BEAUMONT, Texas — A citywide effort is underway to honor four Beaumont natives who died in the Hill Country flooding on July 4, with bows that once symbolized support now being collected for a permanent memorial.

The victims, Ella Cahill, Aidan Heartfield, Joyce Baydon and Mary Grace Baker, were remembered in the days after the tragedy as residents tied bows across the city. On Tuesday, collection bins were placed in the Rogers Park parking lot to gather those bows and repurpose them into an art installation.

“Anytime people come together, especially during a tragedy, it galvanizes the community and helps support the families of lost loved ones,” said Jeff Wheeler, the bow collection coordinator. He said the memorial is being planned with victims’ families and artists, with the goal of

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