11th annual "A Walk to Remember" October 10 in Naperville

Naperville’s 11th Annual A Walk to Remember will be held Saturday, October 10 at the Riverwalk Grand Pavilion, 500 Jackson Ave., west of Centennial Beach in downtown Naperville.

Check-in and registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. A memorial service featuring music, poetry and a reading of baby names will be held at 9:30 a.m., followed by the two-mile Walk at 10:15 a.m. To register in advance, visit https://edward.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SHAREWalktoRemember2015.

The names of nearly 200 babies were read during the memorial service at the 2014 Walk, which was attended by more than 500 people.

Walk proceeds support the Edward Foundation’s SHARE Program – a group for those who have experienced pregnancy loss and infant death, counseling services, bereavement training and education, memory boxes and mementos to recognize a lost child, and additions and upkeep to the Wings of Hope Angel Garden at Edward Hospital, an outdoor space that was designed to remember deceased children.

Each year in the U.S., one of every four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, 26,000 children die as a result of stillbirth and another 19,000 children succumb to early infant death. As a result, thousands of families leave the hospital each year without their child – with empty arms, broken hearts and a love for their deceased child that will never diminish.

There are many ways to support A Walk to Remember, including walking, sponsorship, providing in-kind donations and serving as a volunteer. Those who have experienced a loss and their family and friends are encouraged to participate.

For more information about the Walk and SHARE, visit www.napervillewalktoremember.org.