Allison is one of many "buds" that will never open because of violence on the city's streets - mostly the work of drug dealers.
To commemorate the slain youngsters' brief lives, the local chapter of Veterans Against Drugs has enlisted students at the the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Since spring, a handful of academy students, working from photos supplied by the veterans, have painted portraits of "all these innocent kids who were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
So far, 16 portraits have been completed.
The backlog seems unending.
"We also have 25 survivors," said Rich Montgomery, a Vietnam veteran and local coordinator of Veterans Against Drugs.
For the past few years, explained Montgomery, the organization has sponsored a ceremony at 5th and Market streets "as a memorial to the children who were killed and to honor the children who survived."
This year, Montgomery figured he'd try something different by using the victims' portraits instead of photographs.
He contacted Judy Ringold, the academy's education program coordinator. She was "immediately intrigued with the idea."
A graduate of the academy's art school, Ringold knew the emotional value the portraits would hold for the parents.
"A portrait is not just a painting," said Ringold. "A portrait brings that person to life. These (victims) were normal, innocent people who had lives, hopes . . . . "
"When the families see the painting, it's as if they're seeing their child coming alive again."
The pictures (play, work, school, prom, graduation) from which the portraits are painted tell their own little stories.
So do the notes that accompany some of the photos:
"Diana was a happy and truly beautiful person. When you felt pain she was the best Tylenol."
"Khalil was a very special person . . . . His favorite pastimes were music, dancing and lifting weights."
"Sultan was always respectful to his elders. He was interested in computer science and electronics."
