WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Waukesha Christmas Parade returns this Sunday, Dec. 7, with 80 groups taking part, and among them is a first-time participant with a personal mission.

Bereaved Together, a nonprofit founded by Lisa Price, will walk in the parade for the first time. Price started the organization after losing her daughter, Ari, in 2017.

She says many parents experiencing child loss often find themselves coping alone.

Price says, "It's just very isolating and I felt like I had no circle of friends that understood until I started to talk about it more.”

Bereaved Together offers support for mothers grieving the loss of a child, creating safe spaces for movement, conversation, and community. Price says talking openly about loss helps lift emotional weight and brings people together.

“Instead of letting it be something that puts wedges in relationships or divides us, it’s something that can actually bring us together because at the root of grief is love, that’s why it’s there.”

This year’s parade also carries a somber memory. In 2021, six people were killed and more than 60 others were injured when a man drove an SUV through the parade crowd. Price says walking this year offers a moment to reflect and honor the lives lost.

Those walking with Bereaved Together on Sunday will hold LED candles, each tagged with the name of a child.

For Price, carrying a candle is also about carrying her daughter forward.

The Waukesha Christmas Parade begins at 4 p.m. Sunday in downtown Waukesha.