Jami and Robert Griffin of Hillsboro said they will honor their late daughter, Taylor Griffin, during the 11th annual Walking for our Children event.
Taylor was 16 when she died last year.
It’s free to participate in the walk, which is held every year so parents may memorialize children they have lost.
Participants will gather for the walk at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Northwest High School lower parking lot, 6005 Cedar Hill Road, in Cedar Hill, and at 10 a.m., they will start the one mile walk to Chapel Hill Mortuary, 6300 Hwy. 30, in Cedar Hill.
At 11 a.m., a remembrance service will be held and 30 doves will be released. In the past, balloons were released, but in an effort to be more environmentally friendly, doves will be released this year, said Sam Hofstetter, coordinator for the Cherish community outreach program, which is sponsored by Chapel Hill Mortuary and offers a grief support program for parents who have lost children.
“For (parents who have) gone through the unthinkable, no matter if their child was an adult or an infant, this is something they can do to remember them and be with other people who are in the same situation,” she said.
The Griffins said this will be the second time they will take part in the walk, and they encourage other parents who have lost a child to join them.
“(Last year) we kind of decided at the last minute since it was kind of fresh for us.” she said. “We were kind of hesitant and nervous, didn’t know what to expect. But, once we went, we realized you’re not alone and everybody’s there for the same reason. Everybody’s really nice and welcoming.”
Jami said Taylor died June 30, 2021, in a car accident on Hwy. B.
“It was raining; the weather was really bad,” Jami said. “Her birthday is in January, so she had just gotten her driver’s license.”
Getting support
Jami said the past year has been hard.
“We have our moments,” she said. “We don’t want Taylor to be disappointed in us, so we have to try to keep moving forward.”
The couple said they have been going to counseling and attending a parent grief support group through the Cherish program, which meets the first Tuesday of each month.
“It’s helped us just because we don’t feel alone,” Jami said. “We’re not the only ones going through this.”
She said the support has been a relief.
“I don’t know how exactly to explain it in words, but it is very helpful,” she said.
Hofstetter asks people to register for the walk ahead of time at cherish.org or stlfuneral.com.
Anyone who would like to join the support group may call 314-394-1474.
Remembering
Jami and Robert said they are committed to keeping their daughter’s memory alive.
“On her birthday, we did a lantern release and a balloon release,” Jami said. “For the one year of her passing, we did a butterfly release at her grave. We have a scholarship fund in her name.”
Jami said she and Robert plan to give the first scholarship in May 2023 to a senior at Hillsboro High School.
The couple is working to raise money for the Taylor Griffin Memorial Scholarship Fund, and anyone who would like to donate may do so at Bank Star, 10625 Hwy. 21, in Hillsboro.
“We’re just under $2,000,” Robert said.
Jami said Taylor was loving, energetic and funny.
“She was the life of the party, very upbeat, cheerful,” Jami said. “A lot of people said she had a contagious smile that lit up the room.”
Robert said Taylor played softball, either third base or the infield, for Hillsboro High School and for a select team named Fury.
He said a softball tournament has been started in her name, and money from the event will go to the scholarship fund.
This year’s tournament will be held in October in Columbia, Ill.
Jami said Taylor, who died before starting her junior year of high school, had been thinking about going into physical therapy or cosmetology.
Jami and Robert have been married for 16 years and have two other children, McKayla, 14, and Colton, 9.