The Quinn’s Legacy Run Society – an Airdrie-based organization that advocated in support of bereaved parents and lobbied on their behalf to the federal government – dissolved one year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person gatherings increasingly difficult.
According to the organization’s founder Sarah Cormier, she and her husband decided to dissolve the society because of the inability to continue with the society’s main fundraising event – an annual run that was held on the third weekend of August each year.
The yearly run coincided with the birthday of Cormier’s daughter Quinn, born on Aug. 18, 2014, and who passed away suddenly in her sleep on Dec. 28 that year, at the age of four months.
“In her honour, we started Quinn’s Legacy Run Society and we hosted our first run in Airdrie in August of 2015,” Cormier said, adding the run continued each year until 2019, raising funds for families who had also lost an infant.
But after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Cormier said she felt the annual event had run its course. Instead, she opted to continue to dedicate her efforts to government advocacy, fighting for both financial support and resources for bereaved and grieving families.
“That was in our society name – the run society – so we dissolved that and have been focused on building awareness at the government level to change bereavement leave for parents when they lose a child,” she said. “Because the government cuts off parental leave benefits after a child passes away.
“So, we wanted to bring awareness to that.”
Cormier said she has now found a new cause to put her passion behind that seeks to similarly support parents who have suffered the loss of a child in pregnancy or infancy, and resurrects the spirit of Quinn’s Legacy Run.
The new fundraising event, which will be held on June 12 in Airdrie, is hosted by the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Centre (PILSC), which is a Calgary-based charity that serves the “loss community” worldwide, according to the organization’s website.
Since last year, Cormier has been working as the help line and volunteer-onboarding coordinator for the organization.
“The support centre offers hybrid services and has offered all virtual services since the beginning of the pandemic,” Cormier said. “There’s a help line where people can reach out for support, and it’s staffed by individuals who have experienced loss.
“We [also] offer peer support groups and different modalities or pathways to healing.”
Funds raised by the run/walk in June will be used to offer support at no cost to those experiencing pregnancy loss, infant loss, and infertility, according to Cormier.
The organization has already raised $16,000 toward their fundraising goal of $60,000.
Cormier added the official run/walk will be hosted in Airdrie, but participants are welcome to join from anywhere in the province.
“There’s bereaved parents everywhere, so anyone can join us in Airdrie, and we have people registered in California that are going to walk that day,” she said. “We have people out east that are going to walk or run that day, so there’s the option to choose it in person or virtually.”
According to Cormier, the statistics are high for pregnancy and infant loss, with one in four conceptions ending in loss. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of mortality for infants under the age of one.
She said bringing back the memory of Quinn’s Legacy Run through this new iteration is of the utmost importance to the community to help end the stigma around pregnancy loss and infant mortality.
“The biggest thing is having these open conversations about the lasting impacts of pregnancy and infant loss and that it affects so many people within the general human population,” Cormier said.
She added whether you are an aunt, grandparent, partner, or marginalized person, PILSC hopes to break down the stigma to foster complete access to the support they need.
“[We really want to] break down barriers so people, wherever they are in their journey, the centre exists for those people,” Cormier said.
Those interested in participating or donating to the PILSC Legacy Run/Walk can register through the charity’s website at pilsc.org
