Teutopolis organization holds 'fun run' for hope

Apr. 21—In honor of children tragically lost either during pregnancy or soon after birth, the White Lily Project is holding a 5k and one-mile fun run and walk Saturday morning to raise funds for the "Angel of Hope" statue and memorial garden the organization is planning to build at the Teutopolis Banquet Hall.

The organization is composed of four committee members, each of whom have their own personal experience with losing loved ones.

"All four of our committee members have experienced loss in different stages, whether it's during pregnancy or after birth," Lucht said.

Among these committee members are Angie Brumleve, Tasha Ruholl, Laura Schumacher and Sarah Lucht.

Despite their tragic losses, they have turned their loss into hope, not just for themselves, but for any family that has lost a child during or after birth.

The organization's name is a constant reminder of its primary goal, to bring hope to those who need it the most.

"We got the name 'White Lily' because the white lily is a symbol of hope," Angie Brumleve said.

Brumleve said the idea to purchase an Angel of Hope statue to place in Teutopolis emerged after she saw one of the statues when she was traveling during a vacation with her family.

"We were going on vacation, and we saw this angel statue off the corner of my eye," Brumleve said. "It was right after we lost our daughter."

After seeing the Angel of Hope statue, Brumleve went online to research it.

"It was this angel that was supposed to help parents, family and friends who have lost children get help and know that there is always tomorrow," Brumleve said.

Not long after this discovery, Brumleve shared what she learned with her sister Sarah Lucht and her close friend Tasha Ruholl.

"We decided that we wanted to get one of these angels of hope in our area to help remember and spread the meaning that there is hope," Brumleve said.

According to Brumleve and Lucht, these statues can be seen in Illinois, but they can also be seen in different countries, including Japan and Australia.

They also said the statue and its meaning originate from a best selling book, "The Christmas Box."

She said that every Dec. 6 at 7 p.m., people are meant to have a ceremony at the Angel of Hope statue in which they light candles and offer white lilies to the angel.

Lucht explained that these ceremonies allow anyone grieving the loss of a child to "travel the grief journey together."

"Hopefully, people that come to that ceremony can find healing in knowing that there's others that are walking in the same journey," Lucht said.

Lucht said one of their goals is to spread hope and bring sense of community to anyone driving through the village that might have lost a child.

"What we like most about that spot is that so many people travel on that road," Lucht said.

Although the organization has only been around for roughly a year, it has already raised approximately $40,000 — nearly half way to their fundraising goal for the statue and memorial garden.

"We have a projected cost of $100,000 to get all the granite, concrete, the angel and the landscaping," Brumleve said.

Once the organization is ready to do so, it will engrave names of children and infants who have passed away if submitted by their families.

"Whenever you lose a pregnancy, you don't have, necessarily, a place to go to grieve that loss," Lucht said.

The White Lily Project has already hosted several fundraisers, including a cook off it held in collaboration with Teutopolis State Bank in May of 2022.

"It's been really cool to see the support come from the community who want to build this also," Lucht said.

They said many runners and walkers have already signed up to show their support at the fun run.

"We have over 100 people signed up to come (Saturday) morning, and we are accepting registrations (Saturday) morning also," Lucht said. "We're hoping to see some more turnout that haven't registered yet."

The fun run will begin in the St. Francis of Assisi Church parking lot which is very close to the same spot across the parking lot on Route 40 where the organization plans to put the statue and memorial garden.

Any children under the age of 12 can participate for free, while registration for anyone 13 and up costs $30.

These funds will help the organization get closer to their $100,000 goal.

Although this is the White Lily Project's first time organizing a fun run, it is unlikely that it will be the last time they host something like this.

"We're hoping to make it an annual thing," Brumleve said.

Any participants who have lost any child under the age of 18 will have the opportunity to write their loved one's name on a sticker that they can wear for the duration of the fun run to honor their memory.

"Anybody that's coming that is there to remember their loved one that they have lost, we have a special way for them to do that," Brumleve said.

Additionally, there will be free food and coffee, and participants can purchase t-shirts as well.

Registration opens at 7 a.m. Saturday and the race begins at 8:30 a.m.

Anyone interested in donating to the White Lily Project to help fund the statue and memorial can do so by sending payments to the organizations Venmo account, @Whitelilyproject.

Donations can also be made on the White Lily Project website, whitelilyproject.org, or by sending them to the White Lily Project PO Box 243 Teutopolis, Illinois 62467.

Additionally, donations can be made at any Teutopolis State Bank branch by asking for the White Lily Project account.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.