Hospital tree lighting ceremony adding staff and patient karaoke and caroling
Calling all karaoke lovers: USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital wants you to lend your vocal talents to its tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 2.
If karaoke is your thing, and holiday carols make you want to sing, USA Health Children's & Women’s Hospital hopes you will share your vocal talents during a private tree-lighting ceremony planned for 5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 2, in the outdoor courtyard.
“We want to include as many staff, patients, and families as possible in this special event,” said Kim Thompson Yates, coordinator of the Mapp Child and Family Life Program. “We’re encouraging groups and individuals to sing a carol as a way to help lift the spirits of our patients, their families, and our wonderful healthcare staff.”
To sign up, email Thompson Yates at kwagner@health.southalabama.edu. Participants should be employees or patients of USA Health.
The tree lighting, planned each year to mark the beginning of the holiday season, will also include participation by a pediatric patient to help “light” the towering tree that stands more than 50 feet tall in front of the hospital. Donated by the hospital’s volunteer auxiliary, the tree is expected to be lit nightly throughout December.
During the tree lighting, visits from the Grinch, Santa and Mrs. Claus are also planned, Thompson Yates said, adding that a caricature artist will be on hand to create keepsakes for pediatric patients.
This year also marks the return of the Holiday Tree Trail at Children’s & Women’s Hospital, which will include a dozen or more decorated Frazier firs in the Geri Moulton Children's Park, lining the path to the hospital entrance. Local businesses and friends of the hospital are sponsoring the trees as a fundraiser.
Special events, such as reverse trick-or-treating at Halloween and a patient parade during Mardi Gras, are planned by members of the Mapp Child and Family Life Program staff with a specific purpose in mind. Part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team, they provide procedural preparation and support, therapeutic play and other therapeutic activities for pediatric patients receiving hospital and emergency department care. They strive to create a safe, supportive environment for children, their families, and caregivers as they manage the stress of a hospital visit.
