In 2006, the organization became a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and the name changed to the Missing GRACE Foundation. Today the foundation provides resources both nationally and internationally so families can “Grieve, Restore, Arise, Commemorate and Educate.”

The 4th GRACE Conference and Retreat, titled “A Weekend of Renewal and Education,” will be held April 28-29 at the Radisson Conference Center in Plymouth.

The two-day conference, which draws attendees, speakers and exhibitors from all over the country, has grown by about 100 attendees each year.

“We expect that to be even higher this year though, with the wonderful line up of speakers and presenters involved,” Candy McVicar said.

The 2007 GRACE Conference will feature six tracks with 34 educational sessions and more than 40 speakers on topics ranging from dealing with pregnancy loss, to infertility, to adoption.

One first at the 2007 event is the addition of the Night Lights Benefit Banquet on Saturday evening, April 28.

“This year we are letting the community know we need their support and involvement in order to meet the ever-growing needs and demands for support and resources that Missing GRACE Foundation provides to families in Minnesota and across the nation,” Candy McVicar said.

Sen. Norm Coleman will deliver the keynote address, titled “Hope for Tomorrow,” at the banquet. KARE 11 News morning meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas will emcee the evening, which will also include live jazz music and a theatrical performance.

Both Coleman and Yuhas are bereaved fathers and “have a heart for the work we are doing through Missing GRACE Foundation,” according to Candy McVicar.

“Losing a child is a devastating event,” Coleman said. “The work performed by the Missing GRACE Foundation is invaluable in helping couples, families and healthcare providers better understand the pain and loss and how to effectively move forward in grief.”

Conference organizers are also adding the “Further on the Grief Journey” track of seminars in 2007 to help families who experienced the loss of a baby or child more than a year ago.

“Grieving parents and families need outlets and positive ways to honor and share their love in tangible ways for their loved child, and that need for many of us does not stop at one year after their death,” Candy McVicar said. “It is very healing and beautiful to do things in their memory and in their honor.”

Speakers from the medical community include: Dr. Jason Collins, OB/GYN, President of the Pregnancy Institute; Larry Palevsky, MD, FAAP, President of the American Holistic Medical Association; and Charles C. Coddington, III, MD, Mayo Clinic.

Authors Marianne Richmond, Sherokee Ilse, Lorraine Ash and Kimberly Webb will also give various educational presentations.

Peter Lund, chaplain at Children’s Hospital, and Judy Howard-Peterson, campus pastor at North Park University in Chicago, will both speak at the conference.

“At the GRACE Conference and retreat, we provide a safe place for Christians and people of different faith backgrounds to find resources and support that will bring comfort, hope and strength for the journey,” McVicar said.

The conference will also include “Ask the Professional” appointment times, opportunities for Continuing Education Credits for caregivers, resource tables, a silent auction and GRACE Spa Services.

“I have attended many bereavement conferences and meetings all over the country in the last two decades, but I can honestly say that the GRACE Conference was one of the most impressive,” said Tim Nelson, an exhibitor at the 2005 conference and speaker on men’s grief. “The two-day meeting was professional and yet warm and welcoming at the same time—not always an easy task when trying to serve both professional caregivers and grieving parents.”


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