CHARLOTTE — High above at Levine Children’s Hospital, Charlotte firefighters made a gravity-defying entrance, rappelling down the side of a 12-story building dressed as holiday favorites.
“Whether it’s Santa, an elf, the Grinch, that seems to be the most popular one year after year, we’re doing this to just bring light to these kids’ day,” Charlotte Fire Captain Jason Harden said.
The special surprise is for children spending the holidays away from home — a bright moment to break up long days of treatment and recovery.
“Nobody wants to be away from their home over the holidays,” Harden said. “This is the one way that we are able to get them out of that mindset, hopefully, for a short period of time.”
From waving through windows, to high-fives and thumbs-ups from above, the goal is simple — give kids a reason to smile.
Firefighters say it’s all about bringing joy and reminding these children and their families that they are not alone this holiday season.
VIDEO: Charlotte Fire teams up with 9 Coats for Kids to keep kids warm this winter
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
