A nightly tradition brings light and hope to children at Michigan hospitalA Michigan hospital is asking members of the public to raise their flashlights as well as the spirits of children during the holiday seasonByMIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated PressDecember 17, 2025, 1:03 AMROYAL OAK, Mich. -- Volunteers gripping flashlights waved them high above their heads when the clock struck 8 p. m., shining beams through the frigid night sky — and into the hospital's windows. Exactly 10 minutes later, the enthusiastic crowd, still holding their flashlights aloft, in unison hollered “sweet dreams” toward children in the hospital several stories above them. The nightly Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams tradition is again lighting up the night outside Corewell Health Children’s hospital in Royal Oak in suburban Detroit. For 10 minutes each evening, volunteers standing outside the hospital shine flashlights toward the pediatric rooms above, delivering a message of hope and joy. The kids return the sentiment with their own lights, which they shine toward those below.“To be stuck in the hospital and feel like the world is moving on without you outside feels a little bit isolating, a little lonely, feels like maybe you’ve been forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season,” said Amanda Lefkof, a child life specialist at Corewell. Among the children in the hospital is 4-year-old Zoe Hostetter, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
