Worldwide Candle Lighting Service, 2010

Held annually the second Sunday in December, this year on December 12, 2010 at 7 p.m., The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died ~ at any age, from any cause. Candles are lit at 7 p.m. in participants' own local time zones, creating a virtual 24-hour wave of light that moves from one time zone to another throughout the world.  Hundreds of thousands of persons will join to commemorate and honor deceased children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries.  Formal candle lighting events are held in public venues, and informal candle lightings are conducted in private homes, as families gather in quiet remembrance of children who have died, but who never will be forgotten.

You're also invited to visit TCF's national Web site on Sunday, December 12 to leave a message in their Remembrance Book. Although messages can only be added during this day, the Remembrance Book will be left open throughout the year to enable visitors to read these touching messages from around the world.  You can join in the Online Support Community during its extended Worldwide Candle Lighting Hours. 

Find a Worldwide Candle Lighting Service in your own community here: 2010 Annual Worldwide Candle Lighting Services, or visit the Compassionate Friends/USA Facebook Page.  For information of any type related to the Worldwide Candle Lighting, write nationaloffice@compassionatefriends.org or call 877-969-0010.

Songwriter and ASCAP award winner Paul Alexander wrote the music and lyrics for Light a Candle, a song of remembrance that has been used to enhance thousands of such memorial services.  Listen to the song and find the lyrics here:

Special Events

National Survivors of Suicide Day, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will hold its 11th annual National Survivors of Suicide Day on Saturday, November 21, 2009. Created by U.S. Senate resolution in 1999, this is a day of healing for those who are bereaved after a suicide loss. Every year, AFSP sponsors an event to provide an opportunity for the survivor community to come together on this day for support, healing, and information: http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?page_id=FEE7D778-CF08-CB44-DA1285B6BBCF366E

Camp Widow 2010 – Based on the success of this year’s National Conference on Widowhood, Michele Hernandez, Executive Director of Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation announces plans for next year’s gathering for widows and widowers at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina in San Diego, CA, August 6-8, 2010: http://www.sslf.org/index.html. For further information, contact Michele Hernandez via email at contact@sslf.org.