LITTLE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE … The streets of Fairlawn Village Independent Living are lined with luminaries. (PHOTO BY AMY WENDY, STAFF)
By: Amy Wendt
On the evening of Sunday, December 11, Fairlawn Retirement Community campus glowed with over 1,200 luminaries lining its streets like a quaint Christmas village.
Flickering for Fairlawn, a community-wide luminary event that started out as a way to engage the Archbold community in 2021 on the heels of COVID, was a success again in 2022.
Fairlawn surpassed its $15,000 fundraising goal for this year by netting over $16,000.
Beginning the first week of November, businesses and the community were invited to purchase one or more luminary kits to light up the night in honor of or in remembrance of a loved one.
Each $15 kit included enough supplies to make 10 luminaries that could be used to line a street or walkway.
Director of Community Relations, Lora Ripke shared “The residents love it” and it appeals to both the nursing home patients and independent living residents alike.
Ripke added that many under Fairlawn’s care do not have the mobility to go out and about to look at Christmas lights so it’s a nice way to bring holiday decorations to them.
Ripke continued, “We have a community that really supports us,” and nearly everyone in Archbold has had some sort of connection with Fairlawn either presently or in the past.
Archbold High School’s FCCLA group helped package up the luminary kits while other volunteers from Archbold and Pettisville schools helped set up and light the luminaries on the Fairlawn campus the night of the event.
Fairlawn Board members and staff pitched in to set up luminaries as well.
Presenting sponsors for this event were: Sauder Manufacturing, Farmers & Merchants State Bank, Zion Mennonite Church, Flex-Com Communications and Alixa.
Seventeen other local businesses also supported the event as corporate sponsors.
Amy can be reached at amy@thevillagereporter.com