LOWELL – In preparation for Lowell’s First Annual Points of Light Floating Lantern Celebration, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union employees recently gathered for their very own Paint Night, where each employee used their artistic talents to paint a paper lantern.

The lanterns, along with several hundred others painted by members of the entire community, were released onto the Western Canal as part of the Celebration, which was held at the Ecumenical Plaza on Saturday, April 22nd. The lantern release was the highlight of The Points of Light Celebration.

The Points of Light Celebration was held by Do-It-Yourself Lowell, an organization that hosts small events to bring people of the community together. For those that did not personalize their lantern before the event, a lantern painting station was made available for people of all ages to decorate lanterns to be released onto the canal. The event also included music and cultural food samplings.

Each personally decorated lantern symbolizes the diversity of Lowell, celebrates its people, and represents the many different cultures that make up the city. LED candles were placed into each lantern. As the sun set, they were released onto the canal and sailed away in one unified group.

For the thirty Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Paint Night participants, the fun-filled night of painting and preparing for the Celebration meant coming together with their co-workers, sharing stories and relaxing in a non-work environment, all while contributing their creativity to a new community event.

“It was fun. We had a lot of laughs,” said Donna Congo, Assistant Vice President of Mortgage Operations.

Some employees created fun designs and flowers on their lanterns, others paid tribute to their pets and favorite cartoon characters, while others painted special images to symbolize causes that are important to them.

“For me, it was a celebration of life, remembering all the people who fought for equality, as well as family and close friends who passed away from complications with AIDS or Cancer,” said Misael Garcia, Secondary Market Administrator. He painted his lantern with colorful stripes and painted the word “Peace” across it.

About Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union:

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union was established in 1912 and is a full-service, member-owned community-based financial cooperative with more than 78,000 members and $1.2 billion in assets. It operates eight full-service branches in Lowell, Dracut (2), Tyngsboro, Chelmsford, Methuen and Westford, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire; high-school branches at Lowell High and Dracut High schools; a loan center in Lowell and two mortgage centers in Chelmsford and North Reading.