Making spirits bright: Lights Unlimited lights up HSC Children’s Hospital

HSC Children’s Hospital got a little bit brighter yesterday, just in time for the holidays!

When Steve Hudson, Sales Manager for Lights Unlimited, saw the existing exterior light system on the HSC Children’s building, he knew he could do something to help brighten the entrance and kids’ spirits.

Steve and his team at Lights Unlimited install seasonal and permanent light displays on homes and buildings. He loves seeing the joy on people’s faces when they see the displays, but especially when he shows kids.

“Seeing kids who were initially shy smile when I show them the lights is so special,” Steve says.

Steve also knows what it feels like to be a kid in hospital. He spent much of his youth in and out of a hospital with a respiratory condition. He often wished for something fun to see as he stared out the window.

As an adult, he again felt the impact time in hospital can have on families when his newborn daughter spent five days in a NICU.

So, Steve combined his passion for spreading joy through lights and his understanding of the needs for kids and families coping with time in hospital when he reached out to Lights Unlimited owner Mike Friesen to ask if his team could donate their time to do the installation. Mike said yes right away.

Thanks to the team at Lights Unlimited and Gemstone Lights®, HSC Children’s is the first Children’s Hospital in Canada to get this colour-changing LED track lighting which is customizable and app controlled, meaning the Child Life Team at HSC Children’s can change the colours to commemorate holidays, special events, or kids’ birthdays with their favorite colour, or the colours of their favourite sports teams or movie characters.

“Lights have such a power to bring joy to kids, and there’s no better place to bring joy than a children’s hospital, even if the kids are only outside to look for a few seconds,” says Steve.

“If we can make even just one kid smile on a day that has been tough in hospital, that means I know I’ve done my job.”

Watch for the Children’s Hospital Foundation colours to light the doorway at 840 Sherbrook this week, and holiday colours to follow.