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Memorial and burial services

Miscarriage burial options

If you have experienced a pregnancy loss prior to 20 weeks, Community Health Network offers services to meet your individual grieving needs. For more information, please call 317-621-5275.

Private funeral

The nursing staff at Community hospitals can assist you and your family in selecting a funeral home for a private burial to honor and remember your baby. The cost to families for these arrangements may vary.

Memorial services

Burial of Ashes

Community Health Network offers a graveside ceremony and burial of ashes for families wishing to come together to honor their baby's memory during a communal burial. These services are held at Washington Park Cemetery on the last Sunday in April and the third Sunday in October at 3 p.m. Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers donates its services of cremation, holding of the ashes, the gravesite and services for the graveside ceremony. There is no charge to families for this service.

2009 dates

• October 18, 2009

Christmas Memorial

The Christmas Memorial is held on the first Thursday of December in place of the December support group. The service is held early in month so families can remember their baby and not feel guilty about enjoying the season. Families may send in a note, poem or anything they would like to add to the memorial book that is printed to take home.

The service is held at the lovely Ellenberger United Church of Christ. A candlelight memorial, music, singing and an ornament to take home are all part of the service. We also have goodie bags for the kids to keep them busy during the service. A time for fellowship with other families over refreshments follows the service before we go home. Our hope is to create a time of remembrance for your family.

December 3, 2009
Ellenberger United Church of Christ
5520 East 10th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46219 (northeast corner of 10th and Ritter)
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Walk to Remember

The Walk to Remember is a time when families from all over Indianapolis come together to remember and celebrate the life of their baby that has died. Some families may have recently lost a baby. Other families have been coming on this special day for years.

There are no reservations needed for the walk. All your family and friends are welcome to come. Dress is casual – whatever is comfortable for you. The walk is held rain or shine, so think about the weather! There is a ceremony at the park as part of the day. You can stand during the ceremony or sit on the grass. Some people bring a blanket or chairs to sit on.

Before the walk begins, you sign in, pick up a program booklet and choose balloons to carry on the walk. Families often write their baby’s name or a message on the balloon. There will be markers available. If you wish, you can bring your own balloons.

After sign-in, the whole group walks together to a nearby park. The street is soon filled with families, strollers, wagons and balloons! It is a joyful walk and you often hear talking and laughter. It is a short distance to the park but if you have family members that cannot walk, you can drive and park there.

At the park there is a ceremony that lasts about 45 minutes. It is filled with music and readings. If you have requested your baby’s name to be in the program, it will be read out loud during the ceremony. If your baby’s name isn’t in the program and you would like to have it read with the rest of the babies, ask when you sign in at the registration table. At the end of the ceremony, we ‘let go’ of the balloons and watch them sail towards the clouds. It is an amazing and tender sight.

After the ceremony, there are light refreshments and a keepsake for the day is handed out for you to take home. Families often linger, talking to each other or just enjoying the park.