Unite to Light the Night Changes 10,000 Lives

​At Unite to Light, we believe access to clean, affordable light and energy is critical to improving health, education, and prosperity. To help bring light to the over one billion living without access to electricity, we hosted a 3-day art exhibition and fundraiser. The event, aptly named “Unite to Light the Night” (UTLTN), took place at the Community Arts Workshop in downtown Santa Barbara. Our efforts were successful! We raised over $100,000 — enough money to send 10,000 solar lights to students, midwives, victims of natural disasters and our neighbors experiencing homelessness.

​Unite to Light the Night merged art, culture, and social impact into immersive experiences over the course of three evenings. The basis of the fundraiser was an art exhibition around the theme of light. By offering a diverse program of events that included a formal gala dinner, a multi-sensory dance party, and a free community showcase, people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds were granted the opportunity to participate in at least one of the evenings.
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Unite to Light the Night featured the work of 33 local visual artists whose works evoked the power of light in a unique way. The group of featured artists represented both established and emerging artists from diverse backgrounds and with distinct artistic practices. Artists who sold their pieces from the event, donated 30% of their art sales to our Unite To Light’s mission.

Local band, Isla View, provided live music for guests with a special performance at the kickoff “Glow Gala”, where 75 guests enjoyed a plated dinner from Lorraine Lim, witnessed an impactful presentation from the Unite To Light team, made charitable donations, and got a first look at 40 pieces of art, all celebrating the power of light.

The festivities continued at the “Bright Bash” where flow artists and an interactive light show moved to music by DJ MacIntyre and SkyPounce.

The fundraiser concluded with a free “Community Showcase” that invited the community to meet the artists and enjoy fun activities for kids and adults with interactive projection art, sculptures, paintings and photography.

Over the course of these three evenings, more than 425 members of our community turned their attention to the need for clean, affordable light and power across the world, uniting our community in the importance of light as a basic necessity and as a creative medium. Check out our event video for a live-action recap.
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Our life-changing work is powered by the generosity of people in our community and beyond, including Oniracom, whose powerful event summary inspired this blog! Supporting Unite to Light changes lives and lights the world. Get involved today.

​Want to support future events? Donate now or check out the webpage for future opportunities.