The Unforgettables Foundation's Lights for Little Lives Memorial Walk and Candle Lighting Ceremony will take place on December 31, 2018 at 3:30 pm at the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House.
Each year The Unforgettables Foundation (TUF) has presented this beloved memorial walk, candle lighting, child naming and award ceremony on New Year’s Eve. Hundreds reflect and celebrate the lives and journeys of children who have passed, but will forever be remembered in the hearts of those who knew them.
“The Lights for Little Lives Memorial Walk brings together families, friends and the community to remember the many children who have died too soon,” according to Chaplain Timothy Evans, Founder/CEO of TUF. “The event is another way the organization is able to further touch the lives of family members and loved ones in a caring way,” he said.
This moving event is free and open to the public as a way of remembering all children who have lost their lives.
TUF also recognizes those who work to heal, rescue and save children. Three sources supply awardee's for Top Doctor: the Riverside County Medical Association, the San Bernardino County Medical Society, and Loma Linda University Children’s’ Hospital. This year, three physicians will receive the Top Doctor award for their compassionate care toward our area children: Annalisa A. Abjelina, MD, James Tong, MD, and Thomas Bahk, MD.
The group assembles in the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House, 11365 Anderson Street, Loma Linda, across the street from Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, at 3:30 pm. Three to four mothers who lost a child will release a dove at sunset, joined by 21 doves in a memorial flight. Many say the dove flight, symbolic of a heavenly journey, is a key highlight of the celebratory awareness event.
After the ceremony, a 3-block walk will commence led by boy scouts, children, physicians, firemen, funeral professionals, volunteers and faith community leaders. The walk continues down Anderson Street and ends at the Campus Hill Church where there will be a 45-minute ceremony of candle lighting and name reading. Numerous families attend this event annually to recognize a child who has passed.
The Lights for Little Lives Memorial Walk and Candle Lighting Ceremony was the very first public event created by The Unforgettables Foundation after a full year of serving families across the region. To date, nearly 6,000 families have been helped with financial and burial support from over 80 cities in Southern California. The Orange Belt Funeral Directors Association, various clergy associations and medical associations in the region collaborate with the heartwarming celebration of our children in life and in death.