BARRON, Wis., Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of Barron, Wisc., and the surrounding communities came together in hope and remembrance Wednesday night. Hundreds attended the Lighting of a Tree of Hope for Jayme Closs ceremony and lit more than 65 lanterns into the sky in honor of Jim and Denise Closs and the continued hope for the safe return of their daughter, Jayme.
Closs has been missing since October 15 and the event highlighted the community's continued resolve to find Jayme and bring her home.
The family of Jayme Closs lights the Tree of Hope for Jayme as hundreds of classmates, teachers and law enforcement gathered in Barron, Wisc., in a united display of hope and rememberance.
Hormel Foods CEO Jim Snee releases a lantern with several of Jayme Closs' classmates and teachers as light is brought back to Barron, Wisc., during the Lighting of a Tree of Hope for Jayme Closs ceremony. Hormel Foods and Jennie-O Turkey Store partnered with the Barron School District to coordinate the ceremony.
More than 60 lanterns filled the night sky, marking the 60 days that Jayme Closs has been missing, during the Lighting of a Tree of Hope for Jayme ceremony held in Barron, Wisc. Family members along with hundreds of community residents and leaders attended the event.
"Tonight, we show the world that Barron is full of hope and full of light," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods. "Jim and Denise Closs were more than team members, they were family. And so is Jayme. This tree of hope will shine brightly in remembrance of Denise and Jim, and it will also be a reminder that we must not lose hope for Jayme and her safe return." The company and its subsidiary, Jennie-O Turkey Store, partnered with the Barron School District to coordinate the event. Jim and Denise Closs were long-time Jennie-O Turkey Store team members.
Michael Closs, Jim Closs' brother, spoke on behalf of the family. "The support has been overwhelming. Our family is just like you, we just want Jayme home. We can't thank the community enough."
"This is what we are running on right now, is hope," said Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald. "While this case is very heart breaking, this [event] is very heartwarming at the same time. We have one goal left, we will bring Jayme home and we will bring peace to this community." Anyone with tips can contact the sheriff's department at 1-855-744-3879 or via email at [email protected].
"When Jennie-O Turkey Store and Hormel Foods approached us to do this event, we were so moved. It's been a really difficult time for us all and when the idea for the tree was presented, we couldn't have thought of a better way to share our hope and wishes for Jayme's safe return," said Diane Tremblay, Barron County School Superintendent.
The event ended with a special video message from Barron native, musician and NBC's "The Voice" finalist Chris Kroeze. Kroeze said, "I want to encourage everyone to keep hope alive and stay positive. Bringing the community together is an awesome thing and it's just encouraging to see everyone pull together like this." Kroeze had dedicated his performance of The Beatles' "Let it Be" to Jayme and the Barron community on a recent episode of the show.
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