CARMEL, NY – Tomorrow, October 15, Putnam County will hold its first-ever officially sponsored Pregnancy, Infant, and Child Loss Remembrance Day Ceremony with a gathering and candlelight vigil at Veterans Memorial Park beginning at 6:30 p.m. The service will coincide with Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, an internationally recognized event commemorating pregnancy loss and infant death and part of October’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month created by President Ronald Reagan with a congressionally backed proclamation in 1988.

The ceremony is expected to feature families and area service providers and highlight Putnam County as a community of support for those impacted by miscarriage, stillbirth, sudden infant death syndrome, sudden unexpected infant death, and other forms of child loss. The gathering will take place near the park’s “Angel of Hope,” a bronze statue dedicated in 2003 to parents who have suffered the loss of a child.

County Executive Kevin Byrne has directed the county’s Department of Public Works to light up Carmel’s Historic Courthouse on Gleneida Avenue pink and blue – colors symbolizing the interconnected grief of parents over the loss of any child, according to leading nonprofit Star Legacy Foundation – on October 15 evening. A draft copy of his proclamation announcing the ceremonial lighting is below. As a member of the state Assembly, Byrne co-sponsored and helped pass resolutions proclaiming October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in New York State. There are approximately 6.3 million perinatal deaths (miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, and neonatal loss) every year around the world, according to a 2010 study authored by Dr. Vincent De Brouwere.

“This inclusive community event is open to all and focuses on honoring the lives of children taken much too soon and supporting the families who continue to carry their memories in their hearts. Raising awareness is critical to prevention and saving lives,” said Byrne. “By memorializing October 15 as Pregnancy, Infant, and Child Loss Remembrance Day, Putnam County sends a message that we stand with families in remembrance, compassion, and solidarity as a community of support and empathy.”

WHEN: Wednesday, October 15
6:30 p.m., gathering
7:00 p.m., candlelight vigil

WHERE: Veterans Memorial Park (Lower Park)
201 Gipsy Trail Road
Carmel, NY 10512
Parking available at employee lot adjacent to the old veterans’ museum

WHO: County Executive Kevin Byrne

Putnam County Department of Health
Putnam County Department of Social Services and Mental Health
PeopleUSA
Child Advocacy Center
Mental Health Association of Putnam
Putnam Hospital
Women’s Resource Center of Putnam-Northern Westchester
Additional local and regional stakeholders