Steps for Healing 5K Supporting CBC

Join us for the Steps for Healing 5K Remembrance Run/Walk and become part of a powerful mission to provide free grief support for everyone in our community. By participating, you’re saying yes to standing with those who face the difficult journey of loss—a journey that can be incredibly isolating and overwhelming. The Children’s Bereavement Center exists to offer comfort, connection, and hope.

This is a fun and uplifting event that allows us to honor those we’ve lost, and with each step, we help ensure that no one has to face their grief alone. Together, we can make a difference. Take a step toward healing today—SIGN UP and help us continue this vital mission!

EVENT TIMELINE: 

6:30 AM Registration Opens
7:30 AM Kids Corner & Activities Open
7:45 AM Warm up at Start/Finish line 
7:55 PM Registration Closes
8:00 AM Race begins! 5K run/walk – starts in the parking lot and continues into Zoo Miami
9:30 AM Awards Ceremony for Medals & Trophies
10:00 AM-10:30 AM Wrap up event

REGISTRATION FEES

$45 until 11/6
$55 Day-of Registration
$25 Student/Youth (ages 7-17), $20 Child (ages 3-6), Free Under 3

IN-PERSON @ Zoo Miami:  Saturday, November 7, 2026

• Official run/walk timing 
• All-day admission to Zoo Miami
• All kids under 10 years old receive a medal
• Free continental breakfast
• Race day t-shirt (size not guaranteed nor availability for day-of registrations)
• Entertainment - DJ and Kids' Corner with activities
• Customizable Fundraising Page
• Medals for top finishers

SPECTATOR ONLY @ Zoo Miami: Saturday, November 7, 2026

Come and watch our runners at Zoo Miami, enjoy snacks and then stay to visit the zoo, all while helping to raise funds for Children's Bereavement Center (CBC), which provides FREE grief support groups for children, teens and adults in South Florida. Entry as a spectator is just $25 and includes (does not include race-day shirt): 

• Access to Asia Field and race Start/Finish line
• All Day Admission to Zoo Miami
• FREE Continental Breakfast
• Kids' Corner activities
• Entertainment - DJ
• Customizable fundraising page

VIRTUAL:  Flexible schedule to run anytime Saturday, November 7 - Sunday, November 8, 2026

Whether you are not available to be at Zoo Miami on race day or live out of state, you can still register for Steps virtual race!  The virtual remembrance run/walk offers flexibility and allows you to participate wherever you are. You can choose to participate by yourself, or with your closest family members or friends. Just step into your neighborhood, head to a nearby park, or even hop on your treadmill and complete a 5K distance. Once completed, the RaceJoy app will enter your finish time into your Run Signup account, results will be posted and you can download your certificate of participation.

• RaceJoy app tracking time and results

• Customizable Digital Race Bib
• Race day t-shirt (delivered after race; size not guaranteed nor availability for day-of registrations)
• Customizable Fundraising Page
• CBC Memorial Activities to make your walk/run more meaningful
• Flexible schedule to run anytime during the Virtual Race

TAG US!

Share your photos and memories using #iruntoremember #stepsforhealing and tag @miamicbc and @LiftfromLoss. 

"Sponsor My Run" Fundraising

For every $1,680 raised, one child can attend the CBC's free grief support groups for an entire year! Be a champion for CBC – you can make a difference in the life of a child. We believe that grief is meant to be shared - and you can help grieving families by participating

• Create a team with your friends, family members, or colleagues, or register as an individual to participate in person or virtually!
• Set a goal and help CBC fundraise by encouraging people in your community to sponsor your run or your team's run
• Help spread the word about CBC and the support available for children, teens and adults across South Florida 

Volunteer Opportunities & Community Service Hours Available

Interested in volunteering? We have a lot of different roles available and skill sets needed! Limited spots and community service hours are available for high school students. Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form to sign up: bit.ly/sfh-volunteer . All volunteers are required to do a one-hour orientation training on Zoom the week of the event. 

The Children's Bereavement Center “CBC” is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization providing FREE grief support groups serving South Florida. Lift From Loss® is a division of CBC providing support for young adults and adults. 

CBC was founded in 1999 and includes a professional staff and clinical team of national grief experts, Thanatologists and mental health professionals as group facilitators.  The CBC Training Institute provides customized education and training for around 10,000 mental health, educational and business professionals each year.

CBC services are needed now more than ever, providing a weekly outlet for kids and adults to share their grief with others. Our online grief peer support groups are effective, safe, accessible and available every week. Your participation and support in Steps for Healing will enable CBC to continue to offer free virtual grief groups, empowering children, teens and adults to build resilience and hope after loss.

