Student Feature Friday - Light for Loved Ones

Seniors Samantha Taddei and Ashley Sewell

On December 5 Nipmuc seniors Samantha Taddei and Ashley Sewell succeeded not only in raising funds to fight cancer, but also in lifting the hearts and spirits of our community. Samantha and Ashley organized the "Light for Loved Ones" event in which community members purchased floating lanterns to honor the memory of loved ones who were lost to cancer. In designing the event, the girls were inspired to create an opportunity for people to gain support from each other, reminisce about those who were lost, and take steps to fight cancer. Through their efforts they raised a total of $2,322 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and provided a chance for our community to join together in support of our loved ones. In this week's Feature Friday post, I had the chance to hear from Ashley and Samantha about their work on this impactful project.

Ashley Sewell 
Q. How did you get the idea for your DECA project?
A. We got this idea sitting on the beach one day over the summer. We thought of so many ideas that day. We had one general idea that we wanted to give to the Dana Farber institute. We knew this because we both lost our grandmothers to lung cancer and they both went there. After endless conversations we thought about the lanterns we saw over the summer and it hit us. Why don't we light them off in honor of a loved one?


Q. What impact did the event have on those who attended and the community?
A. It had a great impact. Everyone was so supportive and happy about the event. I personally talked to as many people as I could and they were all so happy about the entire thing. They felt it was a great idea and were so happy we put it on.

Q. What impact did the event have on you?
A. The event to me was so successful. I had recently lost my grandmother whom I lived with my entire life. It was hard on my family and this event helped me feel better. The event also showed me a possible major. I always wanted to go into journalism but I'm leaning towards event management because it was such an amazing experience. I enjoyed the entire thing. Being able to give back to a community and learning in general was great.

Samantha Taddei

Q. What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in organizing the event?
A. I'd say one of the greatest challenges in planning our event was not knowing what to expect. Ashley and I had no prior experience in planning an event this large and this sentimental on our own. However, Mr. Perras was very helpful in assisting us with whatever we needed. We also reached out to my cousin who is the executive event coordinator for UMass Lowell, and she gave us great advice. Another challenge was getting the event perfect. We were both in love with the idea we had come up with and wanted to make the event as perfect as possible, especially because it was such a sensitive subject. Trying to make the event as perfect as possible, we gave it 110% of our effort, sometimes this stress was hard to overcome.

Q. What impact did the event have on those who attended and the community?
A. On the night of the ceremony, Ashley and I gave speeches before we gave the cue for everyone to light off their lanterns. During my speech, the crowd was completely silent. I could tell that what I was saying moved them even though I couldn't see their faces. As soon as everyone began to light off their lanterns, they would watch them rise up to the sky. Families were hugging each other, some were crying, and some just watched in awe. The night was truly amazing and I could tell we made an impact.


Q. What impact did the event have on you?
A. Leading up to the event I was anxious about giving my speech in front of 50 people. Talking about how my grandmother’s death had affected me has always been a hard thing to do, especially in front of a crowd. After giving my speech, I felt proud. I knew that what I said touched the crowd before me. As I walked around the beach assisting families with their lanterns, I could tell how moved they were by the night my best friend and I had created. This truly inspired me. I loved how two high school students could make such an impact on their community. I learned that you can accomplish almost anything if you put your mind to it. This night impacted me and I hope Ashley and I can hold future events to help raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

You can get more information about the event by checking their Facebook page here.