Where will this year's in-person event take place?
This year's Walk of Remembrance: Miles for Margaret, Lydia and All Babies Gone Too Soon will take place at Palmetto Islands County Park, beginning at the Big Oak Shelter. The address is: 444 Needlerush Parkway Mount Pleasant, SC 29464.
Does my Walk of Remembrance registration include entry to the park?
No, registration for the Walk of Remembrance does not include your entry fee for Palmetto Islands County Park. You will have to pay the park attendant $2/person (ages 2+) upon your entry to the park. If you are a Charleston County Parks Gold member, then you will not be required to pay the entry fee.
What time should I arrive for the in-person event?
Check-in begins at 9 am at the Big Oak Shelter. We recommend arriving as close to 9 am as possible to allow time for park entry, parking, checking in, picking up your shirt, enjoying the live music and participating in remembrance activities before the welcome ceremony. The welcome ceremony will begin at approximately 10 am.
What does the in-person Walk of Remembrance entail?
Starting at 9 am, we will have live music and various remembrance activities for families to participate in. (For example, we will have craft supplies for you to create a sign for your baby that you can carry with you while you walk.) The welcome ceremony begins at 10 am and will include a baby name reading to recognize and honor all of the loved and missed babies. At approximately 10:30 am, we will begin the remembrance walk, which will be 1.4 miles along a paved trail surrounded by beautiful scenery. You are also welcome to enjoy the park after the event ends - there is a playground and other walking trails for you to explore as you wish!
Are babies and children welcome to attend?
Yes, absolutely! This is a family friendly event. We encourage you to bring the whole family to honor and remember the many loved and missed babies.
Will there be restrooms at the event?
Yes, restrooms will be available near the Big Oak Shelter, where the event starts and ends.
What does being a "virtual participant" entail?
Registering as a virtual participant means that you support the Walk of Remembrance: Miles for Margaret, Lydia and All Babies Gone Too Soon and will walk in your own location. You will also receive a Walk t-shirt shipped directly to you AFTER the event (please note this change from prior years).
On the morning of November 4th at 10 am ET, tune into Facebook Live to watch the welcome ceremony and baby name reading. Be sure you are following our Facebook page.
How should I register?
You can register as an individual, create a team, or join a team.
As an individual, you are pledging to participate but not fundraise. You can also include a donation with your registration, if you would like.
If you create a team (many teams are in honor of a baby), you are pledging to fundraise. You’ll create your own personal page, share your story and photos, set goals, and get sponsors. With the help of social media, that’s really easy to do!
By joining a team, you are adding to the fundraising goal of that team. You are registering and participating as a member of that team.
You can also choose to sponsor a team to add to their fundraising goal, or just make a general donation to the event.
How do I include a baby's name on the t-shirt?
You must register by 10/10 to include a baby's name on every t-shirt. When you register, you'll be asked to provide the baby's first, middle, and last name. Please list the name as you'd like it to be included on the t-shirt.
What does this year's t-shirt look like?
More details coming soon. Similar to prior years, it will be a soft and comfortable t-shirt that you will want to wear all the time! All submitted babies' names will be included on the back of the shirt, as well as sponsor logos.
How soon will I receive my t-shirt?
In-person participants will pick up their shirt the morning of the walk at the event.
Virtual participants will receive their shirt by mail AFTER the event (please note this change from prior years). We have to ship these ourselves so we appreciate your patience, but know that we will get them out as soon as possible after the event on 11/4.
Are you looking for sponsors?
YES! Please see our sponsor page here and share with anyone you know who might be interested in serving as a sponsor. Sponsorships start at only $100. All proceeds benefit Count the Kicks and help to save babies!
What are funds raised from the event used for?
Count the Kicks is an evidence-based stillbirth prevention and awareness campaign that teaches expectant parents the method for, and importance of, tracking fetal movement daily during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Each year in the U.S., nearly 23,500 babies are born still, or 1 in every 169 pregnancies, making it 10 times more common than SIDS. According to the CDC, a black woman is more than twice as likely to lose her baby to stillbirth (1 in 96 pregnancies) than her white neighbor, colleague, or friend. Research shows that a change in movement is sometimes the only indication that a baby is in distress and needs to be checked by your doctor.
By using the FREE Count the Kicks app daily starting at 28 weeks, expectant parents will have the peace of mind to know when things are OK and when things have changed, empowering them to contact their provider. Kick counting is a free, easy-to-use way for parents to monitor their baby’s well-being at home.
The Count the Kicks app is available in the Google Play and iTunes app stores, and has been downloaded more than 100,000 times by expectant moms in all 50 states and 140 countries. It’s an easy-to-use tool for expectant parents to monitor their baby’s well-being in addition to regular prenatal visits.
Through the Count the Kicks campaign there is a community of moms who are in tune with their bodies and their babies, letting providers know when something feels off. Time and time again this system works — and babies are being saved across the country. In the first 10 years of our campaign in Iowa, the state’s stillbirth rate has decreased nearly 32 percent while the rest of the country remained stagnant. If we were to replicate the success we have experienced in Iowa, over 7,500 babies would be saved annually in the United States.
All proceeds from Miles for Margaret, Lydia and All Babies Gone Too Soon will be used to directly impact our mission to prevent stillbirth and save babies in South Carolina and beyond.
Healthy Birth Day, Inc. is the 501(3)(c) non-profit responsible for the Count the Kicks campaign. Learn more at www.countthekicks.org.
Other questions?
Contact chswalkofremembrance@gmail.com