GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Until now, 15-year-old Makayla Dove had only seen Project Night Lights online.
"I had seen them live and it was so cool to watch everybody," says Dove, who watched the events streamed online last year during the pandemic.
Project Night Lights brings out fire trucks, police cars and anyone in town to flash their lights up at the kids at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
Dove has been in an out of the hospital for the last few years.
"I have a brain tumor," she says. "It's in the middle of my pituitary gland."
And events like this one, organized in part by Chris Cameron of Silent Observer, help ease her boredom.
"It's so neat to know that we're providing a smile on these children's faces," says Cameron.
Dove has found other ways to express her creativity as well. She recently got hospital staff to dance with her on TikTok.
"It was really cool that we put that together," Makayla says.
For Dove, the simple act of flashing these lights lets her know her community has her back.
"It feels really great, I love it," says Dove. "It shows they care too."
And it means a lot to the people on the street as well.
"I've seen people actually cry while doing it because it's just so meaningful," says Cameron.
Even though she couldn't make it down to the street to say it in person, Dove wants all the first responders to know she supports them as much as they support her.
"Thank you for all the support and everything they do," says Dove. "They put their lives out there for everybody."
Project Night Lights is on the second Wednesday of every month at 8:30 p.m. outside of Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
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