About 70 balloons were released at Calvary Christian Church last weekend during a 5K memorial fundraiser for research toward Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
The 5K, which honored Weston Clark Reeves, raised more than $1,300 that will go to First Candle, a nonprofit agency that unites parents, care givers and researchers with service groups to advance infant health and survival, according to its website.
Reeves was 2 months old when he died of SIDS on June 12, 2011.
The money will specifically benefit SIDS¿research, said Weston’s mother, Rachael Reeves, who organized the 5K.
Reeves, mother of two with another baby on the way, said between 100 and 150 people participated.
The risk of babies dying of SIDS, the sudden unexplainable death of an infant under a year old, according to the American SIDS Institute, can be reduced in several ways.
Placing infants to sleep on their backs, placing them in a baby bed with a firm mattress, keeping the crib in the parents’ room until they are at least 6 months, and breastfeeding are several actions parents can take to reduce the risk of their infants dying of SIDS, according to the American SIDS¿Institute.
The 5K was originally supposed to take place at the Calvary Christian Church walking trail, but because of rain, it was moved to the Calvary Christian gym. But the event went off without a hitch.
“It went really well,” she said. “. ... We’ve talked about maybe doing a poker run next year.”
For more information about SIDS¿and steps to prevent infant death, visit www.sids.org/index.htm.
Contact Katie Perkowski at kperkowski@winchestersun.com.
