Luminaria fundraiser lights the night Nov. 11

DURHAM -- Empty paper bags are an unusual thing to sell as a fundraiser, but that's just what two UOIT students will be doing the first week of November.

They may not look like much now, but come Nov. 11 the bags will become luminarias -- makeshift lanterns created when a tealight candle is placed inside a paper bag.

Organizer Jennifer Foden said she has seen luminarias used by charities like Relay for Life, and was inspired to hold her own fundraiser featuring the simple lights.

"It's really beautiful when the whole bag glows," said the fourth-year UOIT criminology student.

Ms. Foden, vice-president of the campus Rotaract club, and her friend Mallory Ryan, captain of the UOIT Dance Company, decided to hold a luminaria event to raise money for Team Brother Bear, a charity that supports children with brain tumours and their families.

The pair plans to start selling paper bags Nov. 5, and a luminaria ceremony is planned for Nov. 11.

People who buy a bag will be able to write on the outside before the ceremony, which will see all the luminarias lit around the reflective pond in Polonksy Commons.

"People can write an inspirational quote or a message to a loved one or a message of remembrance," Ms. Foden said. "Then they will have the opportunity to see their bag lit up as part of a beautiful lighting display."

The event, dubbed "Luminaria Inspire, Hope, Remember," will feature performances by singers, musicians, speakers and dancers, as well as Remembrance Day observances.

In addition to their use in charity fundraisers, luminarias are popular holiday decorations in states such as New Mexico and Texas, where rows of them are traditionally lit on Christmas Eve to guide people to midnight mass.

Paper bags will be on sale Nov. 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 on campus in Vendors Alley at Durham College and the UA Atrium at UOIT. They can also be purchased by e-mailing rotaract.dctrentuoit@hotmail.com. The bags are $2 each or three for $5 and come with a ticket good for hot chocolate and a treat at the Nov. 11 event, which runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

For more information on Team Brother Bear, visit www.teambrotherbearcanada.blogspot.com.