Ecuador school may bear Garrett's name

SPANISH FORK — Garrett Bardsley won't be in Ecuador with his family for Christmas, but a school full of students is hoping his influence can be felt there anyway.

Students at Spanish Fork Middle School are working to raise $7,000 to build a school and bring supplies to a village in Ecuador in Garrett's name.

"It seems to be a thing (the students) actually need," said Scott Buck, the school's character education instructor. "They've kind of needed a way to know that Garrett's not here and be able to deal with it and put a good ending on a tragedy, in a sense. A lot of kids have known him and want to find a way to pay tribute to him, and in that way, it's been a good thing for them."

Garrett, a 12-year-old Boy Scout, was enrolled to be a sixth-grader this year at Spanish Fork Middle School. But his disappearance while on a camping trip in the Uinta Mountains in the Mirror Lake area on Aug. 20 has led to weeks of searching and a loss of hope that he is still alive.

Garrett's parents continue to search for his body, bringing special cadaver dogs from out of state to search the area where he disappeared, and asking for help from anyone who wants to volunteer. Last weekend the Bardsley's received a tip from two hikers in the area that they could smell an odor, but inclement weather hindered the cadaver dogs from following the scent. The Bardsley's plan to continue to scour the area this weekend.

"We're optimistic about it, but we don't want to get our hopes up," said Heidi Bardsley, Garrett's mother. "It's the only lead we've had, and we're keeping our fingers crossed."

In answer to a request for volunteers made by the Bardsley's in the student newspaper at Brigham Young University this week, the BYU men's volleyball team has decided to participate in Saturday's search. The team decided to forgo its annual preseason Mt. Timpanogos hike and instead spend the day in the Uintas, searching for Garrett.

"I'm just amazed at the thousands and thousands of people that have come to help search, donated money and sent cards from all over the world," Heidi Bardsley said. "Garrett would be so amazed; I'm sure he is amazed at all of the people that have helped out."

But the Bardsley's themselves aren't strangers to charitable work. They decided last winter that they would spend their Christmas in a different way, by giving humanitarian aid in Mexico. Heidi Bardsley said her children, including Garrett, loved the trip so much that they decided to spend the rest of their Christmases that way.