KITTY HAWK, NC – After a 4-year-old boy was killed when he was swept into the ocean last month, the community is making sure he is never forgotten.
Visitors to the Lillian Street beach access in Kitty Hawk will now be greeted by “A Little Red Mailbox.”
It’s no ordinary mailbox. The hatch has the words “Leave a note of Hope.”
Deborah Mennicucci, a Kitty Hawk resident, said it’s necessary.
"To heal as a mom,” she said. “To let Wesley's mom heal in a way I would want to heal."
Wesley was with his family from New Hampshire when the tragic accident happened in April. He was walking along the shore with his mom. His body was found washed up on shore days later, miles away from where he was swept away.
"My heart was crushed. I've been there,” said Mennicucci. “Holding my kids' hands before, and, you know, having to pull them from that wave that out of nowhere just knocks you over."
She hopes people will be able to stop and reflect by the mailbox by leaving messages on shells, writing in a journal, or just reading inspirational quotes.
"From the members of the Kitty Hawk Fire Department, may your soul be with God,” Mennicucci read from the journal. “Your spirit lives with us."
Mennicucci said she ultimately wants people to realize the power of the ocean.
"Our oceans are dangerous,” she said. “They're beautiful, and those warnings are out for a reason."
The shells that are written on will got to the Kitty Hawk police department, Mennicucci said. A separate memorial will be created there.
Boy swept out to sea, community grieving