EDMONTON – Dozens of people came together in Gibbons Wednesday night, to remember a young girl who family and friends say took her own life after relentless bullying.
“She was just a very special girl who touched hundreds of people in this community and we just wanted to gather and remember her in a special way,” said Tricia Hamm, a friend of the girl’s family.
The vigil was held in 12-year-old Montana Delorey’s honour. Friends, and even those who had never met the young girl, gathered to light candles and remember a life lost too soon.
“We were devastated,” Tricia said of the moment she learned of Montana’s death. “My daughter Mackenzie has been a friend of Montana’s since they were in Grade 2. So, to us… it hit very close to home.”
Dressed in a shirt with Montana’s picture on it, Mackenzie says her best friend “was just always there.”
“We would have sleepovers and we would always go to each other’s houses and I would help babysit her brothers,” Mackenzie said, holding back tears.
A relative tells Global News Montana took her life earlier this month. Her vigil was held on the same day many Canadians wore pink as part of a national initiative against bullying.
READ MORE: Schools across Edmonton take a stand against bullying by going pink
Those in attendance Wednesday evening say they want to make people aware of the tragic consequences bullying can have.
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“I’ve seen a lot of the bullying that’s been going on,” said Lisa Anderson, whose son went to school with Montana. “I just find it sad that it finally came to this before people started stepping up and trying to fight it.”
Montana’s death has hit the small community northeast of Edmonton hard, but Tricia says her death will not have been in vain.
“Montana’s life meant something.”
Community members have started a donation page for the young girl’s family, with funds raised going towards a dance scholarship in Montana’s memory. For more information, visit the fundraiser’s website.
With files from Laurel Gregory, Global News.
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