The water feature and benches offer a spot to sit peacefully where visitors can reflect and remember.

"Beyond the physical toll of COVID-19, the pandemic brought isolation, fear, grief, and economic stress, significantly impacting our mental health and reminding us of the importance of mental well-being,” said Antigone Vickery, Howard County Health Department Deputy Health Officer. “I hope this memorial serves as a place of reflection for the many dedicated health workers across the county.”

"Despite the risks, our personnel showed tremendous courage and compassion throughout the pandemic—answering every call for help, even when uncertainty was at its highest,” said Louis Winston, Fire Chief, Department of Fire and Rescue Services. “This sculpture honors the lives we lost, the families forever changed, and serves as a lasting reminder that even in the face of adversity, our community’s strength shines brightest when we care for one another.”

“This sculpture is more than a memorial; it’s a reflection of our shared strength and collaboration,” said Tina Laboy, Deputy Director, Office of Emergency Management. “It reminds us that even during the most challenging times, we can find ways to come together, one act of compassion at a time.”

“As we unveil this memorial today, we make a promise,” said Jackie Scott, Director, Department of Community Resources and Services. “We will continue to remember. We will honor those we’ve lost by a building community worthy of their memory. One that is healthier, that’s connected and more compassionate than ever. The light that enters through our collective is hope, and that light shines bright today, in Howard County.”

“I am now faced with the painful reality of a post pandemic life without you in it father, and that to this day still devastates me. It was August of 2020 when I remember personally driving both my mother and father to the hospital when we found out they were positive for Covid-19, due to attending a family gathering a few weeks prior. Little did I know one of my parents would not make it out the hospital,” said Shahan Rizvi, Howard County resident.

Benedict and Kuonen’s creative works have also been featured in more than 25 states and five countries.

In addition to the COVID-19 Memorial, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ball’s administration launched a number of vital initiatives and programs to assist community members, including:

• HoCo Food Go Delivery App – Developed by the County’s Department of Technology and Communication Services’ (DTCS) Geographic Information System (GIS) team, HoCo Food Go enabled Howard County restaurants to register, map their locations, and share detailed information on food offerings.
• HoCo Farms Connect, HoCo Donation Collection, and HoCo Food Distribution – Following the successful launch of HoCo Food Go, DTCS launched these three additional GIS maps to assist residents with finding food distribution sites and open restaurants and to connect businesses struggling to reach customers during pandemic lockdowns.
• Launched the County’s StayCOVIDSafe campaign in December 2020, to amplify public health messaging during the holidays and winter months. The StayCOVIDSafe webpage was designed to provide users with a way to view the data, digest the information, and confidently proceed safely through their day-to-day lives.
• Launched the HoCo Higher entrepreneur accelerator program to give small business a leg up after the pandemic. Conducted in partnership with M&T Bank, program is an eight-week bootcamp that teaches early-stage and historically under-served entrepreneurs the essentials of business planning, operations, credit building, communication, and financial management. To date, more than 120 entrepreneurs from seven cohorts have contributed to major economic growth, collectively bringing in $4.75 million in new revenue and $1.445 million in capital raised.
• Implemented the Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program in August 2020. A collaborative public-private initiative, the primary goal of the MIH was to decrease non-emergency 911 calls for service by identifying the underlying social and medical issues facing county residents and connecting them with needed resources. The MIH served a pivotal role in the County's COVID-19 related services, including patient follow-up, facilitated tele-health visits, COVID-19 testing, and administering vaccines to residents of Howard County. In 2024, the program was expanded to include two additional personnel and to allow the clinicians to respond in real time to incidents.
• In partnership with the Community Action Council of Howard County and Howard Community College, Ball helped reopen HCC’s critical Children’s Learning Center to serve as an essential resource in reducing childcare costs, creating much-needed programming for children under five, and encouraging degree completion among student parents at HCC.
• Expanded mental health and suicide prevention resources. In 2020, the County’s Office of Veteran and Military Families was instrumental in the formation of a virtual Veteran Support Group. Four veterans were trained by the National Alliance of Mental Illness to serve as peer facilitators, meeting the increasing need of mental health challenges during the pandemic. Meetings are held virtually the first Monday of every month. Since its inception, the support group has been able to expand its support thanks to a $10,000 grant.

About Meadowbrook Park

Located at 5001 Meadowbrook Lane in Ellicott City, Meadowbrook Park features baseball fields, a large playground for all abilities, tennis courts, basketball courts, and about two-and-a-half miles of sidewalks and pathways that circle the park. The park sits adjacent to Recreation & Parks’ Meadowbrook Athletic Complex, which offers 35,000 square feet of unobstructed gymnasium space and hosts a wide range of indoor sports and activities for all ages and skill levels.