One of the city's most beloved festive displays returns this holiday season to raise money for a good cause.
The Lights of Hope fundraising display will once again glow with thousands of lights outside of St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver, marking its first public lighting celebration since the pandemic.
Hundreds of people will gather on Thursday (Nov. 17) to countdown and watch the lights be switched on as part of a community light-up celebration. Over 100,000 lights will brighten the downtown Vancouver hospital, marking the "culmination of a six-week construction effort enlisting more than 100 engineers, construction crews and volunteers," according to a news release.
The public is encouraged to attend the 25th annual lighting celebration, which takes place from 6 to 8 p.m.
“Right now patients are facing some of their darkest and most trying medical moments, and they need two things: hope and the best medical care we can possibly deliver,” says Dick Vollet, President and CEO at St. Paul’s Foundation.
“Donors to the Lights of Hope fundraising campaign provide for the greatest needs of our patients and residents with urgently needed equipment, life-saving research, critical comforts and other essentials—offering hope and exceptional care when people need it most.”
The organizers of Lights of Hope hope to raise $3.6 million this year for St. Paul’s Foundation, as funds are "urgently required to meet the greatest needs of patients, caregivers, frontline workers, residents and loved ones across Providence Health Care’s hospitals and long-term care homes."
Money raised from the event will go toward providing critical equipment, life-saving research, community programs, and other essential patient and resident services.
Thousands of spectators are expected to visit the holiday display, which will run through Jan. 6, 2023.
St. Paul's Lights of Hope
When: Lighting event on Thu., Nov. 17, 2022 from 6-8 p.m., with the display running through Jan. 6, 2023
Where: St. Paul’s Hospital - 1081 Burrard St., Vancouver
Cost: Donations welcome
