Dozens of children and other Bronx residents led the countdown and placed an angel on the “Christmas Tree of Angels” during the annual tree lighting ceremony in memory of Jessica Guzman and other borough youngsters whose lives were cut short by murder and violent crime.

“There has been a recent wave of violence against children in the Bronx and across the city, bringing even more significance to this year’s lighting of our ‘Tree of Angels,’” said Dr. David Collymore, medical director of Soundview Health Center, which has lit the tree in Jessica Guzman’s honor ever since the young girl was murdered over a decade ago. 

“As a place of healing and caring, Soundview Health Center wants to keep alive the memories of our fallen angels in the Bronx and provide a beacon of hope for all of the borough’s children.”