“Woodbridge Together Luminaria Event and COVID-19 Relief Fundraiser”
Christina (Tina) Burland, a junior at Amity Regional High School, has created an event to bring the Woodbridge community together in a positive way to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the pandemic and to help Woodbridge families who have been impacted by COVID-19.
Tina has created an initiative called “Woodbridge Together” to implement ways to unite the community and has enlisted the help of volunteers and supporters throughout Woodbridge to sell luminaria consisting of a paper bag with a battery-operated candle for an upcoming community-wide event. All profits from the luminaria sales will go to a GoFundMe campaign she started to help fund the Woodbridge Rotary Club’s COVID Relief Fund. Here is the link to Tina’s GoFundMe page for her fundraiser gf.me/u/zg4dmg
On Saturday, March 13th at 6:00 pm (rain date of Sunday, March 14th at 7:00 pm), Tina’s goal is to create a town-wide event where residents will light their luminaria at their homes and businesses to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the pandemic as a way to remember those who have been affected and to turn this date into something hopeful and uniting for the community. She is currently working with the town to use the Town Green to spell out the words “WOODBRIDGE TOGETHER” with hundreds of luminaria and to display more in other public spaces. Tina’s plan is to live stream the event on Facebook and Instagram so that everyone in the town of Woodbridge can participate from their homes.
Tina is encouraging participants to write on the luminaria bags words like “Woodbridge Together,” an inspirational message or the name of a loved one who has been affected or lost during this pandemic.
Tina says, “The idea is to use the luminaria as a visual symbol to foster a sense of community and coming together during this time of social distancing. It would be great to see some of the luminaria displayed in public spaces and I would love to see the words 'WOODBRIDGE TOGETHER' spelled out that evening with hundreds of luminarias to create that sense of community and support for one another.”
Tina is donating 10 luminaria to the Woodbridge Police Department and 10 to the Fire Department as a way to say thank you to first responders for their help and service to the community during the pandemic and as a way to recognize them for their tireless efforts.
She is selling the luminaria in two kit sizes. The “Together” kit consists of 8 luminarias for $10, and the “Woodbridge Together” kit consists of 18 luminarias for $20. These can be ordered from her website with this link https://tinyurl.com/4rdtmpl4 and Tina and her volunteers will even deliver the luminaria kits to homes and businesses within the Woodbridge area. Additionally, Tina has created sponsorship opportunities for local businesses who want to further support this town-wide effort.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/woodbridgetogether
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodbridgetogether/
Website: https://www.woodbridgetogether.com
Tina developed the idea for Woodbridge Together last fall when she started a holiday card program for seniors at The Willows. She engaged the community with the help of Mr. Werthmann from the Woodbridge Library and her church to write holiday cards for seniors, many of whom were not be able to see their families for the holidays. She was able to collect 112 cards for the residents to help them celebrate the holiday season.
As Tina says, “I have lived in Woodbridge my entire life and I have loved the experiences I have had in this town. There have been so many people affected by the pandemic so I want to create a stronger sense of community even during this time of social distancing. I started Woodbridge Together to show how we can support one another. This luminaria event is a visual representation of our coming together as a community, neighbor supporting neighbor and our hope for healing.”