The Niagara Falls Illumination Board has approved a request from the School of Nursing to illuminate the falls with blue and white lighting on May 12 in honor of Western New York nurses and nurses across the nation.

The lighting will take place from 10:30-10:45 p.m.

Those who choose to visit the park in person must adhere to public health guidelines. You can also view the lighting online.

Buffalo City Hall, one of Western New York’s tallest buildings, will also be lit blue throughout the same evening, also in honor of nurses.

May 12 is a date of significance for the profession: It marks the last day of National Nurses Week and International Nurses Day. In 2019, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Nurses Association expanded National Nurses Week to National Nurses Month in recognition of nurses’ crucial role in the health and wellness of our nation.

As the largest portion of the global health care workforce, nurses are vital to the well-being of society through clinical practice, research, policy, advocacy, leadership, education and more, but have long been unrecognized and underappreciated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world witnessed firsthand just how important nurses are for keeping our communities safe and healthy.

Participation in the national and international celebration during Nurses Week and Month is just one of the ways to recognize nurses for their important work.

A quintessential symbol of Western New York, Niagara Falls represents strength, resilience, and renewal — the same qualities we have witnessed, and must continue to honor, in nurses.