COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Community Health Center of Branch County (CHC) Volunteers raised over $3,000 from their annual Celebration of Lights fundraiser held on December 1 thanks to the generosity of the community.
The ceremony was a memorable one for members of the CHC Volunteers as well as for many of the community contributors to the Celebration of Lights event. Approximately 90 people gathered in the Community Care and Conference Center of the Community Health Center to listen to the Coldwater High School Balladiers perform and hear the names of those honored and remembered read. The lighting of the special evergreen tree decorated in all blue lights located outside of the main entrance of the hospital was the culmination of the ceremony, which was shown via live video feed.
The Celebration of Lights is a two-fold effort to provide an opportunity to share the spirit of the holiday season with friends and neighbors and to honor or remember someone special. It is also a means to raise money to benefit CHC patients and the community. Funds raised have been designated to the CHC Garden of Hope and Memorial Garden, both located on the CHC Campus.
Those attending received programs which listed all the donors and those honored. A short ceremony was held with opening remarks by Randy DeGroot, CHC President and CEO, and a welcome by Celebration of Lights co-chair, Jan Robinson. Erin Tuttle from The Laurels of Coldwater presented the volunteers with a check for $500. Volunteers read the names of all those for whom donations were made to honor or remember. CHC Chaplin, Carl Ballard said a prayer of celebration, and the Balladiers performed a selection of Christmas carols.
The Tree of Lights can be seen on the east side of the hospital at the main entrance. The blue lights of the tree contrast with the all-white lights of the rest of the hospital’s holiday decorations as a reminder of those honored in the “Celebration of Lights.” For more information about the Celebration of Lights event or about volunteering at CHC, call 517-279-5254.
