DENVER, Colo -- Dozens of people gathered together Friday night to dedicate a memorial to a three-year-old girl who police believe was killed by her mother's boyfriend.

Neveah Gallegos' body was found in a ravine near 11th and Perry a little more than a month ago.

Neighbors held a memorial service at the time, but they said that wasn’t enough.

The Rev. Shane Fay, of the nearby Set Free Church of Denver, said they were determined to have something good come out of the tragedy.

"It really hit home,” said Fay. “This is our community, and we wanted to let everyone know that this is not accepted or allowed. We want to take back our community."

Four churches collaborated on an idea for a memorial, but it was the passion of a 12-year-old girl that inspired them all.

"It just hurt me because she was such a little girl," said Carissa Garcia, a seventh-grader at Lake Middle School.

She had visited the site twice a week, and decided she needed to do something more.

She and her classmates organized a fundraiser for the memorial.

"I'm very proud of her, very, very proud," said Julie Garcia, Carissa’s mother.

She said she hopes the site serves as a reminder of Neveah's short life and the community that embraced her.

"I'm glad it's going to touch other people's hearts, and I hope that it opens eyes of other parents who have younger kids," said Garcia.

Fay said the memorial is just the first step.

Friday night, he passed around a petition to name the nearby playground the “Neveah Gallegos Memorial Playground.”

Neveah's mother and her boyfriend were arrested in the death and then released while officials wait for the autopsy report on what caused Neveah's death.

The boyfriend, Angel Montoya, is back behind bars on a misdemeanor charge.