Unveiled At Broward Health Coral Springs, Statue Honors Parkland Victims

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Two artists unveiled a statue at Broward Health Coral Springs on Tuesday in honor of the 17 victims of the 2018 Parkland school shooting.

The statue titled, the "Spirit of Caring," sits in front of the hospital's emergency room, about a 10-minute drive from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

"The imagery of 'Spirit of Caring' is that of an adult, a parent, and two youths, one older one younger. They dance around a heart. A heart that symbolizes the values that we hold most dearly," said Judith Spater, one of the two artists.

Spater and Stephen Canneto created the statue together and worked on it for about four years.

"The opportunity to meet with the people of this community, the families of this community, has been deeply moving for us," Canneto said at the statue's unveiling ceremony on Tuesday morning.

Among the crowd of police officers, firefighters, and hospital staff at the ceremony were parents Annika and Mitch Dworet, whose son was killed in the shooting in 2018.

"It's a beautiful way to honor the 17," said Annika Dworet, who used to work as a nurse at Broward Health Coral Springs where the statue now stands.

Nicholas Dworet, 17, was among the 17 people shot and killed at MSD on February 14, 2018. Dworet was a senior with a passion and talent for swimming. He had recently accepted a swimming scholarship at a university. His brother was also injured in the mass shooting.

"You can not move on, you can move through and you can find your way," said Mitch Dworet, Nick's dad, on Tuesday. "Things like this are a reflection of that, of communities coming together and remembering in this way."