Southern Village Luminaries Raise Money and Hope

COMMUNITY

By Michelle Cassell
Assignment Editor/Correspondent

Thanks to the volunteer efforts led by Tess Wesley, every street in the Southern Village neighborhood was lined with luminaries on Dec. 17, totaling 6,000—a beautiful site for the holidays, yes, but an accomplished fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill.

Last year, Southern Village raised over $11,000. As of the evening of Dec. 20, the neighborhood had already raised $9,700.

Tess Wesley of Southern Village is seen here preparing to greet the volunteers who helped assemble, set out, light and clean up 6,000 luminaries in the neighborhood to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill. The candles were illuminated in sand-filled paper bags until the flames naturally burned out. Photo by Michelle Cassell.

Donations can still be made online until Jan. 10 at www.rmhch.org/luminaries22. Donors can support Southern Village’s efforts by selecting that neighborhood, or choose their own neighborhoods, via the list of button links provided.

Michelle Cassell is a seasoned reporter who has covered everything from crime to hurricanes and local politics to human interest over the course of 35 years. As assignment editor, she hopes to encourage writers of a wide range of backgrounds and interests in TLR’s coverage of Southern Orange County news.