A beautiful Oak Park tradition is back this year and there is still time to purchase luminaries that will light up the nights of this holiday season while supporting the Hatch Elementary School’s PTO’s Angel Funds.
What began as a neighborhood block activity to spread holiday cheer amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic soon spread into other neighborhoods, creating the “Light Up the Night” event that many Oak Parkers look forward to each year.
“It was huge in 2020, it really took off, we had over 200 blocks, it was phenomenal,” said Erin Flanagan-Kopenec, the event organizer. “It brought this warm sense of community and was really meaningful because we were all locked up in our homes.”
Since then, the event has continued to grow, now including Hatch Elementary as one of the participants.
After joining the Hatch PTO, Flanagan-Kopenec decided to bring the event to Hatch Elementary.
“We had wanted to incorporate that somehow into the school and how to light up the block around the school to include it,” Flanagan-Kopenec said, adding that the PTO president at the time suggested to name the event “Unite the Light,” having the name reflect that they were joining in with the original event.
Participants are able to sponsor a luminary for $10, which the PTO will put together and include a message or dedication on the back. The luminaries will be lit Dec. 16 along North Harvey Avenue, around the school.
The funds collected will be donated to the PTO’s Angel Funds, which helps provide students with financial access to school field trips, school fees, supplies, and help meet other needs.
“It’s really important to our community and our school,” Flanagan-Kopenec said. “They help kids who are disadvantaged and who might need extra things, like maybe they don’t have a winter coat, and our counselors help with those needs. It also helps provide scholarships for the after-school enrichment program. It is a really important fundraiser for us to do for them.”
Aside from benefiting a great cause, the event also creates an opportunity for the Hatch community to write sweet messages and do call-outs to teachers.
Flanagan-Kopenec herself is sponsoring five luminaries to celebrate the memory of her parents, her father-in-law, and call-out the amazing teachers at the school.
“The whole thing means a lot to me and through the years it has brought so much comfort and a sense of community,” Flanagan-Kopenec said. “I love seeing the families walking up and down the block and reading the bags. It’s usually a quiet night and it is beautiful and it warms my heart.”
Building up that sense of community is important, Flanagan-Kopenec said, especially after the pandemic.
“We are trying to bring back the community and build up these things,” she said. “This does so much to get people out and happy and for them to just walk down the block and meet each other. Also, it is a really important fundraiser at our school to help the kids who need a little extra.”
Luminary can be purchased through Dec. 8 via the Hatch PTO Facebook page. They will be lit around the elementary school on Dec. 16.