 The ceremonial flipping of the light switch is just one component of
the annual Light Up A Life candlelight ceremony at ALMH, which will
be on Tuesday, starting at 5:30 p.m.
All are welcome to attend. Participants may gather inside the
ALMH lobby and then proceed to the hospital's east-side patio. Once
outside, they will light a candle, sing along with cherished
Christmas tunes and, if they wish, share the names of those they
paid tribute to through Light Up A Life. A complimentary soup and
chili dinner will follow in the adjacent Steinfort rooms.
"As the years passed, the campaign has grown and changed," said
Marty Ahrends, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Healthcare
Foundation. "New this year is the opportunity to show appreciation
for great care given by a health care professional. Honoring your
doctors, nurses, therapists and others who have cared for you or
your family is a great way to say thank you for their expertise and
efforts during your time of need."
Each Light Up A Life tribute directly benefits patient care in
Logan County. The suggested donation of $10 per name may be
designated to purchase medical equipment at ALMH, fund Memorial Home
Services Hospice Care, support scholarships for future ALMH health
care providers or provide general support for future ALMH projects.
Forms are available at ALMH and can be downloaded from
www.almh.org. Names received by
Friday will be compiled and presented in a special Lincoln Courier
insert published on Christmas Eve. Each individual or group
remembered will be listed in bold, followed by names of those who
gave in their name.
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Shirley Dittus, this year's honorary Light Up A Life chairwoman
and ALMH Auxiliary member for 58 years, has a special fondness for
the Light Up A Life program.
She and her late husband, Victor, were known for the display of
Christmas lights on their rural Atlanta farmstead.
"It started with candles down the lane and grew with a Nativity,
Santa and his sleigh pulled by reindeer, and lights on all the
buildings. A steady stream of cars would pass by as Vic (dressed as
Santa) handed out candy canes," Dittus said in reminiscing. "The
annual trip out to Candlestick Lane Farm was a holiday ritual for
many.
"The lights in front of ALMH remind me of Vic and all the joy
that came from our Christmas lights. They also remind me of all the
wonderful ALMH nurses who cared for Vic in his final days," she
added. "Through Light Up A Life, I can honor these special
caregivers and remember Vic and many others."
Light Up A Life is a program of the Abraham Lincoln Healthcare
Foundation, a not-for-profit entity organized in 1986 to raise funds
for Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Donors may send Light Up A
Life gifts to ALHF at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln or visit
www.almh.org for a PDF version of the
tribute form. For more information about the Abraham Lincoln
Healthcare Foundation or the Light Up A Life campaign, contact
Ahrends at 605-5006.
[Text from file received from
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]
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