For the 23rd year, hundreds gathered in Downtown Plant City to witness the towering Christmas tree and ornate decorations that adorn McCall Park and the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum come to life, flooding the park with light and kicking off the holiday season.
Lights of Love was hosted by the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation in partnership with the City of Plant City and First Baptist Church Plant City, additionally aided by a number of sponsors.
“The event was designed as a fundraiser for the hospital and its foundation but also as a community event,” SFBH executive director Jana Butler said. “It was designed to offer a free community event to celebrate the holiday season and what better way to do that than lighting the lights?”
When guests arrived they were able to share in the festivities as they prepared for the main event, while families and children were able to have their pictures taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as Rudolph who made an appearance.
As the moment drew closer, Plant City mayor Rick Lott — sporting a festive green suit, emblazoned with cartoon depictions of Santa Claus — spoke to the crowd, thanking all those who helped play a part in putting the event together and invited South Florida Baptist Hospital chaplain Gary Shepherd up to the podium for the event’s invocation. To follow, Lott was joined by the Worship Ministry from First Baptist Church and local superstar Kenzie Wheeler in the singing of a Christmas carol.
A performance was then held by the Worship Ministry, led by musicians Ken Van Cura, Sarah Godheim and Todd Beckman. When the shining moment came, Mr. and Mrs. Claus stepped forward to flip the switch, officially lighting the Lights of Love tree and all of the beautiful fixtures that filled the surrounding area.
To raise funds, lights on the tree were “sold” and named in honor of their donors or in memory of individuals, with differing levels of donations being recognized by different colored lights. The foundation would then respond additionally with an acknowledgement card to the donor or to the family of the individual that the dedicated light shined bright for.
2021 marked a record year for the foundation, not just in participation but in funds raised. A record-setting 185 individuals and 47 sponsors assisted in raising $38,000 for the SFBH Foundation, a fund that will benefit programs and services provided by South Florida Baptist Hospital by being made available for equipment or in support of team members.
“This is my 10th year in this role and we have seen growth every year in this event, even after 23 years,” Butler said. “We see growth of course in the fundraising but also in the participation. I think we had 400 or 500 people there on Thursday night to watch the lights go on so I think that it’s really become a tradition for people in the community and that they really love to come out to the event.”
The lights will remain lit for the remainder of the month, alongside the presence of decorative gift boxes that each bear the name of an event sponsor.
“The foundation just wants the community to know how important they are to us and the team members here at the hospital,” Butler said. “The support outside of these walls speaks volumes to the employees and the team members here. They’ve really seen, especially the last two years, how much the community is supporting us and I think it’s important that the community knows how much we value them as well.”