The Heart of Colton Shines for Baby Colton

Just 10 days after the Colton community gathered to share words of love and memorialize a newborn baby boy, residents gathered once again at Desert Lawn Cemetery in Calimesa to lay him to rest. The Jan. 24 burial services brought together approximately 75 people who said their final goodbyes to the newborn, who was discovered dead by a resident on the morning of Jan. 2 clothed and wrapped in a blanket next to a trash can on the corner of Seventh and B streets near the old Evans Market. Colton police determined that the child – dubbed “Baby Colton Evans” for the location where he was discovered – was not older than two weeks at the time of his death. There was a large gathering on Saturday, but exact numbers were hard to calculate because she didn’t count, explained Debi Faris, the founder of Garden of Angels, a non-profit organization that works to advocate for safe surrender and helps bury children who have died after being abandoned. Faris was entrusted with the burial services for the child. “I don’t really look at numbers because I feel the people who are there are the people who are supposed to be there,” she said. The services included musical selections and a message given by Lifehouse of Christ Church’s Pastor Oly Chavez. Attendees included community members and other city dignitaries, like councilmembers and both chiefs of the police and fire departments. “There was such a circle of love that surrounded Colton,” said Faris. “It was very moving and very heartwarming. I felt like the heart of the city of Colton was there.” Faris helped enact safe surrender legislation that went into effect Jan. 1, 2001, allowing parents to safely surrender their newborn children up to three days old to any hospital, emergency room or fire department without fear of persecution. “All these people who didn’t know (Baby Colton) wanted to love and honor him. They were saying, ‘We will be your voice, too,’” said Faris. “When this type of tragedy happens I am very prayerful of us making a difference with possibly another child.”