LAKEWOOD — Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care will hold its annual Light a Life Service of Remembrance and Memorial Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Area residents are encouraged to attend the service, which is offered each year by CHPC for residents to memorialize their loved ones.

The evening will begin with the Remembrance program at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, located across from the CHPC offices on Fairmount Avenue in Lakewood. Following the service, participants will proceed to the CHPC offices to view the lighting of the memorial trees and towers. Music and refreshments will also be a part of the event.

Memorial trees will be decorated with reflective stars in remembrance of hospice patients, as well as for community members whose family would like to participate. Stars in memory of a loved one may be reserved on the CHPC website and the memorialized individuals will be listed in the event program and on the memorial light towers.

Shauna Anderson, Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care President and CEO, encourages all community members to participate in the service, regardless of whether or not CHPC was involved in their loved one’s care.

“The holiday season may be a difficult time for many of our friends and neighbors,” says Anderson. “We hope this service and memorial display, which will remain lit throughout the holiday season, will help them in their journey.”

In addition to the Light a Life Ceremony, the community is invited to participate in this special time of remembrance by purchasing memorial ornaments. These hand-crafted porcelain keepsakes may be purchased for $25 and $50 at CHPC offices or online at www.chpc.care and will be available up until Christmas. They make tasteful memorial gifts for friends or family members, as well as support CHPC’s mission.

The remembrance service and tree lighting event is coordinated again this year by Jamie Probst, CHPC Director of Bereavement Services. CHPC’s bereavement support programs are open to all community members throughout the year.

More information is available regarding Light a Life on the CHPC website www.CHPC.care. Inquiries can be made by phone at 716-338-0033, x212.

Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care provides end-of-life care and education to the residents of Chautauqua County. It also provides community-based palliative care to patients who may be undergoing curative treatment.