Aga Popęda here, passing an unusual invitation from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System to join other community members for a community rose-making session from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, Jan. 21.
The Rose River Memorial project is intended to help with grief and healing from the human toll of the Covid-19 pandemic through art. Each rose takes just three or four minutes to make, using glue and red felt and a couple of extra things you'll have on hand. The sessions take place at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, located at 450 E. Romie Lane in Salinas.
“My dad’s battle with Covid lasted a few weeks to a month here at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital,” Maria Munoz, a registered nurse at SVMHS, shared. She lost her father, Juan Munoz, to Covid on Feb. 14, 2021, and now is one of the volunteers helping to create more than 800 red felt roses to represent each life lost in Monterey County. “Despite the amazing care given and the countless hours of treatment, he lost his battle to Covid on Valentine’s Day 2021,” she said. “His death has been the hardest thing my family has ever had to go through.”
Nadine Semer, a palliative care physician at SVMHS, spearheaded the Rose River Memorial project after witnessing the impact of Covid on hospital staff and the community at large. The memorial is part of a larger national art installation launched in August 2020 by Southern California artist Marcos Lutyens. It has quickly spread through California communities.
“When the coronavirus surfaced in early 2020, no one could have imagined how long the threat would last or the toll it would take,” Semer shared in an announcement from SVMHS. “Healthcare workers and families directly impacted with loss are not alone in our lingering struggle to make sense of what we endured. Many of us are living with devastating experiences and powerful emotions such as pain, loss, frustration, isolation and helplessness just to name a few.”
“I commend Dr. Semer for her passion and leadership in bringing this idea forward,” said Pete Delgado, SVMHS president and CEO. “In many ways, it would be nice to be able to put this chapter behind us, but the virus is still here and so is the pain. This project helps the community heal together.”
Delgado and Semer agree the Rose River Memorial is not just about grief for what we’ve lost, but a poignant reminder in the present that we have safe and effective vaccines that can significantly reduce the number of future roses added to this ongoing national remembrance.
“I can say that gathering with other people on this project has been therapeutic,” Munoz says. “It’s important to me that lives like my father’s be remembered, and our pain honored. It’s equally important to help our community heal.”
Additional public rose-making sessions are planned this month, and an unveiling of the completed Rose River Memorial is planned for Monday, March 6. The public can send questions to roserivermemorial@svmh.com. You can also view a video on the project’s origins available here.