Register for our FREE CBC groups by calling 888-988-5438 or e-mail support@childbereavement.org or visit www.childbereavement.org.

About Grief Support Groups:

• All peer grief support groups are FREE
• Groups for all ages (4+), including adults
• Registration for groups is required and available ongoing
• Groups are available for:
  • Children & Teens
    • Elementary School Groups (Kindergarten - 2nd grade; 3rd - 5th grade)
    • Middle School Groups
    • High School Groups
  • Adults
    • Young Adult Groups for 18+
    • Adult Groups (In English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole)
    • Dedicated perinatal and infant loss groups for child loss before birth or during infancy
    • Dedicated child loss group for parents and caregivers who have lost a child of any age
  • Groups are co-facilitated by mental health professionals & trained volunteers
  • Activities include music and art therapy & candle lighting ceremonies
  • Groups meet in the evenings every week, all year-round via zoom and in-person groups are available
  • Participants decide how long they wish to attend group
  • Open to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one as a result of illness, accident, suicide or homicide

The Children's Bereavement Center (CBC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (FL Reg #CH10400) and contributions are tax-deductible under IRS regulations. CBC receives 100% of each contribution. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. By donating to Children’s Bereavement Center (CBC), I/we represent I/we are not associated with any foreign sources of question including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela (specifically, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro), or Syria. Please contact us if there are any concerns on this matter.

If you are having trouble getting around the platform, below are a few links to articles/videos from the site developers to guide you through the process.

Register For a Race
View/Edit a Registration
Make a Donation: How to Donate to Race/Fundraiser 
Becoming a Fundraiser: Create a team goal for multiple donors to apply their donations to. 
Manage Your Fundraiser
Create/Join a Fundraising Team
Manage Your Fundraising Team

We invite you to join the Children’s Bereavement Center (CBC) as a sponsor of our annual Steps for Healing 5K on Saturday, November 7, 2026. We are excited to gather at Zoo Miami, as well as through our virtual “Run Where You Are” option for those who prefer to participate from anywhere. Each year, we look forward to this special event that brings together our CBC participants, supporters, staff, volunteers, and Board members to remember the loved ones we have lost together.

Your sponsorship will ensure year-round service, providing CBC with weekly grief support groups for children, teens, and adults at no cost.  For every $1,680 raised, a child can attend an entire year of CBC’s grief support groups at no cost to their families.

The U.S. Surgeon General released an Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community this year, referring to the “Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” In the state of Florida alone, one in 10 children experiences the loss of a parent or sibling before the age of 18. This number more than doubles by the age of 25, which can lead to psychological and physiological health implications, including feeling a lack of support and loneliness. CBC’s groups bring people together for connection and community to inspire hope and resiliency after experiencing a loss, while being diverse, inclusive, and welcoming to all, so that no one has to grieve alone.

Steps for Healing attracts 1,000 participants for in-person and virtual races combined. Our group participants and families who have suffered a loss look forward to this event every year as an opportunity to memorialize their loved ones. Through our event marketing, thousands of people learn about CBC as a free, accessible grief resource. Sponsors will be showcased on our race website, running app, marketing materials, promotional email messages, on-site at the event, on race t-shirts, and across social media platforms. 

For over 25 years, CBC has provided free grief support to thousands of people. In these challenging times, your generosity and partnership will help ensure that CBC can continue to serve our community for years to come and provide grief support to all.

With gratitude always,

Debra Albo-Steiger, LCSW
Chief Executive Officer

FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

 
Contact Kim Bentkover, kim@childbereavement.org (305) 423-6001

Your Sponsorship Supports:

• Free Peer Grief Support Groups for all ages (4+) online each week, run by mental health professionals and trained volunteers, accessible in person throughout Southeast Florida and nationwide online

• Free groups for Children & Teens

  • Elementary School Groups

  • Middle School Groups

  • High School Groups

• Free Lift From Loss® groups for adults

  • Young Adult Groups for 18-30

  • Adult Groups (in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole)

  • Free dedicated perinatal & infant loss groups for child loss before birth or during infancy in English & Spanish

  • Free dedicated child loss group for parents and caregivers who have lost a child of any age  

• Free grief resources in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole

• Free community education “Lunch and Learn” at-home series with a focus on communities disproportionately affected by grief 

• Grief training and self-care support for educators, healthcare workers & community professionals across South Florida

• "CBC in the Community" outreach events to offer grief support for all

DOWNLOAD OUR SPONSORSHIP PACKET