How one Ohio family's loss grew into $300K for stillbirth awareness

Driving the news: Lydie's Loop features a 1-mile walk, 5K run, silent auction and raffle across two locations this weekend.

• The first event takes place at 8:15am Saturday at Woodside Green Park near Columbus.
• Another follows at 11am Sunday at Akron's Bath Community Center.

What they're saying: "I wanted to create an avenue for people to come together and talk about our children we love and miss," Lydia's mom, Heather Johnston-Welliver, tells Axios.

• "The reason we're there is somber, but we've also created this form of celebratory mourning and fundraising to save future babies."

The big picture: About 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• This past May, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill designating Sept. 19 as "Ohio Stillbirth Prevention Day," in a state where the infant mortality rate is higher than the national average.

State of play: Lydie's Loop has achieved more than 80% of this year's $50,000 goal. Proceeds go to the stillbirth prevention organization Healthy Birth Day and its "Count the Kicks" program.

• Registration is still open and costs $25 for kids, $35 for adults.

You can also donate through the Lydie's Loop website.

Go deeper: Grieving and finding hope after pregnancy and infant loss