ALBERTON, P.E.I. — The crowd was much bigger than usual for this year’s official lighting of the Western Hospital Health Care Auxiliary’s Lights of Hope Christmas display.
Marlene Bolger, the organization’s treasurer said this year’s crowd swelled to nearly double its normal size. She said a campaign to refresh the Christmas display likely accounted for some of the heightened interest.
Lights of Hope has been a hospital auxiliary tradition in Alberton since 1998. The tree that started it off now towers over the hospital and is no longer used. As the focal point moved from a second tree to a third, displays around it have continued to evolve.
Donations to refresh the Christmas displays also boosted fundraising proceeds this year to $6,295, Bolger reported.