Several candles lit the beach at River Forks Park and Campground as Rock Goodbye Angel held their second annual candlelight remembrance event to honor the lives of the infants lost to parents too soon.

Rock Goodbye Angel is a nonprofit organization designed to provide support and care for families who have suffered miscarriages, stillbirth, perinatal or neonatal loss.

Founder Angela Ewers began the event with a barbecue dinner, followed by the candle-lighting ceremony. The group gathered into a circle on the beach.

A moment of silence and prayer was followed by a reading of President Ronald Reagan's 1988 proclamation that designated October as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month.

Couples, individuals and families came forward, placing their candles in the center of the circle and sharing the names of their loved ones lost. Ewers extended her condolences to those grieving and welcomed them into the extended family Rock Goodbye Angel has come to represent.

"We want to establish chapters in Alpharetta, Athens, Gwinnett and the north metro areas by 2012," Ewers said.

"We'd ideally like to have homes or offices surrounding hospitals for families who've suffered the loss of a child, providing a place where they can receive information and support."

Through Rock Goodbye Angel, Ewers seeks to bring a greater awareness to this tragic reality, assuring those whose lives have been affected by loss that mourning is natural and accepted.

"This is a group in our community that needs our support. To ignore it is to ignore those children and their lives," Ewers said.

Rock Goodbye Angel holds its annual candlelight remembrance event, as well as events around Mother's Day in addition to a weekly peer-to-peer support group meetings.

Rock Goodbye Angel is supported through individual and business donations, as well as volunteer efforts.

Meetings are held at Lanier Park Campus, 675 White Sulphur Road, Gainesville, GA, 30501; website, www.rockgoodbyeangel.com.