Virtual Lights of Love ceremony on Crouse clock tower set for Nov. 30

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The annual lighting ceremony for the Crouse Hospital Auxiliary Lights of Love campaign is set for Nov. 30 and will be held virtually this year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings, donors will be able to participate in the holiday tradition from their homes or offices via a special Zoom link that will be e-mailed to those who contribute.

Each of the 3,000 lights on the iconic Crouse clock tower are illuminated, representing donations — given in honor or in memory of someone — that will support the hospital’s ability to provide medical services and programs for the community, Crouse Health said.

“This year’s campaign is focused on small gestures,” Janet Izzo, a local attorney who is the Lights of Love chairperson, said. “Before COVID-19 changed our world, many of us felt we didn’t have the time or energy to extend ourselves to others with small gestures that are at the core of common courtesy. Small gestures extended by physicians, providers and staff comprise the foundation of the Crouse culture.”

The auxiliary will follow that lead and use proceeds from this year’s Lights of Love campaign to help pay for “gestures that are meaningful to our patients and critical for their care.”  They include a fetal monitor for laboring moms in the Kienzle Family Maternity Center; an intra-aortic balloon pump for heart catheterizations in the Miron Cardiac Care Center; and a portable ultrasound machine to support the patient care efforts of Crouse Health’s Comprehensive Stroke Program.

If you would like to purchase lights on the clock tower, you’re advised to visit crouse.org/lights, per the Crouse Health news release.