BIDDEFORD — Southern Maine Health Care raised more than $10,000 for the SMHC Auxiliary at the annual Tree of Life events on Dec. 5 in Biddeford and Sanford to remember and honor those who have touched people’s lives.

This year, SMHC’s Auxiliary Tree of Life also honored the memory of the late U.S. President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush with special doves.

The celebration featured homemade baked goods and holiday music performed by local musicians. Hundreds of people turned out to honor their loved ones by hanging a personalized dove on the tree during the tree lighting ceremony.

By making a gift of any size, each donor to the Tree of Life received their own personalized dove with the tribute’s name written in calligraphy by a member of the Auxiliary Board. The name of their loved one was read aloud as their dove was placed on the tree.

Events were conducted at both the Biddeford and Sanford medical centers to light the Tree of Life and remember and honor those who have touched our lives. All gifts directly support patient care in SMHC’s Emergency Departments.

For more than three decades, the SMHC Auxiliary has held its annual Tree of Life campaign to support life-saving care at SMHC’s Emergency Departments in Biddeford and Sanford.

Each December, the Auxiliary invites the community to join them at their simultaneous tree lighting events in the lobbies of the Biddeford and Sanford medical centers.