The Unforgettables Foundation Hosts 17th Annual Lights for Little Lives Memorial Walk by Linda Stratton - City News Group, Inc.
View Upcoming Events View Your Local Sales

Community Calendar

◄ NOVEMBER ►
S M T W T F S
01 02 03 04 05 06 07
08 09 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 01 02 03 04 05
View Events
Submit Events
directory

The Unforgettables Foundation Hosts 17th Annual Lights for Little Lives Memorial Walk

By Linda Stratton, Community Writer
December 21, 2016 at 11:34am. Views: 285

LOMA LINDA>> Each New Year’s Eve since 2000, a large group, including parents and loved ones who have lost children in the past year or at any time during their lives, gathers at 3:30 pm at the Ronald McDonald House, 11365 Anderson Street in Loma Linda to participate in the moving Lights for Little Lives Memorial Ceremony presented by Redlands-based The Unforgettables Foundation (TUF). This year, three families who lost a child including Andrea and Andres Garcia; Rocio and Ruben Hernandez; and Michael and Jennifer Zambrano, will release a dove at sunset joined by 12 doves in a memorial flight. Many say the dove flight, symbolic of a heavenly journey, is a key highlight of the celebratory awareness event. This moving event is free and open to the public as a way of remembering all children who have lost their lives. The foundation also recognizes those who work to heal, rescue and save children. Three physicians including Dr. Lance Brown, MD; Dr. Douglas Deming, MD; and Dr. Kay Mukergee, MD; will receive Top Doctor Pediatric awards for their compassionate care toward our area children. Ken Campbell will receive the Unforgettable Kiwanis Friend of Children Award. After the ceremony, a 3-block walk will commence led by boy scouts, children, physicians, firemen, funeral professionals, volunteers and faith community leaders. The walk continues down Anderson Street and ends at the Campus Hill Church where there will be a 40-minute ceremony of candle lighting and name reading. Numerous families attend this event annually to recognize a child who has passed. The Lights for Little Lives Memorial Walk and Candle Lighting Ceremony was the very first public event created by TUF after a full year of serving families across the region. The foundation aids families of children 18 years of age down to 32 weeks of pregnancy for all causes of childhood death. To date, more than 5,000 families have been helped with financial and burial support from more than 80 cities in Southern California. The Orange Belt Funeral Directors Association, various clergy associations and medical associations in the region collaborate with the heartwarming celebration of our children in life and in death. The Unforgettables, started as a grass roots cause with the compassionate mission of near daily assisting financially struggling families with funeral costs during the loss of their child, is now as a locally created cause helping nearly 250 families a year, 5,000 in all since inception in SoCal, Southern Nevada and Canada. Chapters are in the works in other areas of the country as well.

Related Articles

Photo Courtesy of: TME Photography by Titan Mom Elvira

By Titan Mom Elvira, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 319

Athlete of the Week Christopher Michael Lemos, Redlands High School Junior and Varsity Quarterback, proudly represents the Terriers with his dedication, leadership, and passion for the game.

Photo Courtesy of: City News Group

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 463

Redlands Pottery Project joins A.K. Smiley Public Library for a November 14 workshop designed for young artists ages 13 to 18. A lump of clay may not look like much at first. In the hands of a young artist, however, it can become a bowl, a decorative sculpture or an entirely unexpected creation.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.redlands.edu/

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 613

The University of Redlands Department of Theatre and Dance will present Día de los Muertos and Other Folk Tales November 5 through 8, 2026. Stories told by grandparents often become treasured parts of a family's history. Some are humorous, others mysterious, and many carry lessons that remain meaningful long after the storyteller is gone.

Photo Courtesy of: UC San Diego's ALERTCalifornia

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 404

A remote wildfire-monitoring camera overlooks a Southern California landscape. Redlands has partnered with UC San Diego's ALERTCalifornia program to improve monitoring of areas near northern Redlands and the Santa Ana River wash.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.akspl.org/events/

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 629

Annual ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine will bring American history to life on November 21. On a November morning in Redlands, the sounds of fifes, drums and historic artillery will offer residents an opportunity to experience a chapter of American history that continues to influence the nation more than 160 years after the Civil War.

Photo Courtesy of: City News Group

By Stella Pierce, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:18pm. Views: 345

The first years of a child's life are filled with milestones that families often remember forever. A baby's first smile, the first attempt to crawl and the first spoken words are moments of celebration. They can also bring questions, uncertainty and new responsibilities for parents learning how to care for a growing child.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.csusb.edu/

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 413

CSUSB’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has earned recognition for it for its work to create a more inclusive, diverse and supportive physics department, earning the Bronze Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science Physics & Astronomy SEA Change program.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.naco.org/program/operation-green-light-veterans

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 1003

Operation Green Light returns November 4–11, encouraging residents to recognize military service and help veterans connect with available resources. As darkness settles over San Bernardino during the first week of November, green lights will illuminate several county buildings, transforming familiar government facilities into visible reminders of the sacrifices made by America's military veterans.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.authentikusa.com/

By Amanda Spencer, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 400

As America's most famous highway celebrates its centennial in 2026, San Bernardino reflects on the road that helped shape its neighborhoods, businesses and identity. Long before interstate highways became the preferred routes for cross-country travel, motorists making their way through San Bernardino followed a road that would become one of the most recognizable highways in American history.

Photo Courtesy of: Corina Borsuk and provided courtesy of SBCUSD

By Amanda Spencer, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 339

Muscoy Elementary students join SBCUSD Superintendent Mauricio Arellano, Board of Education President Mayra Ceballos, Assistant Superintendents Dr. Sandra Rodriguez and Dr. Tasha Doizan, Director MaryRone Goodwin and San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. for the official ribbon cutting ceremony that opened the school’s new outdoor learning center.

Photo Courtesy of: https://riversiderecord.org/; A photo of Moreno Valley City Hall. (Alicia Ramirez/The Riverside Record) Credit: (Photo by Alicia

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

October 27, 2026 at 02:39pm. Views: 659

A city is often judged by what residents experience every day: the condition of its streets, the reliability of public services, the availability of recreational programs and the ease of obtaining information from local government. Behind those everyday experiences are departments and employees whose work rarely attracts national attention.

Photo Courtesy of: TME Photography by Titan Mom Elvira

By Titan Mom Elvira, Community Writer

October 27, 2026 at 02:39pm. Views: 629

Athlete of the Week Zachary Scott Perez, Senior at John W. North High School, is recognized as Athlete of the Week for his dedication and accomplishments as a student athlete.

--> -->