Light Up Westfield For Mental Health: 'United by Light' Back For 2023

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield will again be "United by Light" for mental health awareness later this fall, as luminaries line driveways and sidewalks around the town.

The Westfield United Fund raised $20,000 last year to support mental health programs in the community, in the first year of this candle-lit display of hope. Luminary kits are on sale now, and will be through Nov. 6.

Kits are $20 each and include 10 candles, 10 paper bags, 10 cups, and sand (plus set-up instructions). Westfield residents can order candle kits at westfieldunitedfund.org/unitedbylight.

Candle kit distribution will take place on Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Memorial Pool Complex parking lot. Instructions for pick-up and candle display will be provided upon purchase.

At dusk on Sunday, November 26, the candle kits will be lit all over Westfield to show the community’s support for important local mental health services.

All funds raised from the sale of candle kits will go to mental health programs at WUF agencies, including Caring Contact (crisis hotline), Imagine (grief support), Jewish Family Service (non-denominational counseling for children and families), Youth & Family Counseling (outpatient mental health counseling) and YWCA Union County (support for teens impacted by domestic violence).

Mary Claire Givelber, Executive Director of Caring Contact, said the mental health crisis's impact on children is "particularly concerning" as she acknowledged how the issue transcends age and backgrounds.

“In recent years, we've witnessed an alarming rise in mental health challenges among young individuals," she said. "Factors such as academic pressure, social media, family dynamics, and the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have created a perfect storm. Children are experiencing elevated levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness, often without the necessary support systems in place.”

The non-profit Westfield United Fund provides funding to more than 20 local human care agencies and programs and has distributed more than $30 million to the community though its partner agencies over the past 80 years.