Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Invites Local Community to Turn On 'Lights of Love'


ATLANTA (Feb. 6, 2018) – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta invites the community to make a meaningful date with Lights of Love this Valentine’s Day. On Wednesday, Feb. 14, Children’s staff, volunteers, families and supporters will stand outside, positioned on the sidewalk across from Children’s Scottish Rite Hospital and in the garden at Children’s Egleston Hospital, for the first-ever event. Together, participants will shine flashlights at patients, who will shine back at the crowd through hospital windows.

The event was organized as an interactive way for the Atlanta community to show their Children’s spirit and support, sending love and joy to those patients spending Valentine’s Day in the hospital. Attendees are encouraged to wear red and bring one flashlight for each individual participant or plan to use a cellphone flashlight. Flashlights will be illuminated from 6:30 p.m. to 6:35 p.m. at Egleston Hospital and from 7:30 p.m. to 7:35 p.m. at Scottish Rite Hospital. In honor of Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness Week, cardiac patients at Egleston Hospital will shine special red lights from their floor.

“Kids in the hospital often miss out on many childhood rites of passage,” said Melanie Turner, Volunteer Coordinator at Scottish Rite Hospital. “This season, that includes special Valentine’s Day activities at school and card exchanges with friends. We thought it would be wonderful to rally around our brave patients by sending them one big, virtual Valentine. It’s all about reminding them that the Atlanta community cares and will always be cheering them on.”

Egleston Hospital is located at 1405 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, and Scottish Rite Hospital is located at 1001 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. At Egleston Hospital, walking or ride share is encouraged if possible, as limited parking will be available at nearby Druid Hills High School (no hospital parking in Children’s decks). At Scottish Rite Hospital, parking will be available at Peachtree Dunwoody Medical Center, with $5 overflow parking at Medical Quarters. Upon arrival, guests should follow the signs to the designated viewing areas, where volunteers will be on hand to direct attendees.

About Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

As the only freestanding pediatric healthcare system in Georgia, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is the trusted leader in caring for kids. The not-for-profit organization’s mission is to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow through more than 60 pediatric specialties and programs, top healthcare professionals, and leading research and technology. Children’s is one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country, managing more than one million patient visits annually at three hospitals, Marcus Autism Center, the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, urgent care centers and neighborhood locations. Consistently ranked among the top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has impacted the lives of kids in Georgia, across the United States and around the world for more than 100 years thanks to generous support from the community.

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