Tree Of Hope Cut Down From Church In Tonawanda, NY

Every year Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center lights a "Tree Of Hope" on their campus for the holidays.  This year it was chosen from a church in Tonawanda.

If you've never been to the "Tree Of Hope" tree lighting, you should make it a point to go this year.  Every year it is an event meant to inspire cancer patients and their families in the community. This year they will be celebrating 30 years of the Tree Of Hope with a huge celebration marked with music, refreshments, warm drinks, donuts and other tasty treats, crafts, horse-drawn carriage rides, photos with Santa, and a dazzling light display.  It takes nearly 75,000 animated lights to illuminate the park and they do it all while orchestrating it to music.  Inspirational is an understatement.

To do that, they need a massive tree and this year they found the perfect one.  It was chosen from the First Presbyterian Church in the town of Tonawanda.

Today was the day it was cut down and prepared for transport.

If you would like to attend the Tree Of Hope ceremony and lighting this year, parking and admission are both free, they just ask that you register today.  You can add up to 10 guests on your registration.

The event will happen on Friday, December 13th in Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's Kaminski Park & Gardens from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.  If you can't make it to the event, they're reminding everyone that they can celebrate from home and watch the tree lighting and other live coverage on WGRZ-TV, Channel 2 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.!

Clay Moden from WYRK was at the church when it was cut down and prepared for transport.