LEWISTON — Balloons in various colors were carried through Lewiston on Oct. 16 by 236 participants in the 8th annual “Walk to Remember” beginning at St. Mary’s hospital.

The group of people, many wearing T-shirts with 81 names listed in a leaf on the back, walked to the memorial garden at CMMC and then returned to the memorial garden at St. Mary’s. Several participants were called to receive a single white rose. The “Walk to Remember” was held to honor the memories of babies who have passed away. The culmination of the event was the release of the balloons into the air with tags attached, asking that anyone finding the slip of paper do a nice deed in the name of a particular baby.

The Walk to Remember is a fundraising event that is held for the Colby Fund, formed by David and Leanne Langlois, who lost their son Colby at 32 weeks gestation in 2002. According to the fund’s website, “The fund was created with the goal of keeping Colby’s memory alive and to provide support and education to grieving parents who have experienced the loss of their child.”

The Walk to Remember is the only fundraiser that is held to raise money for the Colby Fund, an organization designed to support families that have lost a baby. The fund arranges for caskets, gravestones, funerals, urns and headstones to aid parents who are grieving the loss of a child. The Colby Fund also arranges for a photographer to be on hand to allow parents to have photos of their child, many of whom don’t think to bring a camera to the hospital when they know that their child is not coming home with them. All the money for the Colby Fund is made through this one event each year and donations through the rest of the year. This year’s walk raised $10,374.

Donations to the Colby Fund can be sent to St. Mary’s Development Office, C/O Colby Fund, 272 Sabattus St., Lewiston, Maine 04210. Additional information on the Colby Fund can be found at www.babyalligatortears.com.

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