700 People Participate in Run For Hope

The following is a press release about the Our House event.

OUR HOUSE, the primary resource for grief-related services within Los Angeles County, hosted its 18th annual “A Run for Hope” on Sunday, April 29, 2012. Sponsored by the Lippman Family Foundation, the event attracted a record crowd of over 700 hundred participants and took place along the stretch of Sawtelle Boulevard between Santa Monica and Olympic boulevards. The 2.7-mile run/walk began at 9:00 a.m. at the West LA Farmers Market with an emotional ceremony in which children were invited up to the event stage to present the back of their “A Run for Hope” t-shirts, personalized with the photos and names of those in whose memory they were running or walking. 

Actor Chad Lowe, an OUR HOUSE board member and the event’s honorary chair, noted that “A Run for Hope” provides a unique and nurturing opportunity for children, teens and adults to honor the memory of someone close to them who has died. “Many of the participants wore these personalized t-shirts in celebration of their loved ones who have died. It’s a very touching and uplifting experience to see so many children, teens and adults come together in such a meaningful way,” he said.

Sawtelle Boulevard was festively bedecked with balloons all along the route, live music and cheerleading squads rooted on the participants, many of whom are currently in an OUR HOUSE grief support group. “We believe ‘A Run for Hope’ is the only event of its kind in Los Angeles that offers the opportunity for people to run or walk to honor the memory of a loved one. The event is open to the public and we invited anyone and everyone to come and celebrate with us,” said Tiffany Cannis, executive director of OUR HOUSE.

An exciting array of activities, including performances by celebrity magician Fantastic Fig and his amazing cat Newton of ‘America’s Got Talent’ fame, and DJ Mike Gfollowed the run/walk, with food trucks, a massage tent, face-painter and tattoo artist, and a variety of other vendors also present. Cannis went on to say how much OUR HOUSE appreciates the support of both the Farmers Market and the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council in making “A Run for Hope” a true community event. With local community sponsors, such as Hornburg Jaguar, W. L. A. Flame International Inc., Greenberg Taurig and City National Bank, OUR HOUSE is appreciative of the community coming together and supporting this important cause.

ABOUT OUR HOUSE

Founded in 1993 by Jo-Ann Lautman, OUR HOUSE is a non-profit, non-sectarian grief support center, providing support groups for children and adults who’ve experienced the death of someone close. It also offers on-site grief support groups and interventions to schools and businesses throughout Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.ourhouse-grief.org