Although the NightLights ceremony is over, the Big Blue Tree stands at the corner of College and Mulberry, reminding us of how we can help children in our community.

For the entire month of December, Realities for Children — a local non-profit providing for the unmet needs of Larimer County children facing abuse or neglect — is encouraging the public to sponsor a NightLight on the tree, which shines blue as a symbol for child abuse awareness and prevention.

"We literally can bring children out of the darkness of abuse...by that action of getting involved. We just ask people to be one of those lights on the tree for our children," said Craig Secher, president and founder of Realities for Children, in our "Tuned In to NoCo" interview. "100% of that goes directly to emergency services and direct needs for the children that we provide for every day and helping us to make sure that no child is forgotten."

It only takes $100 to sponsor a NightLight — you can do that online here. While NightLights wraps up after the holiday season, your donation will continue to make an impact on Larimer County children in need.

"We've had generations of children that have been served by the NightLights that people donate on the NightLights tree," said Secher. "That's what the NightLights tree is about is being that beacon of hope to those kids...and creating a way that we can all come together during a really needed time to be that light in a child's life in a very direct way."

Along with sponsoring a NightLight, you can also support Realities for Children by bringing new or gently-used bikes to the drop-off locations listed here.

Learn more about NightLights by listening to the full "Tuned In to NoCo" interview with Craig Secher below.

Realities for Children's NightLights Lighting Ceremony 2021

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