Fundraiser held on Sunday for a splash pad to honor Jessica Starr; former FOX 2 meteorologist

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - The family of Jessica Starr and the Novi Parks Foundation hosted a fundraiser on Sunday for the creation of a splash pad in Novi named after her.

The fundraiser was held at Top Golf in Auburn Hills for an afternoon of fun, golf, food, raffles, and a silent auction.

"There’s a lot of trauma but out of that people come together, and we really see the true kindness of people," said Bob Starr, Jessica's dad.

Jessica Starr passed away in 2018.

"It’s a community effort. It's remembering Jess in a wonderful, positive way," said Carol Starr, Jessica's mom.

Her family is working alongside the City of Novi, corporate partners, and Michigan State University, Jessica's alma mater, to make the splash pad a reality.

"A splash pad is one of the number one amenities that we don’t have in our parks right now that people want," said Jeff Much, City of Novi Director of Parks and Recreation. "You’ve seen the support on FOX 2, outpouring of support, the donations coming in."

Jessica's children have also played a part in the design of the park.

"Noah wanted a rainbow, Riley wanted a spinning frog and umbrellas and rainbows," said Carol.

It's slated to be built at Bosco Field on 11 Mile and Beck.

"The design focuses on brightness and weather and colors… everything Jessica would want to see and was part of her life as a meteorologist," said Jeff.

"This is such a wonderful way to deal with grief, and it’s brought the family together," said Lenore Hiscoe, Jessica's stepmom. "The fact that we’ve been able to support each other so well is important because Jess would have loved that so much"

Everyone involved in the splash pad's creation has the goal to bring something positive out of Jessica Starr's death.

"Think about how much joy a splash pad would bring. Maybe someone’s having a horrible day, but they take their grandkids to a splash pad… maybe it's that little bit of a kick that they needed in the day to realize that everything’s not quite as bad as they thought," said Jeff.

If you would like to donate to the splash pad fundraiser, you can do so by clicking here.

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