The Duncan Banner

Local News

Related Photos

  • Participants in the Duncan Regional Hospital Light the Night Memorial Walk bow their heads Friday night.

    Participants in the Duncan Regional Hospital Light the Night Memorial Walk bow their heads Friday night.
August 19, 2012

Light the Night Memorial Walk sees large turnout

Derrick Miller The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — To remember loved ones who have passed doesn’t have to be a sad occasion.

This is what Duncan Regional Hospital found with its Light the Night Memorial Walk.

The event, which was a fundraiser for Chisholm Trail Hospice, had an attendance of 100 to 120 people.

Cyndi Crook, DRH Heath Foundation director, was excited by the turnout for the program.

The registration fee was $20 each, which would put the overall money raised between $2,000 and $2,400.

“It went really well,” Crook said. “We had a great crowd. We even had people signing up that night. We were really, really pleased.”

The walk provided people an opportunity to reflect on the loved ones they’ve lost. Crook said several people mentioned they were walking because they had a parent pass away.

She said the walk gave them a chance to think about their loved ones in a new setting.

“It was just a different way to remember their loved ones,” Crook said.

Although the walk was meant to remember those who were lost, the event felt more like a celebration of life, Crook said.

Even the weather seemed to keep a light spirit by staying dry, cooling off and reducing the blow of wind.

“People were there before it started,” Crook said. “It was like a bunch of friends getting together to remember people. It wasn’t somber.”

She said many people took their children to the walk. The event started with a greeting by Jay Johnson, DRH chairman.

When the program was in its planning stage, there was no way to tell what kind of response it would get and what the turnout would be like.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Crook said.

But the high turnout made a marked impact on the event, she said. People were excited to be a part of it.

With this type of response, Crook can see the program going beyond it’s pilot year.

“It might be something we try to do every year,” Crook said.

Text Only
Local News