Hospice of San Joaquin holds annual tree lighting ceremony

Hundreds gathered in front of Lodi City Hall on Thursday night for the 24th annual Tree of Lights tree lighting ceremony, presented by the Hospice of San Joaquin.

This year, the family of Thomas Moore, who had formerly been assisted by the hospice center, was invited to help with the lighting of the tree. As the crowd counted down and shouted “light the tree,” his daughter Shawnette Edwards pulled the switch. Instantly the tree was illuminated with an array of colorful lights.

The ceremony opened with holiday music performed by the Lodi High School choir directed by Jessica Gaszi. They performed multiple times throughout the ceremony, filling the atmosphere with Christmas cheer. Selections included “Go tell it on the Mountain,” “Carol of the Bells” and several others. Pastor Steve Newman of First Baptist Church gave the invocation for the evening.

Hospice of San Joaquin Board of Directors Donna Kane welcomed those in attendance to the ceremony and thanked them for coming out.

“The Hospice of San Joaquin’s Tree of Lights ceremony celebrates the memories of our loved ones. The ceremony is a tradition for many families and the entire family attends year after year. Other families will purchase a light in honor of their loved one but will visit the tree on their own,” Kane said.

She expressed the Hospice of San Joaquin’s appreciation to the City of Lodi for hosting the event for the 24th year in a row and welcomed special guest Lodi City Manager Steve Schwabauer to say a few words.

“There are really two types of us out here. There are those of us that have used Hospice of San Joaquin services and sadly there are those of us who will. And if you’ve had the opportunity to benefit from Hospice of San Joaquin’s services you’ll know why Lodi has partnered with them for so long because they do a remarkable job at providing people with some dignity in the final days of their life. We’re proud to be a partner with them and we look forward to the next 24 more years,” Schwabauer said.

During the ceremony, Esmeralda Cabrera Bustos, a second-grader at Joe Serna Jr. Charter School, was recognized as the artist of the 2017 program cover. Bustos attended the ceremony with her teacher, Ms. Trejo, and Principal Maria Cervantes.

The tree of lights would not be possible with out the backing of sponsors, Kane said.

Sponsors for the event included Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Ulmer Photo, KJOY 99.3 and Schwartz Giannini, Lantsberger & Adamson Accountancy Corporation.

Kane also thanked the Lodi Chapter Butterfly Auxiliary for its efforts to educate the community and raise funds for the Hospice of San Joaquin. During the event, the Butterfly Auxiliary served cookies to those in attendance and Lodi Health provided hot chocolate.

Kane reminded the crowd that the memory board would be updated around Dec. 11 and Dec. 21 so it’s not too late to dedicate a light.