Next Volunteer Day Set for Shannon Collins Memorial Garden

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—LELO employees are asking community members to join them in the second Volunteer Day for the Shannon Collins Memorial Garden at the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center in Santa Cruz this Saturday. Succulent Saturday takes place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the center, located at 303 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz. Collins, who co-owned the adult boutique Camouflage in Santa Cruz with her husband Ken Vinson, was murdered in May 2013. The 38-year-old Collins was stabbed to death in broad daylight by a man police identified as Charles Edwards III, a parolee with a history of serious mental illness who was released from a state correctional facility after a clerical error. At the time of the attack, Collins was walking to a hair appointment. LELO officials announced the creation of the garden last month to honor Collins, who was one of the first retailers to carry the manufacturer’s products and was considered part of the LELO family, they said. Earlier this month the first phase of the garden was planted by LELO employees and volunteers. For Saturday’s event, all ages are invited, and participants are asked to bring succulent plants and cuttings, buckets, gloves, brooms, shovels, rakes and other small gardening tools. Charitable donations for the project are also gladly accepted. To donate, visit WAWC.org or mail a check to the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center, 303 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060.