Lasting Imprint Walk

This past weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer for the first ever Lasting Imprint walk in Minnesota. A dear friend of mine started the organization after losing her daughter to a congenital heart defect and wanted to do something to help people with children still struggling with a CHD or those who have lost children due to a CHD. She also wants part of the proceeds to go towards research to help figure out why this is happening to 1 in every 100 children born.

The day started out damp. We got to the park around 8:00 AM to start setting up. It was cloudy, gray and looked like rain. And you could feel the humidity in the air. I quickly realized it was pointless to straighten my hair that morning. Oh well. About 15 minutes into setting up, the rain began. The question came up many times, do we move the walk inside or wait it out? Will people even come? After checking radars and hourly forecasts, the decision was made that we would continue to set up outdoors and the walk would go on as planned outdoors. After the decision was made it became wet. Very wet. The rain was coming down harder and there was a cool breeze coming off the lake. Walking between the two park shelters where stations were being set up, I tried to take a short cut by going through the grass vs. staying on the path. Bad idea. My shoes instantly filled with water and my socks were soaked. And there was nothing I could do about it.

Around 11 o'clock, people started to show up for registration. They were decked out in rain gear and umbrellas. Many kids had their cute rain boots on and loved splashing around in all the puddles. They were ready rain or shine!! Our fears were calmed as the registrants continued to roll in. Around 11:45, the time the walk was to begin, the rain quit and the sun pushed through the clouds and it quickly warmed out. How perfect! The walk began with just a few rain drops and was a huge success with roughly 200 participants.

The walk consisted of two laps around the lake. The first lap was in honor of the survivors and those still fighting the battle of a CHD. The second lap was in honor of those who are no longer with us. Posters of children were set up around the path and on the ones who have lost a life, there was a white balloon attached. During the second lap, a balloon was released at each poster for those no longer with us. Very sweet and touching.

The day continued with children's activities such as face painting, obstacle course, hair color station, bean bag toss, bouncy house, and a children run called David's Dash in honor of a little boy who lost his life who would have turned one that day. Every kid who ran the race received a medal and they were very excited and proud.

We finished cleaning up around 4:00 that afternoon and just as we finished up it clouded over and it began to rain again. The timing couldn't be more perfect and it was so obvious that God was watching out for us in order to have a successful event.

I am so excited that Lasting Imprint will be hosting another walk this September in Alexandria. I hope that the weather cooperates and that the support will be just as amazing if not more.