Letter of Thanks: 2014 Candlelight Vigil

I can’t begin to adequately express the depth of my appreciation for the number of individuals who volunteered their time and musical talents to insure that this event was of the utmost pristine quality.

To me, the candlelight vigil is a testament to just how caring and passionate people of Grant County are.

In preparing for this year’s vigil, Steve Newcomer and I decided to take a different direction and focus on the importance of making domestic violence personal to so many who have never been touched directly by domestic violence.

Our efforts were rewarded with the passionate and well spoken words from Grant County Prosecutor Jim Luttrull Jr. who was clear that neither his judgment nor objectivity has been compromised,  but he has taken the crime personal.

Beyond at times, Jim’s heart wrenching testimony, I give all the credit for the musical arrangements and overall coordination of the evening to Steve Newcomer who outdid himself again this year.

I also give great thanks and a shout out to each of the musicians who played or sang with Steve – Peter Rhetts, Tim George, Dave Newcomer, Jarod Powell, Claire Allison, Lori Moore, Amanda Lehman,  Kelly Cheney and Larry Richardson,  under the direction of Noel Lehman.

Then, I also greatly appreciated the wonderful words from Rev. William Lahrman who opened the evening for us.

A special thanks also to Sandy Mindach who ran the power point, Matt Mindach who ran the sound  and St. James Lutheran Church for hosting the event.

And, finally a word of thanks to the local media  and everyone who posted on social media about the vigil to encourage attendance at the event. Again, it was a wonderful evening that could not have been as seamless without so much support from the community.

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