LENDONWOOD GARDENS HOSTS ANGEL OF HOPE CANDLELIGHT CEREMONY DECEMBER 6 AT 7 PM
The 11th annual Angel of Hope candlelight ceremony to commemorate lost loved ones will be held Saturday, December 6, at 7 p.m. at Lendonwood Gardens. Community members are invited to join in the ceremony, which will be held at the base of the Angel of Hope statue, located on the botanical garden’s western edge.
The Angel of Hope statue was placed in Lendonwood as part of a national movement to remember lost loved ones, especially children. The movement was inspired by the 1993 best-selling novel, “The Christmas Box,” by Richard Paul Evans. As of this year, more than 100 Angel of Hope statues have been erected in the U.S. and Canada, each with an annual commemoration ceremony on December 6.
At Lendonwood, the ceremony will include music, reading of the statue’s history, and an offering of prayers. White flowers, donated by Annie’s Garden Gate of Grove, will be provided for participants to place at the base of the statue. In addition, attendees will carry lighted candles as they walk to the statue.
Board member Jim Reynolds will introduce the program, beginning with a prayer led by the Rev. Robert Carter of Trinity Baptist Church in Grove. A history of the Angel of Hope statue will be presented by Mardee Dodge, secretary of the Lendonwood Board of Directors. Patti Beth Anderson will offer a special musical piece. Light refreshments will be provided by Lendonwood and Grand Wood Assisted Living of Grove.
Memorial bricks inscribed with personalized messages are installed around the base of the Angel of Hope statue. The inscribed bricks, which are available for $100 each, may be ordered by contacting Lendonwood at 918-786-2938.
Lendonwood, one of 14 botanical gardens in Oklahoma, is a nonprofit organization funded and supported by donations and volunteers. The garden is open to the public year-round from dawn to dusk.
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