Walk To Remember Offers Day At Zoo Celebrating Loved Ones

Walk to Remember on June 7 benefits local hospice patients. All day admission to the Zoo and Rainforest are included.

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Lakewood residents will soon be walking in memory of their loved ones while raising funds to help patients receiving hospice care in their homes, and in the community’s nursing and assisted living centers. Hospice of the Western Reserve's 2015 Walk to Remember, sponsored by FirstMerit Foundation, takes place Sunday, June 7, 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way. The event is open to anyone wishing to honor and celebrate the memory of a loved one; no hospice experience is necessary.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m.; the walk begins at 9 a.m. The entry fee, $25 for adults, $10 for children and $60 for families, includes all-day admission to the Zoo and Rainforest, t-shirts, live musical entertainment from InCahootz, crafts, face painting, photo taking at a Blue Button photo booth, healthy snacks and beverages and more. Registration is available online at hospicewr.org/walk, or by calling 216.383.3715.

“There’s a very uplifting and celebratory feel to the day,” said Lisa Tomm, Community Facility Coordinator at the Lakewood Office, 14601 Detroit Ave. “It’s not unusual to have multiple generations walking together. Many of the families will even customize their team’s t-shirts with photos and the names of the people they are honoring that day. All of the funds raised stay in Northeast Ohio helping local hospice patients and their families, including many in this local community.”

More than 3,000 participants are expected to walk to honor the memory of their loved ones while raising funds for charity care and services not covered by Medicare and private insurance. These include pediatric hospice care, the fulfillment of patients’ special wishes, art and music therapy, crisis response services in Northeast Ohio schools and community grief support groups. Last year alone, Hospice of the Western Reserve provided more than $1.5 million in charity care.

Tomm said the nonprofit community-based agency has strong ties to the local community. “We are long-time Chamber members and are actively involved in contributing to our community’s quality of life by offering grief support groups and educational presentations, participating in events like the Lakewood Arts Fest, and collaborating closely with local assisted-living, nursing and retirement centers to provide the best quality end-of-life care for their residents.” Hundreds of additional residents in the community receive care from the agency’s visiting home care hospice teams.