Light Up Georgia With Kindness Tradition Continues this December;
Initiative’s Mission to Strengthen and Unify Communities
Dec. 24 Building Together the Pathway Lit by Kindness to shine light on acts of kindness
Light Up Georgia With Kindness is a charity that encourages individuals, families, local neighborhoods and organizations to be more intentional in performing acts of kindness from Dec. 1 – 24, culminating with the Building Together the Pathway Lit by Kindness in the evening of Dec 24.
“With the many challenges that millions have faced this year, I think we all could benefit from a positive ending to the year and there is no better way than with an increased measure of kindness to help strengthen and unify our communities,” said Light Up Georgia With Kindness Founder Cindi Pickett of Suwanee. “When I launched this charity in fall 2018, I could never imagine what we would face as a nation or individually a year and half later.”
Looking for a way to give back and make a difference in people’s lives, Pickett created Light Up Georgia With Kindness in October 2018 with a goal to increase kindness in the communities where we live and work. She hopes it becomes an annual December tradition throughout Georgia.
Information and details can be found at www.LightUpGeorgiaWithKindness.com with volunteers needed to become Light Up Leaders for their neighborhoods, businesses and organizations. Sign-up info is available on the website as well as ideas and tools for supporting the initiative.
Pickett was inspired by the YouTube video and song, Wishes and Candles, which shows lives being interwoven together through acts of kindness being performed by strangers. She also wanted to create an inspiring visual to represent the acts of kindness and to further connect neighbors together.
Having grown up in metro Atlanta, she remembered her childhood tradition of driving through neighborhoods on Dec. 24 to see white luminary bags lining the streets for Santa’s sleigh. She wanted to replicate that same magic by Building the Pathway Lit by Kindness where Light Up bags, placed in front of homes, become a symbol of all the thousands of acts of kindness being performed during the 24-day period.
White luminary bags should be lit on Dec. 24 from 6 p.m. through the morning. The bags should be filled with sand and lit with both electric and flame tea lights for ultimate brightness and length of light. Light Up bags should be placed four-feet apart, near the street and across the front of driveways, lawns and businesses. Those who are traveling hopefully can ask a neighbor to facilitate their bags so the luminated pathway remains unbroken. Residents are encouraged to stroll or drive through neighborhoods to see the beautiful Building Together the Pathway Lit by Kindness that connects neighbor-to-neighbor.
“Last year, it was wonderful to drive with my lights dim through participating neighborhoods to see the warm glow from those illuminated bags knowing that they reflected kindness given to others,” recalled Pickett, who hopes those acts of kindness continue well in the New Year. “My ultimate hope is to see one complete chain of luminaries that connects neighbor-to-neighbor, city-to-city and county-to-county throughout our wonderful state of Georgia. What an amazing site that would be!”
