On Sunday, October 17, The Playful Child held it’s 1st Annual Healing Hearts Hike.
The event invited anyone who was grieving, be it a loss of a love one, a broken relationship, move, job loss or just have a tough year all together, to come and heal at the hike.
“It’s an event to bring people together and know that grief is real, it is something that a lot of people are feeling and you might be standing next to somebody that’s grieving a loved one and not know it,” Julie Damian, Founder and CEO of The Playful Child, told Hello Georgetown. “So, this is an opportunity to share those faces and those special people that we carry in our hearts with us.”
Starting the Healing Hearts Hike in Georgetown, Damian said, originally came as she saw other grief groups across the country implement their own unique events of remembrance.
“I met a lady through Billy’s Place in Arizona, and she does a hike,” Damian said. “That sounded like…a little bit different way to remember, a way to have fun, bring families together. So, I asked her, ‘Hey, can I use your idea,’ and she was like, ‘Sure, we’d love you too!'”
Since The Playful Child is working towards building the Kade Damian Healing Hearts Park, the hike was naturally called the Healing Hearts Hike and included images of loved ones along the route and later, a butterfly release in remembrance of those loved ones.
In addition to the 1.6 mile hike around San Gabriel Park, participants also were invited to enjoy a variety of other activities including visiting with therapy dogs, face painting, Bunny and a Book by Simple Sparrow Care Farm, yoga, connecting with local therapists, visiting with local businesses and nonprofits, and lunch from Schlotsky’s.
“My favorite part is seeing my family here supporting the nonprofit that I love, and then just seeing all the volunteers and board members together in one place for the first time ever, is incredibly inspirational and makes me feel really encouraged,” Rachel Hancock, Marketing Committee Chair and Secretary of The Playful Child, told Hello Georgetown.
Proceeds from the event went towards The Playful Child’s ultimate goal which is to build Kade’s Healing Hearts Park.
“It’ll be a memorial park, but also a natural play area,” Damian said. “So, we want to bring out the ability to play, not just prescribed play, but free, open-ended play. The kid gets to choose how they manipulate the space. Instead of a slide where you can just go up, it’s a tunnel that you can make into a fort or cave, or whatever they want it to be that day. When you come to our park, the idea is that there’s going to be something new and different by the use of their imagination and how they manipulate and use the space around them.”
This first hike raised $10,000 dollars and 110 people attended, the organization told Hello Georgetown.
“It means a lot, because I know a lot of planning went into this, and to be a part of it, it’s remarkable,” Michael Telles Sr. told Hello Georgetown. “It really is. Not only help with the setting up of the cones and the route and everything, but just seeing the families coming together and enjoy each other’s company.”
Next year’s event is already scheduled for October 16, 2022. To learn more about The Playful Child, the Kade Damian Healing Hearts Park and how you can get involved, visit their website, their Facebook page or their Instagram.
View a photo gallery of the event below:
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