Community raises funds to finish Abby and Libby softball field
DELPHI, Ind. (WLFI) — This weekend a fundraiser is being held to celebrate the lives of Abby Williams and Libby German. It’s been more than a year since these two teenagers from Delphi were found murdered. A park is being built in their honor, but the communities help is needed to help move the construction process along.
“Nothing’s bringing the girls back,” said Mike Patty, Libby German’s grandfather. “We have memories and that’s what we have and that’s what we’re going to keep going with.”
Teenagers Abby Williams and Libby German were found murdered in February of 2017. This was a loss for their families and the community said Patty.
Saturday the public is invited to come together for the 2nd annual Abby and Libby Celebration of Life. There will be games, raffle prizes, and food. There’s also an online auction you can bid in. The money raised goes toward the construction of the Abby and Libby Memorial Park in Delphi.
“We’ve already got the land all acquisitioned, we’ve got permits, we’ve got prints in place,” Patty said.
Part of the driveway is laid out which you can see by the intersection of the Hoosier Heartland and State Road 218.
“It’s slow,” said Patty. “I’ll be honest with you.”
He said it’s hard to set a timeline for this $1 million project because everything relies heavily on fundraising and donated equipment, resources and time from construction crews. Work is in the heavy construction phase which includes larger equipment like bulldozers.
“We’re going to get there,” Patty said. “It’s going to take a lot longer than what we all want, but just perseverance and we’ll stay after it until it’s done.”
Even as the final touches wrap up on the Abby and Libby Memorial Park, whenever that is, Patty will continue to share his granddaughter’s story.
“The person responsible for this is still walking around,” Patty said. “We haven’t made an arrest yet, we don’t have him and I’m going to continue to do everything, our families are going to continue to do everything we can until we get this guy caught.”
The Abby and Libby Celebration of Life is Saturday at the Delphi High School Football field. It’s being held from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the admission is $2 per person.