UNC Health Rockingham News Release • December 15, 2022 • Myla Barnhardt, Marketing & PR Manager
(Eden, NC) – The Reverend Lemuel (Lem) Hardison was named the 2022 Star Recipient on the Tree of Life, a project of UNC Health Rockingham Auxiliary.
Each December, the festive lighted Christmas tree on top of the four-story hospital is illuminated from early December through the first week of January.
It’s a beacon of the holiday season, as well as a fundraiser for the Auxiliary, an organization that supports the hospital by providing volunteers and raising funds to support hospital projects and enhancements.
The Auxiliary also uses the Tree as way to honor someone who has made an extraordinary contribution to the hospital. That honor was given to Hardison this year for his 27 years of dedicated service as a volunteer chaplain. In addition, symbolic Lovelights and Starlights on the Tree of Life may be purchased to honor or memorialize friends and family.
In his role as one of the volunteer chaplains, Hardison has made weekly visits to patients and has been on a rotation to respond to those who may have urgent spiritual needs. He has also been a resource to staff during challenging times.
Hardison is the pastor of North Spray Christian Church where he has served for nearly three decades. He’ll be retiring from the church and curtailing his volunteer role at the hospital at the end of the year.
“As Reverend Hardison’s retirement approaches, we wanted to show how grateful we are for the care he’s shown to our patients and our team,” said Carla Estes-Porter, Manager of Volunteer Services. The traditional Tree of Life lighting ceremony was cancelled this year due to the high rate of infectious illnesses in the community, but Hardison was presented an engraved star ornament by Estes-Porter and President and CEO Steven E. Eblin.
If you’d like to purchase a Lovelight or Starlight on the Tree of Life, please phone (336) 627-8510 or visit the Small Pleasures Gift Shop near the Main Entrance of the hospital. Lovelights are $5 and Starlights are $100. Honorees are sent an acknowledgement care and their names are recorded in the Book of Honor and Memory that is displayed in the hospital lobby.
About UNC Health UNC Health is a state entity and an affiliated enterprise of the University of North Carolina system, comprised of 16 hospitals, 20 hospital campuses and more than 500 clinics along with the clinical patient care programs of the UNC School of Medicine (SOM). It exists to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others we serve and to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina SOM. Over the past three years, UNC Health has provided more than $400 million in uncompensated or charity care to the citizens of North Carolina. Our hospitals have received numerous awards and recognition for quality care, patient safety and the overall patient experience. For more information, please visit unchealth.org.
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