Thousands of luminaries have been lit on the last Sunday in September for over a decade. In 2007, the founder and staff at Marine Parents understood that although there has been a presidential proclamation since 1936 to honor Gold Star Mothers, there was no nationwide call for action to show support and remembrance of the sons and daughters of Gold Star Mothers. It was decided that we would ask folks to light luminaries in one of our newsletters that went out to 50,000 Marine Parents and family members. The response and feedback was tremendous.
Since 2007, the Luminary Initiative has taken hold with individuals, groups and organizations lighting luminaries to honor Gold Star Family members around the United States; whether a few luminaries on a front lawn or hundreds in a community event, the impact is the same: the country shares your loss on this day and we want to keep their memories alive.
