Just got this from my friend Bob...
Lisa Biakanja, a long time Huntington Beach resident, raised $20,000 to erect the Angel of Hope Monument in 2002. It was a labor of love as she lost her daughter to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 25 years ago and due to her cremation, Lisa had no place to mourn and remember her daughter. She realized that she was not the only one who need a place to go.
This event gives parents and families from all over Orange County a chance to remember their loved one and say their name out loud. For many this is the one time a year they are able to do so.
The Guild for Infant Survival, Orange County
2130 E. 4th Street, #125
Santa Ana, CA 92666
Email: lakirch@aol.com
600 ORANGE COUNTY RESIDENTS EXPECTED TO ATTEND THE SIXTH ANNUAL CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL VIGIL TO BE HELD AT ANGEL OF HOPE MONUMENT IN HONOR OF DECEASED CHILDREN
The Guild for Infant Survival, Orange County (GISOC), in conjunction with other volunteers and organizations, will be partaking in the nationwide candlelight memorial vigil held each year on December 6th at 7 pm. This Thursday's ceremony will take place at the Angel of Hope monument, overlooking the children’s section, located at the El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest. Parents, relatives and friends are invited to gather around the base of the angel in remembrance of their loved ones, the children who have died prematurely.
Since the War in Iraq began on March 19, 2003 more than 3,800 U.S. Troops have lost their lives. The many, many fallen soldiers that no one knows by name, the heroes protecting our freedom, are not only U.S. Military, they are husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters; we remember each and every one of them. This memorial does not only recognize the “little ones” who we have lost, it recognizes a parent’s pain, whether the child was 1 year or 31 years and beyond. Each year flowers are laid upon the base of the statue and the names that more often than not go unsaid are shared with the hundreds in attendance.
The Angel of Hope monument is a place for grieving parents to gather who have lost a child of any age, for any reason. There are 75 angels throughout the United States; the Lake Forest angel is the first in Southern California. The 4-foot-3-inch bronze statue of a little girl with her arms and wings outstretched stands on a granite pedestal inscribed “Angel of Hope.” This serves as a place for parents to go to release their emotions and have a physical reminder that their child is not lost and forgotten.
The monument was dedicated on September 28, 2002, and observed its fifth memorial last December. Over 500 people gathered to remember, holding memorabilia and pictures of their loved ones. This December 6th families will be able to come together once again for support.to come together once again for support.
