ASN - Aids Support Network - San Luis Obispo County
Steve Weiss AIDS Living Memorial Grove
The Grove, located in El Chorro Regional Park, provides a beautiful living memorial in remembrance of the men, women and children who have died from AIDS and in support of those who live each day with HIV/AIDS.
The Grove honors both the people whose lives have been cut short by the illness and the people whose lives have been forever altered by sharing their love and support of those with the illness.
The Grove is a place for grief, for remembrance, for hope and for renewal. It is a place to stroll, to meditate or to gather for a memorial service.
The Grove provides a learning tool for adults and children, provoking discussion on AIDS, awareness, loss and the power of community. Created with native plants and trees, gardeners are also encouraged to learn more about California plant life.
The Grove, as life itself, grows and changes with the cycles of nature; planting and maintaining the Grove provides a healing experience.
The Future of the Grove
The Steve Weiss AIDS Living Memorial Grove, a native plant jewel located in El Chorro Regional Park, is entering its next stage of life. Established in 1994, the Grove is now home to over 200 native Californian trees, shrubs, and grasses, and has served our community for years as a place of reflection, education, and awareness.
This spring, we are embarking on the next stage of the Grove’s mission. The first part is to expand the Path of Remembrance, a stone walkway in which each stone bears the name of someone the community has lost to AIDS. There are currently hundreds of stones to be placed, an endeavor that will cover much of the Grove’s walkway.
The second part is to create a Native Healing Plant Garden. This will only enhance the Grove as a place of healing. We hope that this Garden and the Path of Remembrance will aid us in our mission to educate the public, and especially youth, about HIV/AIDS as well as the healing power of the Earth.
We welcome community donations and input for the Grove. If you would like to purchase a stone on behalf of a community member who has passed away from AIDS, click on the button below, or if you would like to donate to our native healing plant garden, please contact Chloe at 781-3660. Thank you for your support!
Click here for directions.
