Kids Talk for the Walk at Good Shepherd Hospice's Walk On For Hope

John Mitty Thursday, October 11, 2012

On Saturday morning, October 6, 2012, over 325 community members gathered in a parking lot on Belle Terre Road to support Good Shepherd Hospice’s first Walk On For Hope.  Families, friends, schoolmates, and strangers young and old all came together to walk the village streets of Port Jefferson and Belle Terre for the new and much needed Child Life Program at Good Shepherd Hospice, because two Smithtown High School East teens wanted to pay it forward. 

When Spencer Ochs (16) lost his mother, and Gabby Link (16) lost her sister, both were touched by the services hospice offers. “No one is ever ready to lose someone they care about, but going through this as a kid… words can’t even describe how terrifying and upsetting it was,” said Spencer.  These feelings led both Spencer and Gabby to look for a way to ensure that no child ever has to experience death and grief alone. And so Walk On For Hope developed.

As walkers gathered for the start, the poignant words of Spencer and Gabby’s stories resonated through the Indian-summer morning.  “Hospice is more widely known as a service to care for the sick in their final days, so most people don’t even know about all the other services they provide,” Gabby said. “I wanted to get involved in the making of this program so I could make sure that there will always be a place for kids to go when they are going through a tough time like this.”

All proceeds from the walk will benefit the Child Life Program at Good Shepherd. An extension of our bereavement department, Child Life Specialists use their knowledge of child development to educate, prepare, and support children through difficult times with the use of art therapy, play therapy, and other age-appropriate activities.

Spencer, Gabby and the team at Good Shepherd Hospice hope to make this an annual event that will spread the word through the Long Island community, ensuring that “Whether an adult, or another kid experiencing something similar, there will always be someone there to help… Walk On For Hope.” 

Pictured from left to right: Steven Ochs, Spencer Ochs, Walk Co-Chair, Krista MacPherson, Smithtown High School East, Amy Insana, Smithtown High School East,  Gabby Link, Walk Co-Chair,  Senator Ken LaValle, Joseph Tomaino, President & CEO of Good Shepherd Hospice

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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