Tree of Love Ornaments Now Available Proceeds Benefit Hospital Foundation

KEARNEY & GRAND ISLAND-Orders for personalized Christmas ornaments to adorn CHI Health Good Samaritan’s and CHI Health St. Francis’ annual Tree of Love begins today. The holiday tradition is sponsored by the Foundation at each hospital. 

The Tree of Love will be on display in the West Tower at Good Samaritan and the Main Entrance Lobby at St. Francis starting Dec. 5 throughout the Christmas season. 

The public is encouraged to order ‘Forever In Our Hearts’ acrylic ornaments, each engraved with a personalized message, to memorialize a loved one. Ornaments can also honor a new baby, celebrate a couple’s first Christmas, mark a special anniversary, or other milestones. Ornaments cost $20 each. All proceeds will support either the Good Samaritan or St. Francis Foundation. 

The public is then invited to a blessing ceremony of the ornaments and the Tree of Love at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 at both hospitals. 

At Good Samaritan, during the blessing ceremony, families will be invited to hang their sponsored ornaments on the tree. Families may collect their ornaments at the end of the season. Any ornaments remaining on the tree after Jan. 6 will be hung on the Good Samaritan Tree of Love each year.

To sponsor an ornament at Good Samaritan before the Nov. 26 order deadline, visit give.chihealth.com/GSF-TOL or call the Foundation at 308-865-2705. Memorial donations, in lieu of an ornament purchase, can also be made through the Good Samaritan Foundation to a fund of donor’s choice.

All proceeds from the Good Samaritan Tree of Love will support the hospital’s Ambulance Replacement Project. A few of the aging ambulances in the Good Samaritan EMS fleet have reached their suggested lifespan and are in need of replacement. Good Samaritan EMS ambulances are used for 911 calls, long distance transports and can be seen on standby at structure fires and home sporting events in the area.

“Christmas is a time for reflection, counting our blessings and honoring those who have left a mark on our lives. We are extremely grateful and genuinely humbled to share in the memories honored by our Tree of Love,” says Cindi Richter, director, Good Samaritan Foundation.

At St. Francis, families may take home their sponsored ornaments after the blessing ceremony. Any remaining ornaments will be hung on the St. Francis Tree of Love each year.

To sponsor an ornament at St. Francis before the Nov. 27 order deadline, please call the Foundation at 308-398-5400 or visit give.chihealth.com/SFF-TOL. Memorial donation, in lieu of an ornament purchase, can also be made by calling the Foundation.

All proceeds from the St. Francis Tree of Love will support Project Care, the hospital’s patient assistance fund, to help patients and their families with needs related to their medical care, such as medications, hotel accommodations, meals and others.

"Support of this annual tradition is greatly appreciated. Our donors' generosity helps further our mission to make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of the people we serve,” says Melissa Griffith, director, St. Francis Foundation.