By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The City of Brighton has launched a crowdfunding campaign for expanding holiday lights throughout the community to help make the season a little bit brighter.

The Brighton Downtown Development Authority is calling out to the community to help with the holiday lights for upcoming season. The Holiday Lights 2020 campaign officially kicked off Thursday and is intended to assist in raising funds to cover the cost of installing the holiday lights. At a minimum, the DDA’s goal is to cover the Millpond area in holiday lights, the same as in years past. However, if enough money can be raised, the lights would be expanded to other areas of the City. On Thursday, the fundraising campaign was officially kicked off when the Brighton Optimist Club submitted the first donation.

DDA Secretary and Community Engagement Chair Lisa Nelson said “During this strange year, when physical distancing between people is important for health and safety, the holiday lights represent just the slightest return to normalcy”. She says they appreciate donations toward their community campaign at a time when spirits are in need of a lift.

Management/DDA Assistant Henry Outlaw echoed the sentiment that community is more important now than ever saying “the DDA is working to bridge the gap between our businesses and the community. In Brighton we’re all neighbors – businesses and residents alike. If we can all work together to make this holiday a little brighter, that’s good for everyone”.

For those who want to join in the community campaign to support the holiday lights tradition, there are five giving levels: $10, $50, $100, $250, and $500+. Each giving level has a corresponding Thank You reward, with the highest reward being the listing of someone’s name or organization’s name on the top level of a large thank you sign to be placed on Old Town Hall, on the City’s cable channel, and on the DDA’s Facebook page. All donations of $250 or more will receive a thank you letter from DDA Chair Tim Corrigan and Brighton Mayor Shawn Pipoly.

For more information or to donate, visit the provided web link. Anyone with questions or concerns can contact DDA@brightoncity.org or 810-844-5053.