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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 536-1120 | |
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November 28 , 2006 | |
Plymouth Area Compassionate Friends to Join in Worldwide Candle Lighting Service 24-hour wave of light a symbolic remembrance for families grieving the death of a child | |
| PLYMOUTH, N.H. --- Joining hundreds of organized memorial services around the world, members of the Plymouth chapter of The Compassionate Friends, a program hosted by Speare Memorial Hospital, will light candles Sunday, December 10 in an act of symbolic remembrance for families grieving the death of a child. That their light may always shine is the theme of the candle lighting to be held as part of special service at 7 p.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church featuring music, poetry and stories. Everyone is invited to participate in this moving tribute, whether or not they have suffered the personal loss of a child. | |
| The Compassionate Friends is a national self-help support organization for families who have suffered the loss of a child. The Plymouth chapter meets the second Monday of every month in the Social Services Conference Room at Speare Memorial Hospital from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Alice O´Connor facilitates the Plymouth chapter of Compassionate Friends and says this is the first year the chapter has participated in the worldwide candle lighting, "No matter when a child dies, the holidays are the hardest time of year for families. We are hoping the service will help families get through the holidays, but also give them an opportunity to honor their child." | |
| O´Connor says they are planning to have every attendee sign a guest book and list the name of the child they are remembering. Those names will be read during the service. Among the names will be O´Connor´s own son, Billy, who died 10 years ago at the age of 16 in an automobile accident. Her commitment to Compassionate Friends and helping others work through their own grief is based on the care and support she received immediately following her son´s death, and a desire to honor him by living life and moving forward. | |
| This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Worldwide Candle Lighting, which has grown larger every year with formal services in all 50 United States, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, as well as a dozen countries around the world. The number of formal services has grown by more than 50 percent in the past two years. | |
| For more information about the Plymouth chapter of Compassionate Friends or the Candle Lighting Service on December 10, contact Alice O´Connor at (603) 536-5111. | |
| Speare Memorial Hospital is a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth, and the communities of central New Hampshire, for more than a century. | |
| Michele Barney Hutchins Director of Community Relations Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 238-6468 mhutchins@spearehospital.com |