After the frozen body of 23-month-old Nyia Miangel Marie Page was found in a wooded section of Rankin, the area became a haunting reminder of the worst of humankind.

A little more than a year later, efforts to transform that area into a memorial to Nyia show how a tragedy can bring out the best in people.

"It's been a multi-borough effort," said co-organizer Karen Reed, adding that more than 200 volunteers from Rankin, Braddock, North Braddock and Swissvale appeared at the site on Patterson Avenue to participate in a cleanup last Thursday and to plant flowers Saturday.

Swissvale Mayor Deneen Swartzwelder and state Rep. Paul Costa, D-Wilkins, also were there.

Ms. Reed added that the Woodland Hills High School Interact Club and Braddock Borough each donated $800, with about $2,000 that had been donated to the Nyia Page Memorial Fund.

The effort was reminiscent of how community volunteers came out in droves to assist more than 100 law-enforcement and emergency-service personnel in the search for the missing toddler last year.

Nyia's body was found Feb. 4, 2007, in the woods near an old basketball court. She was wearing only a diaper and a sweater.

Her father, William Lorenzo Page, has been charged with abandoning her outdoors in subfreezing temperatures the previous morning. He also is accused of sexually assaulting her and a 6-year-old boy.

Mr. Page, who participated in the search, is currently on trial.

Nyia's death cast a pall over Rankin and surrounding neighborhoods that lingers.

"I still really grieve for the little girl," said Braddock Mayor John Fetterman. "It's been difficult for me, given the fact that we were part of the group that looked for her. I can't imagine what it's like for her family."

"When a child dies, that hurts the whole community," said Kenneth Thomas, a Braddock resident and volunteer. He said the loss of two brothers to cancer doesn't compare with what happened to Nyia.

"A child is supposed to grow up and be an adult, and it's unfortunate that this child didn't get to do that."

Rankin Police Chief Ryan Wooten's grief was so great, he resisted the idea of building a memorial when one of his officers, Ken Nicol, proposed the idea shortly after the tragedy.

"I said, 'I can't do this,' " Chief Wooten said. "I've been a police officer 16 years. There are some crimes you can't understand why it happened. I tried to stay away from it."

But after watching a TV interview last year in which Nyia's mother, Darlene Robinson, pleaded to have the area where her daughter was found turned into a playground, Mrs. Reed called Chief Wooten and persuaded him to help spearhead the effort.

"I'm not the only one who saw this horrible tragedy on television, and it broke my heart," Mrs. Reed said.

"My 2-year-old looked at Nyia's picture and pointed to it and said, 'Baby.' That just killed me. I knew right there I was committed."

Chief Wooten received permission to renovate the space from the Allegheny County Housing Authority, and plans to create a playground and memorial garden were made in January.

The chief said he plans to ask the Housing Authority to eventually lease the land to Ms. Robinson.

Once word got out about the project, plans grew to include a pavilion, a greenhouse and wildlife sanctuary.

"We want this to be a place where, if people need, they can come down here and get a bag of apples or potatoes," said Mike Penn, a volunteer with the Beverly Jewel Wall Lovelace children's program in Rankin. He came up with the idea of the greenhouse and sanctuary.

Both projects, along with the playground, are expected to be completed next year.

During the first two days of work, more than 100 overgrown trees surrounding the crumbling blacktop were removed, pink dogwood trees and pink and white flowers were planted, and Darlene Robinson returned to the area for the first time since her daughter was found.

Although she was initially afraid to go back to the site, she said volunteers "made sure it was beautiful" when she got there.

And while she is touched by the beauty of the reclaimed space and hopes others are touched by it as well, Ms. Robinson hopes it reminds people that the most abhorrent acts imaginable are possible, and can come from those least suspected.

"I thank everyone for their hard work, prayers and support because this is not over," she said.

"It's time for us to wake up. Strangers aren't the only monsters -- they can live right next to you."