This year's walk in observance of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day will be held today beginning at 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church.

Special to the Chronicle

Families will gather at St. Paul's United Methodist Church from 5:30 to 8 p.m. today at the 10th annual Walk to Remember to celebrate the lives of their babies who are no longer with us.

The Walk to Remember event is held each year to observe National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. The walk is dedicated to local grieving families and to their departed children. It is attended by 200 people each year. All families and their friends in the community are welcome to participate at no cost. St. Paul's United Methodist Church is located at 1700 N. Meridian Road. There is plenty of parking in the church parking lot.

With a goal in mind to reduce infant mortality, the Florida Legislature created Healthy Start in 1992. As a result, Florida's infant mortality rates showed steady declines for the first five years. However, with an increase of births each year and funding for services stagnant, infant death rates began to rise again. In 2009, 1,525 of infants died in Florida. Leon County had 24 infant deaths that year, and four infant deaths occurred in Wakulla County.

This occasion gives participants a chance to exchange personal accounts and share memories of their loved ones. Families create a connection with one another as they offer testimony of how they deal with their tragic loss on a daily basis. "Locally, babies continue to die each year, and Healthy Start continues to fight to save babies' lives," explains Ann Davis, executive director of Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition. "When parents attend Walk to Remember, it can be heartbreaking and therapeutic all at once. We try to offer as much support as possible to the grieving families."

While enjoying food and beverages that evening, guests can write a message on a remembrance quilt square and have the opportunity to have their babies' names read aloud during the memorial service held in the sanctuary. Grief counselors will be available at the reception. City Commissioner Gil Ziffer will read the city's proclamation. At 7:30 p.m., bagpipes will play "Amazing Grace" as participants walk around Lake Ella in a candlelit ceremony. Performers include the Tallahassee Pipe Band and Voces Angelorum. Child care will be provided in the church nursery.

For additional information, contact Kristina Abernathy at 488-0288, ext. 102.