GEORGETOWN, Ky. — There's a new memorial supporting the victims of COVID-19 in Kentucky.


What You Need To Know

  • The Yellow Heart Memorial honors those lost to COVID-19

  • It's found in Georgetown

  • Local artist Hannah Ernst handmade each silhouette

The Yellow Heart Memorial was made to honor all of the loved ones lost to COVID-19. It's an organization founded by Rosie Davis, according to Dorothy Wiemers.

Hanna Ernst draws one of the hundreds of silhouettes for the memorial. (Spectrum News 1/Steve France)

The memorial features hundreds of handcrafted silhouettes designed by local artist Hannah Ernst. Wiemers said is shows that those lost during the pandemic are more than just another name.

"The drawings on the wall represent the essence of the person and that they're not just an empty face," Wiemers said. "Over 16,000 families in Kentucky have lost a loved one."

Hundreds of faces canvas the hallway wall in tribute to those that paid the ultimate sacrifice to COVID-19.

It's a personal thing for Wiemers. The memorial includes her own husband.

"With the death of my husband, Michael, in November 2020, I realized that there was at the time so many things that we weren't allowed to do," she said.

Hundreds of faces line the walls of the Georgetown/Scott County Pavilion. (Spectrum News 1/Steve France)

When her husband died, hospitals weren't allowing guests or visitors, so her family didn't get a final goodbye.

"Weren't allowed to gather to mourn our loss, so this is actually something that we can do to honor all those loved ones who have been lost," Wiemers said.

These loved ones have been lost but will never be forgotten, thanks in part to the Yellow Heart Memorial.

"I think it's just a great tribute for people with COVID and just to see the effects that it's taken on our community," said Helen Tobin with the Georgetown/Scott County Pavilion. "I know, myself, I've not lost anybody personally, but I know just walking by here to the restroom, I'll stop by and look and there's new names that have added, so the whole thing, it's not just a number, it's a face to that, this whole loss that we've had as a community and the world, so I think it's a great tribute to draw attention to that."

"These drawings, these people behind me, they're not just a number," Wiemers said. "They were loved ones with families and friends, and they were loved and they deserve to be remembered because their lives mattered."