Published: November 20, 2008 12:06 pm         

Light Up a Life campaign begins today

The night Home Hospice of Cooke County kicks off its annual Light Up a Life campaign is always a bittersweet occasion.

Volunteers serve cookies and punch. Visitors talk and catch up with old friends.

There’s festive music and the North Central Texas College Performing Arts Center is in full holiday mode.

But the highlight of the event is the tree lighting itself in which the family of a home hospice client turns on the tree lights and talks about their loved one.

This year the tree lighting is slated for 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

The event is again scheduled to be held in the NCTC Performing Arts Center.

Home Hospice volunteer coordinator Kathi Kirby said the event is one of two the agency holds each year.

“Light up a Life is a tradition with Home Hospice and it’s also our biggest fund raiser of the year,” she noted.

Money generated by Light Up a Life stays in Cooke County.

“The money we raise goes for patient care for people in Cooke County. We are the only local non-profit hospice in Cooke County,” she said.

Several locations in Gainesville plan to set up Light Up a Life trees.

“We’ll have trees at Bealls, the B Hive, Gehrig’s in Muenster and at the beginning of holiday performances at the NCTC Performing Arts Center,” she said.

For a donation, individuals can place an angel on a tree in any of the participating locations.

“The angels can be in memory of, in honor of, or in celebration of a friend or loved one,” Kirby noted. “A lot of people choose to make their donation as a gift in the name of someone who already has everything they need or want.”

This year, donors can use their credit cards to make gifts to Home Hospice.

For information contact Home Hospice of Cooke County at 665-9891.

Home Hospice of Cooke County is a United Way agency.