The Lighted Heart Is Coming Soon!

Pretty soon, you’ll see the huge, red, lit-up heart back up on the Riverside Garage in Roanoke!

“Most of the community’s children believe it’s there for Valentine’s Day, and are so excited to see it,” said Debbie Daniel, director of CMC Engineering and Maintenance. “But we put it up to celebrate Heart Month, which is every February, and it is quite a job!”

The idea of the heart started in 2011 with a drawing from the Marketing department, and it was lit by 60-watt bulbs. In 2013, a new idea emerged, and we used a high-powered projector (the same one that's used at Disney World!) to project a heart onto the actual hospital building.

In 2014,the 30-foot-by-30-foot heart we now have was created. It uses energy-efficient LED lights and lives face-up on the upper level of the Riverside Garage (which is not open to the public) all year, until it’s raised by crane in time for Heart Month (weather permitting). The crane is needed, along with the help of engineering staff and our vendor, Budget Signs, to secure it very carefully in place.

A couple of people on the ground and several on the top of the garage communicate by radio to guide the heart and secure it carefully in place once the crane has lifted it to just above the parapet of the garage roof level. The heart is then secured in place and plugged in. It takes two to three hours!

“The installation depends on fair weather to prevent damage to the heart, “ said Debbie. “There can be no wind, rain or snow, or it delays installation or removal of the heart.”

Stay tuned to the ePulse and Inside Carilion for more information about Heart Month!

If you have questions, contact Debbie Daniel, Engineering, at ddaniel@carilionclinic.org.