FERNDALE, Mich. – Almost a year ago 23-year-old Kayla White and her unborn son were killed when her 2003 Jeep Liberty was rear ended and caught fire on the Lodge Freeway near Telegraph Road.
Clarence Heath was sentenced to 24 months of probation for that accident. For White's family, it's been a difficult year.
"She was our only daughter. So it's been very hard, very tough. It would have been our first grandchild," said Susan White, Kayla's mother.
Just a week before this deadly wreck her mom said Kayla told her she wanted to get a playground structure for Harding Park in Ferndale. It's a place where she spent a lot of time as a young child playing.
"She said, 'Mom this is so sad because there is no play structure for the kids anymore. There's nothing for them to really do,'" said Susan.
Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter said the city used to have playground equipment at the park.
"We had a tot lot here but the equipment was old and it was no longer safe and we had to remove it. During the recession we didn't invest in parks like we wanted to because we diverted money to other more essential items," he said.
Although Kayla is no longer here, her family wants to make sure she gets her wish. They're raising money to build a playground at the park. It will be called the Kayla White Memorial Playground.
If you'd like to donate, go here.