One of the most beautiful facets of human society is our sensitivity to loss, our willingness to memorialize the immeasurable personal, emotional cost of life ending before its time. When the circumstances of death are tragic and painful to consider, memorials stand in their places to remind us of life's dangers so that we, as a communities of individuals, can work to improve ourselves and our societies. Memorials stand to humanize loss, to remind us that we must look out for each other; they stand to ring out a community's support for families and victims affected by similar crimes, and most importantly, memorials like these inspire the real work of standing behind victims of physical and sexual abuse. 

Naming this bridge for Katie Hamlin is naming this bridge for her father, to remember his daughter who was taken before her time. It's naming a bridge for every young lady who has been or will ever be assaulted. It's naming a bridge to remind our community that real people can be hurt and taken from us if or when we aren't a close, tight-knit community. 

Please: 

 - Inspire residents of this County to do more by taking this small, but meaningful, first step. 

- Solicit public donations to finance signage to demarcate the new name. 

- Honor a father's final wishes to honor his daughter. 

- Accept this entreaty to rename the small bridge on Kemp Drive in Cherokee County "The Katie Hamlin Memorial Bridge". 

Thank you in advance, 

Residents of Cherokee County