Proud to Be From Pittsburgh

Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Still Remembered Project

The group of women behind the Still Remembered Project all have something in common: they have had children who died. Each of the women who sit on the organizations' board has suffered a miscarriage, still birth, or an early infant death. Now, they're working to turn their grief into action to help other parents.

The board members "all know what it feels like, all of our moms, our dads, you know, the families. They know what it feels like to be in that hospital bed or leave that ultrasound room," said Lauren McLean, the group's founder.

McLean's son, Emerson, was diagnosed with a genetic disease and died just three hours after birth.

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"No one really got it or understood," McLean said of the pain she felt.

Now McLean and the six other women who make up the board of the Still Remembered Project channel their grief into action. They hold peer-support groups, make keepsakes and create memory boxes that are donated to grieving parents. In the box are teddy bears, hand-crocheted blankets, and other items aimed to help bereaved parents. But the support group and community born out of the Still Remembered Project may be the most important part of the project.

Beth Liedl, who lost two children, said simply making the boxes for others is a form of therapy, offering her a chance to recognize Hannah, her daughter who died.

"It gives me something to do for her that the rest of the world can see, and hopefully not forget her. I have two living daughters and I get to take them places like dance class and the doctor's office and preschool. But when I come here, it's something that I can do for her," Liedl said.

"I never imagined something like this would have developed, grown, out of [Emerson's] little life," McLean said.

Upcoming events and fundraisers for the Still Remembered Project include an outing at a Pittsburgh Pirates game on Sept. 24. For more information and events, visit

Supporters can also donate items to the group from their Amazon wishlist by visiting

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