The 39th Peace Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from 6pm to 7pm. Tree House Café. Hershey Medical Center Courtyard. Peace Tree will benefit the Anne Marie Jallon Memorial Fund.
For more than 39 years, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Association of Faculty and Friends have been hosting the Peace Tree Lighting Ceremony to honor our community members and remember our loved ones who have passed.
We are inviting you to support the annual Peace Tree Lighting Ceremony by giving a gift in recognition of someone you love or in memory of someone you hold near and dear to your heart.
Each November, a tree on the grounds of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is decorated with lights in memory or in honor of loved ones. This tree remains a symbol of peace, hope, unity, joy, and love throughout the holiday season and is a glimpse of light during the bleak winter months. It also boosts the morale of our patients and staff when they visit our facility each and every day.
Funds raised from Peace Tree will directly support the Palliative Care program through the Anne Marie Jallon Memorial Fund. This fund, established in 2024, helps ease financial burdens for patients and their families while their loved ones are cared for.
Peace Tree History:
Thirty-eight years ago (1987), the Association of Faculty and Friends (AFF) of Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine began this wonderful project. Anita Ekbladh, AFF President in 1992-93, was the principle founder. Her daughter, Annalisa, designed the AFF logo and shepherded through the Legal Department the change of the name of the association to Association of Faculty and Friends in order to be more inclusive.
Fused glass tree ornaments (left) created by Lynn Shirk.
Page updated June 2026.
For information on the speakers and performers, please visit the Peace Tree 2025 Program. As of 12/19/25, the total amount raised for this year's Peace Tree was $11,715. This is the highest total for Peace Tree at Hershey Medical since the event started! Our sincere gratitude to every person who contributed. Proceeds to benefit the Palliative Care program through the Anne Marie Jallon Memorial Fund. Donations will be accepted until 01/02/26. Thank you.
