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Article published September 1, 2010
Heaven Sent Balloon release helps say goodbye
CRANBERRY TWP — More than 100 family, friends and Cranberry Village residents came together Sunday afternoon for a balloon release to remember two children who died Aug. 17 in a vehicle accident. It had been nearly two weeks since Haley Weiland, 6, and Logan Beckwith, 7, died when their family's minivan rolled over along Interstate 79 near Clendenin, W.Va. The vehicle driven by their mother, Carla Aiken, 36, went out of control and rolled multiple times. The family was returning from a vacation to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Other passengers in the car were Haley and Logan's brother, Ethan Beckwith, 10; the children's great-grandmother, Hazel Hilliard, 74; and Aiken's boyfriend, Christopher Gardner, 27. Under sunny skies Sunday, balloons were tied to swings and fencesbefore the arrival of Aiken's family. Two family friends, Cindy Smith and Erin Hilliard (no relation to Hazel), both of Cranberry Township, organized the balloon release to help the children's young friends know they are not alone in their grief. Hilliard said she and Smith thought of the balloon release after seeing the confusion and pain felt by Logan and Haley's friends, who are too young to understand why their playmates are gone. "The kids are talking about it, and they are saying 'I wish I could have said one more thing to them,'" Hilliard said. "So the kids can write messages to put in the balloons, and see those balloons with their messages disappear into the sky." She said many Cranberry Village parents are struggling to explain the accident to their children. Hilliard said her daughter was Haley's best friend."We told our kids that God needs more little angels, and Haley and Logan are their guardian angels now," she said. The balloon release was at noon at the playground in Cranberry Village, where the family lived until about two weeks ago. Aiken thanked everyone for their support and for coming out to the balloon release. She read a poem that she had written that brought tears to many of those in attendance. "We miss you and love you. We will always be together," said Aiken. The children and their parents, who lined a basketball court, then released their balloons. "I feel elated that my son and his sister were able to touch so many lives," said Jason Beckwith, the father of Logan and Ethan Beckwith. "The community came together for this event to help bring closure to the family and their friends." "I love my son (Logan) very much. He will be with me forever," said Beckwith, who said he is dedicating the rest of his life to his older son, Ethan. "I don't want to waste another moment. What I've learned from this is that life is short and you never know when your time is up." As for Ethan, Beckwith said he is staying strong with the loss of his brother and sister. "He's acting like a little soldier with it," he said. "I hope this brings our family closer together and realize that any petty differences pale in comparison to a situation like this," Beckwith said.
