Hospice of San Joaquin will once again light up the holiday tree at the intersection of Pacific and Yokuts avenues with more than 7,000 lights at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
This 23rd annual lighting ceremony is one of many hosted at more than a half a dozen locations throughout San Joaquin County. The tree in front of San Joaquin Delta College is the only one in Stockton.
“We usually invite a family with kids who has been in the facility in the past year to flip the switch,” said Carolyn Gomes, the Events Coordinator at the Hospice.
The tree has an important purpose — to remember and cherish loved ones currently sick or lost by donating one of the lights on the tree.
Money can be donated in various increments both through paper submission and online.
The different amounts correspond with a differently colored light, with $5 for a red light, $25 for a blue and $100 for a white light.
All proceeds from the light donation go directly to the Hospice.
The Hospice of San Joaquin is dedicated to providing medical care, counseling, and support for terminally ill patients and families.
The honorees’ and donors’ names are placed on a memory board displayed at the base of the tree.
A team comprised mostly of more than 20 PG&E volunteers puts up the lights. The team uses sixty-foot lifts to wrap the 6,000-feet of lights around the tree, according to a press release.
Once the tree is lit on Nov. 22, it will stay lit through Dec. 31.
Other lighting locations include Lockeford on Nov. 30, Lodi on Dec. 1, Tracy on Dec. 2, Galt and Rio Vista on Dec. 3 and Manteca on Dec. 7. For more information visit hospicesj.org.
