'The message is we know you are there and we are thinking about you,' says Steven Brosnihan, a Bristol cartoonist who came up with the idea

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Every night for the past week or so, a little bit of magic has been taking place between a downtown nightclub and kids in rooms at Hasbro Children's Hospital.

At precisely 8:30, staff and patrons of the Hot Club have been sending a silent expression of goodwill and cheer through an ages-old method — flashing lights. For 60 seconds, the club repeatedly turns it's bright red neon sign off and on four times. Patrons are invited to bring flashlights and join in.

What do the four blinks mean?

"Good Night Hasbro Hospital."

That's what Steven Brosnihan had in mind when he first came up with the idea. But what it truly means is much more.

"The message is we know you are there and we are thinking about you," he said, "and good night."

To show their appreciation, the children at Hasbro are encouraged to flicker lights in their rooms. Many are children with cancer who must either visit regularly or who have to stay for days on end, said Brosnihan, who serves on the board of the Tomorrow Fund. It can be monotonous to say the least.

"I've had some kids literally tell me it's the best thing that happened all day," Brosnihan said.

It all started when Brosnihan, a cartoonist who visits patients a couple of times a week as a volunteer, realized he could see from some of their windows the bus stop he bikes to when going home to Bristol at night. He began telling kids to look for him — just past the Hot Club — and he would turn his bike light on and off to say goodnight. That started several years ago.

Then it dawned on him: Wouldn't it be great if the club turned its sign on and off, maybe once a week?

"When he contacted us, I said who's going to say no?" said manager Sarah Bates, wife of co-owner Eben Bates. The nightclub spread the word through social media. "We're really happy. We've had a lot of people come down to shine lights at the kids. It's really cool. The staff was so excited about it they said why don't we do this every night."

Now Brosnihan, 54, is hoping plenty of other businesses — in all directions of the six-story hospital — decide to participate in what he has begun calling "Goodnight Lights." Already, the Providence Steamboat Co. has joined in, flashing the lights on its tugboats.

"It's magical," said Brosnihan.

rsalit@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @RichSalit