Vandals target park named after N.B. teen Becca Schofield, who inspired acts of kindness

The Rebecca Schofield All-World Super Play Park located behind her former childhood school has been a source of pride in Riverview, N.B., but unfortunately, it hasn't been treated that way lately.

The vice president of Frank L. Bowser Elementary's home and school group said recently, the park has been vandalized with graffiti, is being used for late-night parties and worse.

"People are even using it as a public washroom," said Tosh Taylor. "A lot of disrespect is happening to this playground at the moment."

Before she died of brain cancer at the age of 18 in 2018, Rebecca Schofield was known for her acts of kindness and encouraged people to do good deeds through her worldwide social media movement #BeccaToldMeTo.

"She was afraid that she had no legacy, that she would not live long enough to have a purpose, that she'd be forgotten," said her mother Anne Schofield.

"This is her legacy. This came out of her purpose of kindness. Her purpose of reminding people that it feels good to be good to each other and be good to your community."

Knowing the park bearing her name is being vandalized is too much for Becca's parents.

"These people are choosing to vandalize," said Anne. "They're choosing to hurt her memory, hurt her legacy. It really breaks my heart that that choice has been made. It saddens me to the point that I hadn't even come to see what was done because I didn't have the heart to see what had been done to it."

The park went through a massive renovation in 2019 and was renamed in Becca's honour.

Around $1 million was raised ​in the community to create the inclusive and accessible playground.

The home and school group has paid for security for the rest of July. Taylor approached Riverview Town Council on June 27 in hopes of securing funding for evening security patrols to protect it from any further vandalism in August.

"They are very receptive and they know because it's happening all over Riverview," she said. "It's not just at this park. Unfortunately, this park has a name attached to it that shouldn't be disrespected."

Taylor said she expects to hear from Riverview Town Council on Monday on whether or not funding will be approved to provide security during the evenings in the month of August.