A nightly tradition brings light and hope to children at Michigan hospital

ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Volunteers brandished flashlights held them above their heads as the clock struck 8 p.m., shining their rays across the frigid night sky — and into the hospital windows.

Exactly 10 minutes later, the enthusiastic crowd, still holding their flashlights aloft, shouted “sweet dreams” in unison to the children in the hospital several floors above them.

The nighttime tradition Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams once again lights up the night outside Corewell Health Children’s Hospital in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak.

For 10 minutes each evening, volunteers stand outside the hospital with flashlights illuminating the pediatric rooms above, delivering a message of hope and joy. The children return this feeling with their own lights, which they shine towards those below.

“Being stuck in the hospital and feeling like the world is moving on without you out there, it’s a little isolating, a little lonely, it’s like maybe you’ve been forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season,” said Amanda Lefkof, a child life specialist at Corewell.

Among the children hospitalized is Zoe Hostetter, 4, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments. One night recently, she shined her own flashlight at the bundled-up well-wishers below with her grandfather, Tim Schuele, at her side.

“It’s just a big group of people that they don’t know, but see the love sent by the lights,” he said. “They’re here alone or with their immediate family and that’s it for days.”

But on those nights, the children are far from alone.

Kevin Barringer was one of those lights flashing toward the windows one night last week. Barringer’s son, Connor, spent two months in the hospital in 2020 recovering from a spinal injury, and they were on the receiving end.

“It’s pretty dark up there for the kids and for the parents, too,” Kevin Barringer said. “Having people down here letting them know that there are people with them and sending all their light that way, it means a lot.”

Stephanie McMillan, sitting in a dark room, held her 3-month-old daughter, Wren, in one arm and a flashlight in the other, shooting a beam toward those gathered below.

“It helps people here not feel so alone and people in the community can help bring that Christmas cheer to people who are here,” McMillan said.

The hospital also hosts holiday parties, blanket making activities and story times for families. Additionally, a volunteer dresses as Santa and visits patients in their rooms and at parties.

Corewell has overseen the Moonbeams event since 2017. This year’s edition kicked off Dec. 9 and will run through Hanukkah and every evening until two days before Christmas.

This year, participants included high school groups, Boy Scout troops and sororities, said Lisa Muma, a registered nurse and one of the event’s organizers. Sports teams often join, including a youth hockey team that showed up with lights attached to their sticks.

Dozens to hundreds of people gather each evening, depending on the day of the week and the weather.

“We really wanted to find a way to remind the families and the children and the patients at the hospital that we’re still thinking about them, that we’re here for them, that we’re on their side,” Lefkof said. In turn, the pediatric section of the hospital is a bit like Las Vegas, where “days and nights somehow blend together.”

But the Moonbeams event gives children something to look forward to during a difficult time for many families.

“It’s a wonderful way… to really offer them a lot of love when they’re going through a tough time,” she said.