Harold and Debbie Diggs lost their daughter Hollie in 2002, and they are determined that her name will live on in the youth ranch they’re working to build.
The couple, who operate the Diggs School of Dance in Gloucester, has established a faith-based, nonprofit organization to accomplish that goal. The Hollie Mignon Diggs Memorial Trust and Youth Ranch Inc., is seeking property for the ranch and donations to get the project off the ground.
Hollie was a parole and probation officer in the juvenile justice system at the time of her death at age 31, said Harold Diggs. She was responsible for juvenile screening and placement, and one of her greatest frustrations was that there never seemed to be the right place to put the children she came across.
“A big city is not the appropriate place for a child who grew up in a rural area,” he said. “It’s away from the family and in a foreign environment.”
When a family has been split up because a child has been...
To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.