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Available for all Decatur County residents
This story originally appeared in the May edition of The 812 Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
(GREENSBURG, Ind.) – A Greensburg couple went through two miscarriages in 2016.
Rebecca and Chris Harpring are now using that difficult time in their lives to find a
way to help others who face similar situations.
With Rebecca having a background as a nurse and a pregnancy resource center
director, the couple decided to be public about their miscarriages.
Due to the responses they received from those they shared their story with, the couple
approached St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greensburg about creating a Little Souls section at the cemetery. The church agreed and the Harprings were able to establish the section with monetary donations from the parishioners and material donations from three local businesses.
After others in the community started asking the Harprings for the same resources they had brought to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, they launched the 501c3 non-profit Covenant Resources Miscarriage Ministry (CRMM) in 2023 in order to provide miscarriage burial supplies, ornaments and other resources both locally and across the nation.
The Harpring’s have now set a goal to establish another Little Souls burial location for all Decatur County residents impacted by miscarriage. It would be at South Park Cemetery in Greensburg and would provide a dignified place for families to bury their miscarried babies.
Decatur County Memorial Hospital will also use it for the burial of babies whose families decide not to do a private burial.
CRMM is now raising the necessary $50,000 it would take to begin the Little Souls section.
They hope to begin work on the cemetery this summer.
The South Park Little Souls section will consist of three rows that will allow for a minimum of 144 burials as well as 192 memorials for families who do not have their babies’ remains.
“There will also be a couple benches that will allow the family to sit, while gazing out over the beautiful grounds of South Park Cemetery, in order to find comfort and healing,” Rebecca said.
It is designed in a way that will allow for future expansion as needed. The funds raised will pay for the granite, concrete, installation expenses and the burial vaults. The only expense to the families who use the cemetery will be the cost of engraving their baby’s name on the granite.
If you would like to help make this Little Souls section a reality, tax deductible donations are being accepted. A check payable to Covenant Resources Miscarriage Ministry Little Souls can be mailed to P.O. Box 433, Greensburg, Indiana 47240.
Donations can also be made at any First Federal Savings and Loan location by making a deposit in the Covenant Resources Miscarriage Ministry Little Souls Account. Any donation of $125 or more will enable you to have your miscarried baby’s name engraved on one of the upright monuments at the Little Souls Cemetery.
An order form can be requested via email at contactus@covenantresources.org or by
calling (812) 212-3463.
“We greatly appreciate the generous consideration of the members of the community regarding supporting this project,” the family said.
If you would like more information regarding the resources the ministry offers families and funeral and medical facilities, you can visit their website at www.covenantresources.org.
This story originally appeared in the May edition of The 812 Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
