June 8 Walk to Remember Celebrates Loved Ones While Helping Hospice
Collinwood residents are encouraged to gather family and friends and register for the third annual Walk to Remember at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Honorary Chair for this year’s event is Monica Robins, Senior Health Correspondent, WKYC TV Channel 3. Sponsored by FirstMerit Foundation, the event will be held Sunday, June 8, 2014, 8 a.m. to noon. Over 2,000 participants are expected to enjoy the leisurely walk through the zoo celebrating the memory of their loved ones. The event benefits patients and families cared for by Hospice of the Western Reserve, including the residents of David Simpson Hospice House on E. 185th Street. Registration is $20 for an individual and $60 for a family. Children’s admission is $10. Registration includes all-day admission at the Zoo and Rainforest, T-shirts, snacks and live musical entertainment. To register, visit http://www.hospicewr.org/walk.
“It’s a great family event. We have multiple generations of families and their friends walking together as a way to pay tribute to those who have had a lasting influence in their lives. It’s a wonderful, uplifting way to honor the memory of loved ones,” said Collinwood resident Laura Lee Martin, who is Director of Operations, Development and Communications for the nonprofit agency. “The day always has a very celebratory feel to it. Last year, many teams even created and wore customized T-shirts with pictures and names of their loved ones on the front. The event is open to anyone wishing to honor and celebrate the memory of a loved one; no hospice experience is necessary.”
Martin said all proceeds stay within Northern Ohio to help seriously ill patients and their families by helping to fund compassionate services not fully covered by Medicare or private insurance such as grief counseling, pediatric hospice care, music and art therapy and the school crisis grief support program.
Among those participating for the third year will be the Burning River Roller Girls, Cleveland’s first all-female, skater-owned, flat-track derby league, who will help kick off the Walk and add to the celebratory mood of the day. “We had such a great time and were honored to be a part of something so special,” said Daniela Reagan, Vice President of Public Relations for the group. “I am happy to help because hospice took such great care of several of my family members in their last days.”
For more information or assistance with registration, email Bridget Murphy, Hospice of the Western Reserve, at bmurphy@hospicewr.org, or call her at 216.383.3715.
Laurie Henrichsen
Public & Media Relations, Hospice of the Western Reserve