Lory’s Place 6th Annual Run, Walk, and Rock on May 15, 2010

April 27, 2010 - PRLog -- Bright and early in the morning on Saturday, May 15, hundreds of runners,  walkers, and other supporters will descend upon the Edgewater Area of St. Joseph to take part in the Sixth Annual Run, Walk, and Rock to support Lory’s Place, the grief healing and education center of Hospice at Home.

"We hope to have over 800 participants this year,” states Lisa Bartoszek, Hospice at Home, Director of Bereavement and Lory’s Place. “The services of Lory's Place are free to all who need them,” continues Bartoszek, “Lory's Place is fully funded by the generous donations and gifts of our community, and all proceeds from this event go to provide services for grieving children and their families throughout Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana.”

According to Bartoszek, 1 out of 8 children will lose a parent before the age of 18. Many times, these children have no outlet for their grief, and do not know how to express their feelings. Lory's Place was created to help children and their families work through their grief so they can become capable, healthy, and optimistic about the future.

Under the direction of event chairperson Christine Borah, the Lory’s Place 6th Annual Run, Walk, and Rock will begin at 8:30 am. The timed 5 km run/walk course will take runners and walkers through the old and new areas of the Edgewater Development - past the sailboats in the marina, along the river, past Lake Michigan and its sandy beaches, down the historical brick streets of Ridgeway, and into parts of beautiful Tiscornia and Jean Klock Parks. Chip timing  will be used for fast and easy race results.

A Kids Fun Run on the same day at 8:15 am will include a short course run just for fun. This will be open to children of all ages and there is no charge to enter. A ribbon will be awarded to all participants.

For those who prefer to watch, comfortable rocking chairs will be available throughout the morning at the edge of the course.  Registration is open now. Day of the event registration begins at 7:00 am. To register online go to www.lorysplace.org or contact Lory’s Place at (269) 983-2707 for more information.

Entry fees:
$20 postmarked by May 10 or Dropped off May 13 before 5:00pm
$25 Race Day
Online registration closes on May 13 at 7:00 am.

Family Rate:
$15 each person for 3 or more members of the same household, club, organization or business (rate good until 7:00am May 13).

Again this year, students, teachers, and administrators are invited to represent their school in the “Champions for Children Challenge.” The school with the greatest number of participants in either the 5K walk or 5K run will be presented the “Champions for Children” traveling trophy during the awards ceremony following the event.

Since opening on November 15, 2004, hundreds of children from Allegan, Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties in Michigan, as well as from Elkhart and South Bend in Indiana, have taken the courageous step of accessing the bereavement resource services of Lory’s Place.   With professional bereavement staff and trained volunteers, Lory’s Place provides regularly scheduled age-appropriate support group sessions that allow children and adults to interact with peers who have suffered similar loss. There is no charge for the services that Lory’s Place provides.

To receive more information about Lory’s Place or the Run, Walk, and Rock call 269-983-2707 or 1-800-717-3812, or go to www.lorysplace.org.

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Hospice at Home is your non-profit hospice provider for SW Michigan. Offering comfort, dignity, and compassion to the terminally ill through a holistic, non-curative, approach to care, focused on enhancing the lives of patients for their remaining days.