We could all use a dose of hope in 2020 – most of all, the patients and families at Phoenix Children’s Hospital undergoing treatment for illness and injuries during the holidays.

To continue to spread light and love to Phoenix Children’s patients in 2020, the 9th annual Ignite Hope candlelit walk and celebration will take place in a virtual format for the first time on Saturday, Dec. 12, allowing for safe social distancing while bringing cheer to those who need it most.

Make Arizona shine with hope during the holiday season by participating in Ignite Hope. Registration is available now at http://www.PCHIgniteHope.org for $25, which includes a two-pack of Ignite Hope battery operated candles and 10 luminarias to light your home and spread light to your neighborhood.

Participants can pledge to fundraise for the Hope Fund, the area of greatest need at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The Hope Fund covers the most urgent needs at the Hospital, including new technology, research initiatives and charitable care.

“Ignite Hope is a Phoenix Children’s tradition that the community needs now more than ever,” said Steve Schnall, senior vice president and chief development officer at Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation. “This is the perfect way to feel a sense of community from the safety of your own home and neighborhood while bringing joy to the faces of the kids at our hospital.”

The Ignite Hope tradition began in 2012. Friends and family of then 15-year-old Phoenix Children’s patient Katie Wagner held a candlelight vigil outside her hospital window after she was diagnosed with cancer. Katie participated in the first Ignite Hope walk. Sadly, she passed away in September 2013. The candlelight tradition has lived on in her remembrance to brighten the lives of patients while marshaling community spirit by raising funds for Phoenix Children’s.

Ignite Hope would not be possible without generous community support: 1Wish, Angry Crab Shack; Pizza Hut; American Textile Recycling Services; Odyssey Services Corp; Los Altos Ranch Market; Bell Honda; BOK Financial; Camelback Toyota; SparkLight/CableOne; MI Windows and Doors│Milgard; Desert Diamond Casino; Swire Coca-Cola; Titan Solar Power; Verco Decking; Statistics & Data Corp; New York Community Bank/Am Trust Bank.