Artwork by Jim Hastings (Photography by Danny Fulgencio).

Jim Hastings has more than 900 drawings of his mother, wife and children.

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Sketched in ballpoint pen, the artwork helps Hastings cope with the death of his mother and murder of his daughter, Zoe.

“I see drawings, and they take me to a certain point in life,” he told the Advocate. “They definitely helped me focus any anxiety, nervousness, worry or whatever. Life doesn’t stop. It was a way for me to keep moving forward. If I didn’t start making pictures I might stop completely.”

Hastings designed a memorial art piece, which sculptor Art Wells is carving, that will hang at the White Rock YMCA’s pool.

Zoe, a Booker T. Washington student, was a beloved YMCA lifeguard who quickly was promoted to supervisor.

“It gives us an opportunity us to remember her, her time at the Y and have it by our pool to keep her memory going,” says Allison Albitz, White Rock YMCA marketing associate.

The Y is raising funds to cover the cost of installation. For more details or to donate, click here. 

Jim Hastings is creating artwork for White Rock YMCA in honor of his daughter, Zoe (Photography courtesy of Allison Albitz).