A nightly tradition brings light and hope to children at Michigan hospital

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan hospital is asking members of the public to raise their flashlights as well as the spirits of children during the holiday season. The nightly Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams tradition is back lighting up the night outside Corewell Health Children’s in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak. For 10 minutes each evening starting at 8 p.m., volunteers situated outside the hospital send beams of light toward the pediatric rooms above, delivering a message of hope and joy. Moonbeams started in 2017. The 2025 edition started Dec. 9, and will run until two days before Christmas.

 

A hospitalized child looks out the window at volunteers who are shining lights up into the pediatric wing of Corewell Health Children's during a Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams event Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Royal Oak, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)