Neighbors light up for local charities
Posted: Dec 19, 2011 10:12 PM EDT | Updated: Nov 6, 2014 2:48 PM EDT
MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Winding Brook Park neighborhood has a holiday light show that’s been giving back to the community for over 40 years.
Joan Berta has lived in her home near the neighborhood entrance off Day Road for about fifteen years. She said she wasn’t aware of the lighting tradition at first when she moved in.
“It was a big surprise,” said Berta, but she said she learned quickly after the first year that it was a must to light up her yard.
Neighbors like Berta decorate their homes with lights for their “Gift to the Community”.
The community is invited to drive through the neighborhood to check out the lights and at the end of the drive donations are collected for local charities.
The eight local charities are Alcohol and Addictions Resource Center, Center for the Homeless, Children's Dispensary, Community Coordinated Child Care (also known as 4 C's), Hannah's House, Home Resource Management, IN*SOURCE and Tri Kappa Epsilon Lambda Chapter. The charities divide and share all the donations equally.
Berta who is 78 years-old said she still hangs all her lights herself and even climbs up on her roof to hang them from the gutter.
"I put them all around the bushes and up on the roof and everywhere that I can and out in front because I like to have some lights for the people who are collecting the money,” said Berta.
On Christmas Eve the neighborhood adds even more lights. Neighbors line their driveways with candle luminaries.
You can catch the light display every night until Dec. 26. The entrance is off Day Road just east of Main Street. There are many signs for drivers to follow and at the end the kids in the car get to leave with candy canes.