Members of the Oneonta Region chapter of The Compassionate Friends, a national self-help support organization for families grieving the death of a child, will light candles Sunday, joining memorial services around the world as part of The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting.
The mission of The Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive. There is no religious affiliation and there are no membership dues or fees.
The local candle-lighting will be part of a service at 7 p.m. in the Embury Room at the First United Methodist Church at 66 Chestnut St. in Oneonta. The program will include poems, readings and refreshments. Parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members may also attend.
Local artist David Geer was commissioned to create hand-painted angel ornaments that parents can personalize with a child's name. They will hang on the tree during the service and may be taken home by parents after the service. Parents may also bring a picture of a child to display by their candle. After the candles are lit, each family will be presented with a rose. Refreshments will be provided after the program.
Annually, tens of thousands of families light candles for one hour during The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting, held the second Sunday in December. Candles are first lit at 7 p.m., just west of the International Date Line. As candles burn down in one time zone, they are lit in the next, creating a 24-hour observance around the world. The national TCF website, www.compassionatefriends.org, will feature a message board for families to post tributes Sunday and will also host extended chat room hours.
To contact the Oneonta Region chapter of The Compassionate Friends, call Paula Hickey at 433-2492, Diana Friedell at 433-2089 or Lillian Gorence at 432-0160.
For more information, e-mail tcfoneonta@oneonta.edu or visit http://external.oneonta.edu/tcfoneonta/.
Any changes to the schedule of Sunday's event, such as a postponement or delay because of bad weather, will be posted on the website at 3 p.m. that day.
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