Our Projects

Explore the various ways we bring joy and support to those facing challenging times.

Our Initiatives

Explore the initiatives that illuminate the lives of individuals and families facing difficult situations and medical challenges.

TinyTrees

Delivering beautifully decorated Kid Friendly themed 3-foot Christmas trees to hospitals, nursing homes, foster children and families, bringing holiday cheer and hope.

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Pediatric Oncology Family Fund

Providing Financial assistance and essential support to our local pediatric cancer families in East Tennessee area during their treatment and struggles.

Volunteer Opportunities

Engage with us by volunteering your time and talents, helping to paint smiles on the faces of children and seniors experiencing hardship and lonliness.

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Community Outreach

We engage with local organizations to extend our reach and deliver TinyTrees to families in need throughout the community.

Holiday Support

During the holiday season, we provide decorated TinyTrees to brighten the lives of patients and families experiencing hardships.

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Adopt-A-Family

We partner with Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital to provide families in need with Christmas for the ENTIRE family unit – Mom/Dad/Siblings/Patient (or custodial grandparents).

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about our mission and how you can help.

How can I donate to your cause?

You can contribute through our donation page. The priority for support will go to assist basic financial needs for pediatric cancer families facing medical challenges – food, gas, clothes, utilities and other basic care needs. Other ways to give include our TinyTrees and Adopt-a-Family Projects.

What is a TinyTree?

A TinyTree is a 3-foot Christmas tree decorated in a kid friendly theme and delivered to patients at Hospitals and other Children and Elderly Groups in our area. Anyone in our community can donate a TinyTree. We get trees from individuals, businesses, schools, teams, church groups and more! Many have made this a yearly tradition that they look forward to each year. Others have joined us as they were given a tree and want to Pay It Forward as they know what it meant to their family. We do encourage you to REGISTER your group/family so that we have a general idea of how many trees so that we can parter with other a number of children and elderly groups in the Knoxville/Blount Co area.
Please see info below on what you need to have for your tree.

When is 2026 DropOff for TinyTrees?

Our 2026 DropOff Date will be announced by Sept 1. We offer ONLY 1 date for the community to come together and donate their trees for our collection and upcoming local distributions. No other date is available. Location and update are posted on our TINYTREES Facebook page.

Trees are given to patients at Dolly Parton Children’s Hospitals, nursing homes, foster children, and various children and elderly organizations throughout East Tennessee.

What do I need to do to donate a TinyTree?

All Trees:
– Must be 3’ tall – NO OTHER SIZE WILL BE ACCEPTED – Any color is fine.
– Must have PLUG IN LIGHTS – any color is fine. Allow enough of the cord at the bottom to plug in. (**No trees with battery operated lights will be accepted this year)
– ***Decorate in Kid Friendly theme. This is *A MUST*. Some of our trees last year had to be pulled. Your tree should be child centric – no politics, no goth, no religious tracks, no attached money, no agendas. Think SuperHero, Baby Dolls, Dinosaurs, Snowmen, Unicorns…kids love theme trees- Spider-Man, Princess, hot wheels, Butterflies – etc etc – Be Creative ! Your tree could go to a toddler or a teenager. So there should be nothing that may be scary for a young one on your tree.
– No more than 5 small toys can be put on a tree (optional)- these should go with your theme -y’all did great with this last year – just don’t go overboard
– Non-breakable ornaments on a tree
-** NEW Only 1 piece trees (your tree stem should not come apart when picked up – if needed superglue it together). Your tree will be picked up several times and moved – it should NOT come apart.
– All ornaments should be wired on so they don’t fall off when we move the trees. Your tree will be moved MULTIPLE times. If you pick it up and things fall off – rewire them back on.
– Your tree should be able to stand up on its own without falling over (watch it being top heavy)
We loose a lot of ornaments every year and have significant clean up. Having the non-breakable + wired on helps with that significantly.

Naughty List – these are not allowed on your tree.
————–
– No Candy/food includes Candy Canes
– No Gift Cards
– No Money attached to trees
– No Gnome Trees (they are scary to the kids)
– No scary themed trees/goth trees/day of the dead
– No Tree Skirts
– No Extension Cords
– Nothing extra should be attached to your tree
– No Battery Operated Lights
– No political agenda or religious tracks attached to trees
– If it’s not ornaments/decorations or lights then let it go

Only 1 Drop Off date is available, please plan accordingly. 2026 date will be announced by Sept 1.
Please see our Facebook page for updates and location info.

We welcome individuals, church groups, businesses, various youth groups, schools, teams etc.

Click Here to Register to Donate a TinyTree

How do I participate in Adopt-a-Family?

We partner with Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital to support their Adopt-a-Family Program. Social Workers in the hospital will identify families in need and work with each member of the family to get a list of 3 items they want/need. We help line up sponsors to take a family member(s) and will combine multiple people if needed to make sure the entire family is covered.

In the Month of OCTOBER each year, we ask for sponsors. A sponsor is financially responsible for purchasing gifts from the patient/family lists provided. The Commitment is $100 per person (2 people is a $200 commitment, 4 people is a $400 commitment…). You/your group can do as many individuals as you like. Lists will be provided just before Thanksgiving, and items must be purchased and then returned unwrapped to the hospital by Dec 3. Specific instructions are provided when we send you info on the individuals.

Our 2026 Goal is 80 family members/individuals.
**Note we only take sponsors Oct 1-31 and submit our commitment to Children’s Hospital on Nov 1.

How can I VOLUNTEER?

We Need a LOT of Volunteer Elves for TinyTrees Drop Off Night! It takes over 50 people to help everything run smoothly that evening
Volunteers would need to be there from 5:30 pm – 8:45ish on DropOff Day. You must be high school age or older to participate. It is a very busy and fast pace setting as we help unload trees from vehicles and trailers, tag trees, move trees (multiple times). There may be some stairs involved. If you are up for the challenge message us on our TINYTREES Facebook page or email us – info@lightyourcandle.org.

We will be posting a VOLUNTEER Sign Up Form on our Website in OCTOBER.

We do offer Honor Society or Tennessee Achieves hours – but you must stay the entire time.
**We will not sign for volunteer hours for doing a tree

Make a Difference Today

Help us continue to bring light and encouragement to those facing challenges. Your support is vital and appreciated.

Donate Now