I am SO excited to announce that .....on OCTOBER 6th, 2012, we are partnering with Missing G.R.A.C.E Foundation’s Hope & Heart’s Run to do Ohio’s FIRST annual event. It will be called… Annabelle’s Hope & Heart’s Run in honor of our baby girl and our other 4 precious little ones we have lost.
When I started running, I wanted to find a race to run for baby loss but was having trouble finding one so I started looking into organizations that I could possibly partner with and team up with to do my own here in Ohio and after looking at a few I found Missing Grace and am SO thankful I did. Their mission, their beliefs, their impact and what they are doing for families who have lost is exactly what I believe and want to do to. I am MORE than honored to be their State Director and put Ohio’s 1st event on this year in honor of my baby girl, Annabelle.
There are going to be SO many ways people can help by volunteering or just coming and walking or running that day. We will also be having a kids fun dash too! I have to be honest, this is a HUGE undertaking and I am going to need all the help I can get BUT I truly believe it’s going to be worth it and it gives me something to do in memory of my baby girl. I tear up just thinking about it. What is so amazing is after cost to run the event is taken from the total, Ohio will get 30% of the profit towards us starting our own local chapter here and giving baskets to families in local hospitals here. Two of the Missing Grace staff are coming to the event and will be speaking and bringing their baskets for families who have lost babies and after the ceremony and walk/run that day, Jim and I will get to go personally and deliver those to local hospitals, which I am so thankful to be able to do!
ATTENTION: If you have lost a baby/child and would like to run/walk on October 6th in memory/honor of them, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP by emailing me at aprilcstarkey@gmail.com or calling me (message/email for my phone number). I have these really neat Team Binders that will be sent/given to all families who decide to walk/run in honor of their baby and want to form a team (whether it be small and just them or big including all their friends/family walking with them wearing shirts with their baby’s name and/or picture on it) I will have the binders ready to give out in a week or so, so PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP! This same event they have in Minnesota and other states and last year in Minnesota they had around 1,400 people and are expecting around 2,000 people this year. The goal for a first year event is around 100-300 people. The more families we can get to come out and walk/run for their babies, the more we can raise to help even more families. We will also have a ceremony, memory wall and balloon release at the end to remember our babies by.
If you have NOT lost a baby and are wondering if there is anything you can do…YES YES YES! We need you to walk or run. This event isn’t just for families who have lost, this is for ANYBODY to walk or run and by paying the registration fee and any donations they bring in, that all goes towards Missing Grace Foundation to help us, help more families. So if you’ve ever known someone who has lost a baby and you never quite knew what to say or do…THIS IS IT…You could tell them you were walking or running in honor of their baby or you could do it even if you don’t know anyone who has lost. We will need LOTS of volunteers from pre-event stuff and helping me organize it, advertise it and so much more to event day volunteers who will have special shirts to wear and will do things such as balloons, parking, food tables, registration, baskets, photography, videography and so much more! If you are interested AT ALL with volunteering, PLEASE LET ME KNOW and/or go to this link at our Ohio Hope & Heart's website volunteer page and checking which way you would like to volunteer! Volunteer link SO EXCITED!
Below is the website…you can go there to read ALL about it, our story and see pictures AND you can also register online or print off the mail-in forms!
http://HopeandHeartsRun.org/Ohio/
Love, april
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