Scouts prepare site for Winter Park peacock fountain

Prep begins for peacock fountain

By Tim Freed
| 12:16 p.m. October 22, 2014

Photo by: Sarah Wilson - Life Scout John Michael Thomas is weeks away from reaching his fundraising goal to place a peacock fountain in the Winter Park rose garden in honor of his fallen friend.

Winter Park - Maitland Observer
Neighborhood

Winter Park Life Scout John Michael Thomas could have the fountain paying tribute to a fallen friend fully funded within the next couple weeks. And the site for the fountain is already being prepared.

John Michael, a group of scouts and a city staffer removed roses from the Central Park rose garden on Saturday to make way for a bronze peacock fountain – a tribute to John Michael’s childhood friend Elizabeth Buckley, who passed away of an inoperable brain tumor in December 2012.

“It feels pretty great,” said John Michael, who began fundraising in April. “We’re getting closer and everything is finally coming together after all the hard work the community has done. It’s been such a long journey.”

The young scout has raised $44,000 as of Monday, quickly approaching his goal of $50,000 that would pay for the fountain, landscaping and irrigation.

John Michael said a dedication ceremony should take place in the early weeks of December.