This year’s Lights of Love tree lighting ceremony will feature a tribute to a lifelong supporter of her community.

The annual Dr. Herman C. Ensor Lights of Love Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, hosted each year by the Cullman Regional Foundation, will be held in the hospital’s Col. Cullmann Room on Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m.

A special recognition is made each year to someone who was a supporter of the Foundation and their community, and this year’s honoree is Amy Drake, who passed away in September after a life of helping those around her. 

“Amy was an avid giver, she believed in giving back to her community,” said her husband, Jimmy Drake. “Amy believed that everyone was special, she treated everyone like they were special, and she just radiated love into other people.”

Her giving included serving on one of the Cullman Regional Foundation’s boards and helping people in the community who needed help paying their bills or buying clothes for their children, and after she passed away, her family received many messages of thanks from some of the people she had helped, Jimmy said. 

He said learning that Amy was going to be honored at this year’s Lights of Love was a tremendous honor for him and the rest of their family, and he hopes the community will continue to honor her by helping the Cullman Regional Foundation work towards its goal of advancing healthcare services at the hospital.

“If there was ever a need that would arise, she believed in supporting it,” he said. “And you hope that the community, in remembering her, would be sure to help raise money for this cause.”

Giving a gift of love for $20, $40, $60 or more places a light on the hospital’s Christmas tree as a tribute to someone special. The proceeds from this year’s Lights of Love will go toward the purchase of a new ambulance for Cullman Emergency Medical Services.

Everyone in the community is invited to give a gift of a light in memory or in honor of someone special in their lives, and special acknowledgement cards are sent to those who have been honored and to the families of those being remembered.

All community members and contributors are invited to the tree lighting ceremony to view a presentation of the names of those being honored. After the presentation, those in attendance will go outside and sing “Silent Night” before the Christmas tree on the roof of the hospital is lit.

During the ceremony, special Christmas music will be performed by the First United Methodist Sanctuary Choir and Kids Choir. Also performing during the event will be Dr. Joe Johnson, Dr. David Shupe, Kate Shupe and Ken Simpson.

Donations can be made throughout the holiday season, but must be received before Monday, Dec. 2 to be included in the ceremony.

Donations can be made online cullmanregional.com/foundation/events or people may call the Foundation at 256-737-2565 for more information.