By Linda Kemp
Approximately one month ago Byron Saum, Pam Bellum, and I from the Noon Rotary Club of Aurora met with deputy mayor, Chuck Nelson and director of communications, Clayton Muhammad, from the city government of Aurora to discuss possible ways to assist Rotary with some of the challenges we were facing in getting this year’s Festival of Lights at Phillips Park off the ground for our holiday display.
For the past 12 years the Noon Rotary Club of Aurora has worked countless hours preparing for and assembling the displays that light up Phillips Park; commencing one day after Thanksgiving Day and run through the Christmas season. It is a holiday fixture in Aurora and for the surrounding communities. Over the course of those 12 years the money which has been collected through sponsorships and donations has gone back out to the local 501C3s and other neighborhood charities. There is no admission charge to drive through the displays and everyone is free to donate whatever possible.
We rely on the city of Aurora officials, neighboring Rotary clubs, schools, colleges, churches, synagogues, friends, family, and organizations to help collect the coins and bills that fill our buckets as well as our hearts. It is truly a labor of love and many new friendships are formed each year within the groups participating alongside Rotarians. Despite the weather conditions there is always food, hot coffee, and hot chocolate to keep us warm and in the holiday spirit.
This year we were facing many challenges. A few key Rotarians who were the founding members of the Festival of Lights retired/and or moved. Some of our key volunteers had moved away. We visited many options, but each time we thought a resolution was in sight something happened to interfere with that direction. We had the choice of opting out of erecting the Festival of Lights display this year and regrouping to prepare us for the 2020 season, or forging ahead into the unknown for the 2019 season. Our club has tenacity. We moved forward into the unknown.
While meeting with the City officials, Clayton Muhammad suggested that one of the ways in which mayor Richard Irvin wanted to help was by doing a media briefing and calling out to the community for volunteers to assist in our Saturday workdays, which at this time were already one month behind schedule. It’s difficult for the public to understand the amount of manpower and hours it takes just to prepare the displays prior to setting up at Phillips Park. The briefing was arranged, and our Rotary members showed up for the interview as mayor Irvin put the call out to the community for support. One-hundred volunteers were needed, 20 for five consecutive Saturdays to help move and test the lights, repair faulty wiring, and check for defects. What happened next was nothing less than a miracle.
Within two days Clayton Muhammad informed us that there were more than 80 volunteers signed up to help with the Festival of Lights Saturday workdays! Talk about a blessing!
We had our first scheduled workday Saturday, Aug. 24 at Phillips Park from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Starbucks in Oswego provided three cartons of coffee, I supplied donuts, Mary and Pat Dougherty supplied water and Steve French with Jimmy John’s in Aurora supplied sandwiches for lunch! The community had come together to help.
The volunteers who showed up were not ordinary. Their talents and energy far surpassed anything we could have imagined. Georgette from Ecolab wants to build a relationship with Rotary to increase community involvement. Emily, all of 14 years old, had just gone through the Junior Police Academy training within Aurora and apparently has been active in other areas of service as well! Ravi was a Rotaractor (Rotary’s community service organization for young people) when he lived in southern India and is looking to find his place in a Rotary club as a young working adult.
It didn’t end there!
The camaraderie and synergy between the volunteers were truly remarkable. When Clayton Muhammad showed up to check on our progress and to snap pictures, he walked around in amazement at the efficiency which was taking place. Things were rolling like a well-oiled machine! In just one Saturday we accomplished what normally took us three Saturday’s work. There was laughter and exuberance, as well. Individuals of all ages, ethnicities, and occupations were coming together and working side by side.
Our hearts are filled with the outpouring of love we felt that Saturday. No one prepared us for the day’s events, and we are forever changed. We now know the big “why” we work so hard to make this event happen. It’s all about community and the words “Aurora Strong” are forever playing in our heads.
Linda Kemp is the president of the Noon Rotary Club of Aurora.