source: http://www.myrecordjournal.com/news/cheshirecitizen/cheshirenews/9589665-154/cheshire-neighborhoods-to-illuminate-for-lights-of-hope-saturday.html#gallery-7

Cheshire neighborhoods to illuminate for Lights of Hope Saturday

November 11, 2016 07:29PM

By Ashley Kus The Plainville Citizen

CHESHIRE — Over 250 streets will be participating in the 12th annual Lights of Hope event on Saturday.

“It’s great, they’ve been very generous,” said Dr. William Petit, a former Cheshire resident and the sole survivor of a 2007 home invasion that left his wife and two children dead.

The Petit Family Foundation is one of the local organizations that Lights of Hope benefits. Proceeds also go to Cheshire Youth and Social Services and the Cheshire Food Pantry.

This will be the first year Petit will not be able to attend the event. He will be out of state but will have his sister Johanna Chapman represent the foundation.

Preparations for the town-wide fundraiser began Friday night with neighborhood captains distributing luminary kits to participants on their streets. This year the luminaries were assembled beforehand.

Jenifer Walsh, a Lights of Hope founder, said in previous years captains had to put them together.

“This year we’re having that stuff already done for them,” she said. “We appreciate so much all the people who are donating their time.”

Her daughter Cara has been involved with Lights of Hope since the beginning and was recently awarded a community service scholarship by the Petit Family Foundation.

Petit said the foundation was happy to recognize her commitment to Lights of Hope.

“She has a fabulous background of community service,” Petit said. “She was incredibly deserving.”

Over $20,000 in scholarships have been awarded by Lights for Hope. Last year, 206 streets participated in Lights of Hope.

The group has donated more than $700,000 since its founding.