Dec. 5—Morgantown — Kids and families and carolers and more gathered on a frigid, windy Wednesday evening WVU Medicine Children’s third annual Holiday Lights & Goodnights in front of the hospital.
The WVU Medicine Employee Choir featuring the Mountainview Elementary School choir sang holiday tunes. A snowman danced. Santa made his rounds, greeting all the visitors, who were sipping hot chocolate and trying to keep warm.
Santa and 2024 West Virginia Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion Child Addie Schrock teamed to push down the plunger to light the Christmas tree: a 33-foot Douglas Fir from Sturgill Tree Farm in Pocahontas County.
And then, a parade. A long line of first-responder vehicles — police cars and fire trucks — cruised by with their lights flashing, a couple of the trucks equipped with snow machines spinning out clouds of white flakes. Patients and their families could watch the parade from their rooms.
“It’s really about making the season as special as we can for the kids and their families and expecting moms and new moms, ” said Amy Bush, WVU Medicine Children’s chief administrative officer. “We want this tree to be a sign of hope and joy and kind of take away what may be not so good when they’re here.”
The event was sponsored by the nonprofit Mountain Loggers Group, which also donated $212, 000 to the hospital. The group raised the money at its October Log-a-Load for Kids log auction held in Elkins in October, said Danny Sines, group president.
Their tree donation started three years ago with a 12-footer, he said. “It just seems like every year it keeps getting bigger and bigger.” For this year’s — the 33-footer with 4, 000 lights — they set it up on Monday, assisted by the Grinch and visitors from Whoville. “We’ve already got plans to make it bigger next year.”
And the $212, 000 gift to WVUMC’s Generous Needs Fund continues their tradition of giving to the hospital. “There’s nothing like it, ” he said. “Put a smile on a kid’s face, it makes it all worth it.”
The day’s activities, Bush said, also included a toy giveaway up in the Hostetler Family Resource Center. The toys came from Sunday’s annual toy drive — to collect toys for patients for this season and all year long — and families could come up and pick out a toy fir their child in the hospital.
