Charlotte Rose Kelly Play Area Opens at French's Common

Toward the end of Charlotte Rose Kelly's life, when she was battling a rare form of cancer known as neuroblastoma, Charlotte carefully selected a London Bridge LEGO set to build.

It was for ages 16 and up and contained more than 4,000 pieces, but she refused all offers of help, worked for hours on it, and sometimes had to be carried to the table, her father Greg Kelly said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday evening for a playground in Charlotte's honor.

But she completed the project, not long before she passed away at age five on Dec. 7, 2011. Now the Charlotte Rose Kelly Play Area at French's Common in Braintree carries on her memory in the form of a playground designed like that London Bridge set, and colored purple, gold and orange to represent pediatric cancer awareness and Charlotte's favorite color.

"Today Charlotte connects us," Mayor Joseph Sullivan said during the ceremony. "Her memory will always be with us on this historic common."

Dozens of local residents and officials gathered behind Town Hall Wednesday to remember Charlotte on what would have been her seventh birthday. In Washington, DC, Congressman Stephen Lynch flew a flag over the Capitol in Charlotte's honor, and Town Council President Charles Kokoros read a proclamation from the council.

"She is part of our family and part of our lives and always will be," Kokoros said.

Many of the children who attended the event scrambled over the play area, including a stone chess set and swingsm after the ribbon was cut, but not before helping release dozens of balloons and butterflies and planting a Japanese Maple donated by the Disney Store.

Greg Kelly expressed his appreciation for everyone in the community, and especially pointed out the efforts of Laura Graziano, Gerard Timmons and Grace White, along with fundraising supporters Marylou's Coffee, Braintree Cleaners, the Town Clerk's Office and the Town of Braintree.

Supporters raised $50,000 for the playground, Kelly said, noting that Prayers for Charlotte, a non-profit aimed at raising money for neuroblastoma research and relief for families fighting cancer, is a separate group, but with many of the same supporters.

"Braintree was the only home Charlotte ever knew, and the outpouring of support from this community cannot be overstated."