Hinds LifeCare’s Lights of Love memorial event provides hope and healing for those grieving during the holiday season

For the most part, the holidays mean being jolly, festive, and happy. For some, the holidays can feel depressing, difficult, and hurtful. Especially for those who are grieving the loss of a family member or loved one.

One annual gathering at the River Park Shopping Center in Fresno, called The Lights of Love, helps those cope, remember and honor people who have passed on.

Every December, the Lights of Love memorial gathering is put on by Hinds Lifecare, a well-known non-profit organization.

Founded by Nancy Hinds, an oncology nurse, the Hinds organization has been providing care and services for decades.

 “I knew I had something to offer people. I feel I can relate to people because I have some sense of what they are experiencing,” Nancy once said.

Operating under a new name, Hinds LifeCare continues to provide the same essential services to the central valley community in Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties, having done so since 1981.

The Center for Grief and Healing provides individual and support group grief after a loss.

Lights of Love is an event started by the Executive Director of Counseling and Support Services Kathleen Cromwell.

During the gathering, speakers say the names out loud of loved ones who have passed. Candles are lit and the memorial ends with the lighting of the big Christmas tree at River Park to honor those loved ones from the community.

“Some people have told me, you know Kathy, I like how you guys timed this event,” Cromwell said. “It is at the very start of the holiday season, and it has just become my tradition, because in the busyness of the holiday, it’s just where we can come and just honor and remember, so we think it is a very meaningful event in that way.”

There is a Multicultural Outreach, offering a comprehensive program to Spanish and Hmong populations.