FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Richmond-Based Nonprofit Hosts 4th Annual Remembrance Walk/Run to Honor the Lives of Loved Ones

Richmond, Virginia (July 13, 2023): While there is no one right way to grieve the loss of a loved one, finding a way to remember them can be a part of the healing process. On September 23, 2023, Full Circle Grief Center will host its 4th Annual Miles in Memory Remembrance Walk/Run, to help participants honor a loved one; people of all ages and fitness levels are invited to participate through an in-person event at Deep Run Park or virtually, from anywhere in the world. With its mission to provide bereavement resources in the community, Full Circle is a Richmond-based nonprofit that has served over 19,000 parents and children since it was founded in 2008 by Founder/Executive Director Allyson Drake. Inspired by the notion of “Your walk. Your way.,” Miles in Memory participants are encouraged to set a customized distance or time-based goal to commemorate their loved one such as a birthday, anniversary or any number that holds personal significance.

“Hearing the stories and being able to express myself among them is something you can’t get anywhere else,” expressed Phil Samuel-Siegel, a group participant at Full Circle.

Over the past three years, several hundred people have participated in Miles in Memory locally, nationally and internationally, generating nearly $50,000 to support Full Circle’s programs. Sponsors for this year’s event include Optima Health, Patient First, The Strum Group, and UDig. All earnings from this event help fund grief support groups and educational programs so they can remain free of charge for those in the bereavement community. Since Miles in Memory began virtually in 2020, it has since evolved to include an in-person community celebration. Featuring crafts, refreshments, and remembrance activities, in-person participants have the opportunity to connect with Full Circle’s staff, volunteers, and with one another. This year, the community celebration will take place at Deep Run Park (Shelter 1 and 2), beginning at 11 a.m. with a few words and a collective remembrance activity. In addition to a virtual and in-person event option this year, in-person VIP ticket holders will have access to an exclusive, grief-inspired yoga practice from 10-10:45 a.m. led by Rachel Machacek, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) at Full Circle.

“Yoga class will start with brief meditation and intention setting, move into supportive breathwork to warm the body,” Rachel shared, “and then a series of standing, balancing and seated asana that will allow heart energy to move and ground.”

Full Circle Grief Center offers a range of programs at no cost to clients. Charitable programs include Hands on Healing family groups, perinatal loss groups, overdose and substance use-releated loss groups, and suicide loss groups at the center. In addition, Full Circle offers outreach groups in local schools and community organizations as well as a homicide loss group in partnership with VA Victim Assistance Network. Full Circle’s Individual Counseling Practice provides grief therapy for those grieving the death of a loved one,  through insurance as well as a reduced rate. Specialty areas include grief and loss, traumatic loss (such as homicide, suicide, traumatic accident), and anticipatory grief. Notably, all of Full Circle’s programs are facilitated by professional mental health clinicians. Full Circle has been featured by media outlets including WRVA, Channel 12, CBS This Morning, Free Press, and Style Weekly, and is one of the most comprehensive local resources for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one.

Join Full Circle’s 4th Annual Miles in Memory Remembrance Walk/Run either virtually or in person at Deep Run Park on September 23rd, 2023. For more information and to register for this event, please visit https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Henrico/MilesinMemoryWalkRun.

Media Contact:

Full Circle Grief Center

Whitney Asher

804-912-2947 ext. 106

Whitney.asher@fullcirclegc.org