Volunteers of all ages gathered on Sunday, April 7, to lend a personal, creative touch to some special invitations to this June’s Lighthouse Festival, sponsored by Ben’s Lighthouse Fund. More than 50 people, ranging from preschool students to retirees, gathered in the Trinity Episcopal Church undercroft, broke out their colored pencils and tried to stay between the lines while decorating the cards that contain a packet of Forget-Me-Not flower seeds.

The cards and seed packets are now available in the office of Trinity Church, 36 Main Street (use the building’s back entrance and proceed up the stairs or use the elevator to reach the second floor, being mindful, organizers ask, of Trinity Day School students and their parents, who may be in the parking area and building). Packets are also available at HealingNewtown Arts Space, 5 Queen Street.

The group is hoping that people across Newtown will plant these beautiful flowers to celebrate the lives of those lost on 12/14.

Ben’s Lighthouse Fund honors Benjamin Wheeler, one of the children killed on 12/14, and his Sandy Hook schoolmates by working to uplift the children and youth of Newtown throughout the years ahead. According to the fund’s website, “Ben’s Lighthouse Fund is a restricted fund of Trinity Church, a member of the Episcopal Diocese of CT, a 501(c)(3) organization. Programs provided for by this fund will be open to all children and families of Newtown and surrounding towns. No church affiliation is required.”

“Ben loved lighthouses,” said committee member Rick Haylon, “and that has become a perfect metaphor for what we’re aiming to accomplish. We will offer programs, events, and activities that shine a beacon of light on the community while guiding children in a safe, caring, nonviolent environment.”

Trinity Church will host a Lighthouse Festival from 10 am until 4 pm on Saturday, June 15. The special event will be filled with interactive exhibits, artwork from local students, a touch-tank from The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, music, theater, crafts, and other activities including lighthouse model building.

There will also be a custom built, 20-foot lighthouse on display.

Admission is free and open to all. Additional details will be announced closer to the date of the event.