Unforgettables: Conference Focuses on Helping Families Who've Lost a Child

An Inland Empire nonprofit will hold a conference in Palm Desert Friday about pediatric health risks and help for families who have lost a child.

"Children and Families in Crisis" starts at 8 a.m. at the Indian Wells Theater on Cal State San Bernardino's Palm Desert campus. The conference is organized by Redlands-based Unforgettables Foundation and is geared toward parents, caregivers and the community at large, according to organizers.

Keynote speakers will be Donald Moores, chief of pediatric surgery and medical director of pediatric trauma services at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, and author and grief recovery expert John Welshons. The conference will end with "Lights for Little Lives," a ceremony that will inlcude releasing doves in honor of 105 local children who died in the past year.

"This is not a topic that anyone ordinarily likes to discuss, but it can be truly inspiring to learn from one another how to ease the suffering of families confronting the tragic loss of a child," said Unforgettables founder Tim Evans. "Our goal is to increase understanding and foster collaboration among the diverse group of individuals and organizations that seek to protect children from childhood dangers and provide compassionate assistance to grieving families confronting death and dying."

The foundation helps low-income families afford cover the cost of burying a child.

Register at www.unforgettables.org or call (909) 335-1655. Cost is $75 per person and includes lunch. Discounts are available by calling (909) 855- 3130.

— City News Service.