CARIBOU, Maine — The people of Caribou are not afraid to show their support of veterans, and many proudly participated in “Greenlight A Vet” up until Veterans Day.
Greenlight a Vet is a national campaign which encourages people to change one light in their home (that is visible from outside) to green in support of America’s veterans. Participants are then encouraged to photograph the light and upload it to social media with the hashtag “#greenlightavet.”
The campaign’s official statement about choosing the color green is that “green is the color of hope, renewal, and well-being. Greenlight is also a term commonly used to activate forward movement. The simple action of changing one light to green is intended to spark a national conversation regarding the recognition of veterans, and ‘greenlight’ them forward as valued members of our communities.”
Caribou officials announced that they were giving away 100 light bulbs at the recreation center and, within two days, all the green bulbs were taken.
“The city of Caribou made an event on Facebook,” said Caribou Marketing and Event Coordinator Lydia Kieffer, “if you lit up your porch lights with green bulbs and submitted a photo, you were entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Hannaford’s.”
For this contest, Caribou resident Ashley Disy won the grocery store gift certificate.
According to Kieffer, the city of Caribou plans on making “Greenlight a Vet” an annual event.
