Help brighten evening of hospitalized children

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is seeking the public’s help to brighten the day of patients spending the holiday at the hospital.

On Thursday, CHOA staff, volunteers, families and supporters from across Atlanta — including the Emory police and Dekalb County firefighters — will stand outside the windows of all three hospital campuses. Together, participants will shine flashlights at patients, who will shine back at the crowd through hospital windows. Attendees are encouraged to wear red and bring one flashlight per individual or plan to use a cell phone flashlight.

Flashlights will be illuminated at these hospitals at the following times:

6 to 6:05 p.m. at Hughes Spalding, 35 Jesse Hill Drive SE, Atlanta. Parking is available at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market for an hourly rate, and there is metered parking along the street as well.

6:30 to 6:35 p.m. at Egleston, 1405 E Clifton Road NE, Atlanta. Small amount of parking is available at Druid Hills High School, 1798 Haygood Drive NE. There will be no parking available in the hospital’s visitors parking deck.

7:30 to 7:35 p.m. at Scottish Rite, 1001 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. Free parking at Peachtree Dunwoody Medical Center, 5505 Peachtree Dunwoody Road. Overflow parking ($5 fee) at Medical Quarters, 5555 Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE.

“It’s profound getting to pause for a few brief but meaningful minutes to show our patients how many virtual valentines they have out there,” said Ansley Johnson, Volunteer Services Coordinator at Children’s. “Seeing the magnitude of flickering lights from inside the halls sends our patients a reminder that they are loved and can continue fighting.”