WE ARE LIGHTING THE WAY

SYLNight 2007 – Carolanne Farms

(Article taken from VB

CCO's Newsletter)

Participating leagues from December’s event held a very fruitful Share Your Light Night (SYLNight) planning meeting January 18th. As this city-wide illumination was our first season, we learned a great deal from our successes, evaluated areas where we can improve, and cultivated a plan to further our success. We’re excited, energized and looking forward to sharing our light with others for many years to come.

Join these leagues now so next year’s event will be bigger, brighter and even more beautifully spirited. With early commitments, we will be able to more accurately estimate the number of luminaries needed and insure the availability of the safest and brightest products available at the best price (nearly wholesale) from a not-for-profit organization, Illuminate A Cause. Over the next few months, we will be gathering samples to share with interested groups. To allow enough time for overseas shipping, we will start collecting pledge orders in September. Let us know soon if you have interest in either helping plan the event or to pledge some level of participation in illuminating your neighborhood. If we reach the goal and fill a cargo container, the shipment will arrive directly into port here in Hampton Roads.

Many leagues will be lighting their neighborhood’s entrance with SYLNight luminaries, as well as offering order forms to their neighbors so they can obtain these reusable luminaries to display along their yard’s edge to continue the ribbon of light throughout our City.

Every Beach citizen, no matter if they have an active civic league or not, is encouraged to participate. Remember, this is a city-wide tradition held by its citizens and will become one of our City’s signatures during the winter.

I believe in the value of having organized neighborhoods. This event offers the ideal environment to grow civic leagues, whether acting as moisture to revive the wilting or be the seedlings planted in fertile soil. Today, pledge to discuss this event with your Board of Directors or with your Garden Club. This event will bed in another stepping stone on the path of true citizenship. With your help, this uniting and empowering event will eventually touch the lives of every single citizen of this City, both young and old.

To get the word out, consider bookmarking the site and perhaps share the link with those on your email contact lists. We’d appreciate it greatly.

Together, we will unite our City. Will your group unite with this cause? For more information, email the event coordinator at shareyourlightnight@yahoo.com or call 714-2772.

“Life is not measured by

the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments

that take our breathe away.”

WE'RE IN AWESOME COMPANY

Those 2007 participating leagues met tonight. You all can look towards next year as we promise next year's event will be bigger, brighter and offer much more spirit. We've only just begun.

We've bounced around many new ideas and with all of us gathering, the opportunity to "cherry pick" was ideal. We can't be more excited.

Check back and check back often. We're continually working towards a brighter SYLNight and with each coming year, this event will touch more lives and make a real difference in our communities. The reach of this event will eventually touch the lives of every single citizen of this City, both young and old.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

Plans starting already

January 18th will be a big day. Representatives from each neighborhood who participated during the 2007 SYLNight will be meeting to brainstorm about next year's event. We will come together to focus our citizen's vision of what this event will mean to us as citizens, as well as those needing their cause illuminated.

Be sure to check back to find out what we're working on. We're all excited.

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS

As I couldn't experience the other neighborhoods festive sights, I CAN'T WAIT to see the photographs. I am eager. If you are reading this entry and have digital photos on your camera, do me a favor and upload them now and email them to me at shareyourlightnight@yahoo.com. Don't forget to include your name, address, phone number, neighborhood where you live, and the neighborhood where the photographs were taken. With your entry, I want to thank you and share my appreciation in helping create and capture the essence of the holidays. I wish you luck.

The weather was great. It was warmer, the misty rain held off until after the event, and the full-moon was covered somewhat by the clouds. Although a pitch-black evening would have been ideal to make the luminaries shine brighter, I am very happy with the turnout in my neighborhood. We were so lucky to have such great weather this weekend, compared to the previous week. I hope everyone had a wonderful time with your neighbors. I can't wait to hear stories and see photographs.

In CAFCL, there were at least three groups, just two or so blocks from one another, handing out warm cider, cocoa, tea and cookies. It was fantastic. The community churches had live nativity scenes, which was exciting for many passer-bys. They also offered cocoa, cider and snacks.

Most especially, I was excited to see all the people out visiting neighbors and taking photographs. There were flashes going off periodically which could be seen from streets away, several large groups of people walking here and there moving in and out of the neighborhoods, and a general feeling of electricity in the air. I hope this excited you about what the future can bring.

This is a unique opportunity for average citizens to visibly make a mark in our region’s history and create wonderful lifelong memories for all. This tradition of displaying luminaries (typically paper bags with a light source within) is treasured by many throughout our country, for not only the beauty it offers, but by how it brings neighbors together. This event will highlight the warm hospitality we Virginians offer our neighbors.

This night will not be just about Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa; it will be about connecting with your neighbors, empowering citizens, and creating unity and friendships. All civic groups and houses of worship are welcomed to help organize these events for their neighbors; whether it is for a community gathering during the holidays or to raise funds for charitable causes.

Our region will unite in friendship and forever be interconnected. For at least one day, we will live simply as if our area is but one large neighborhood with a small town feeling. By painting this picture, I believe it is in line with the vision of making Virginia Beach…

“A Community For A Lifetime”.