Tribute to Terry at Menifee Market Will Be Community Mosaic

The community tile mosaic honoring Terry Smith Jr. will be mounted on the front wall of Menifee Market, where a poster in tribute to the boy now hangs.

Administrators of the "Remembering Terry Smith" Facebook page -- formerly the "Find Terry Smith" page -- today announced details regarding their plan to help fund the construction of a mural on the wall of Menifee Market, honoring the 11-year-old who was found dead last week after missing for four days.

The mural will actually be a mosaic, comprised of approximately 370 4-inch-square tiles painted by the people of Menifee. These tiles will be arranged around a commemorative plaque from the City of Menifee and will be mounted on the wall of Menifee Market. The small community market on Scott Road is located in front of the Smith home -- where his body was found -- and was the site of a massive volunteer search effort for the boy.

Sarah Reid, one of five committee members of the Remembering Terry Smith group, announced the plans for using the remaining funds from money collected during the volunteer search. Because some of the money collected through the "Find Terry Smith" fund for volunteer food supplies and safety equipment was left over, group leaders decided to change its name to "Remembering Terry Smith" and put the balance toward the commemorative mosaic.

"After a lot of deliberations and for a lot of reasons, our committee decided the funds should be used this way," Reid said. "We believe this best represents what the people of Menifee feel about Terry and the sense of community we've seen through this. Nobody disputes that this little boy deserves this."

Painted Earth, a pottery and art studio in Countryside Marketplace on Haun Road, will open its doors from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. the next three days, Wednesday through Friday, for members of the community to come and paint the tiles. The limit is one tile per family and they will be sold at cost for $3 on a first-come, first-served basis. Painted Earth is waving its normal art fees and will take care of the paint supplies, firing process, etc. Customers should ask for a "tile for Remembering Terry Smith."

These tiles will then be arranged into a mosaic with a plaque honoring Terry in the center. The City of Menifee, represented by Allen Yun of the community services department, has approved placement of the mosaic on commercial property. Store owners Taiseer and Dallal Harb have approved its placement on a wall space approximately nine feet by six feet to the right of the store entrance.

Remaining funds from the "Find Terry Smith" fund will be used to complete construction of the mosaic and area surrounding it. A dedication ceremony for the mosaic and plaque will be held in the coming weeks, Reid said.

Residents who come to Painted Earth to paint a tile will be given a letter with instructions on what is permitted on the paintings. No comments referring to the criminal case may be included, nor the word "justice" or any similar sentiments. The focus will be on the memory of the boy.

According to Reid, the plaque from the city will include the wording readers see on the banner of the Remembering Terry Smith Facebook page:

Honoring how this young boy brought a community together.