Pinwheel Day was created to support a Kirkland family who lost their 1-year old son on March 10, 2012 – just nine days before his second birthday.

Lincoln Hartley had special needs and worked hard to learn how to spin toys and when he did he loved spinning toys. His mom planned to decorate his second birthday with pinwheels but he died nine days before his birthday. Instead, at his funeral a group of friends made 400 pinwheels to give to each person who attended the funeral.

This year as the first anniversary of his death and his third birthday approaches to remember Lincoln, Pinwheel Day was created. Pinwheel Day is March 19 and is about giving love, kindness and service and putting a pinwheel in your yard, car, hair, lapel, anywhere and sharing on the Pinwheel Day Facebook page what you did to spin hearts.

We have hundreds of people following the Facebook page. And yesterday on the anniversary of his death a stranger put a 100 pinwheels down the Hartleys Street and covered their mailboxes with mini pinwheels.

I would love to see all of Kirkland spinning with pinwheels and everyone spinning hearts.

Patricia Heber, Kirkland