A colored light is rarely just decor
When Tom drives through town, he is always looking at light bulbs, the good ones and the bad ones. And when he sees a colored bulb glowing in a window, he slows down, because he knows it usually means something. A family is honoring someone. A neighborhood is standing with a cause. There is power in light, and in what people choose to shine.
Colors tell stories. A single bulb can say we remember, we support, you are not alone. When a family or organization asks GoodBulb to help them light up for a cause, the answer is always yes. Over the years we have sent blue bulbs to honor fallen officers, green to stand with veterans, red for a grieving family, and purple for Alzheimer's and epilepsy awareness. On those cause bulbs, 50% of the proceeds go straight to the organization or family they were bought for.
What the colors mean
Color associations shift by cause and context, but these are the ones people ask for most:
- Blue — police remembrance, and Autism awareness
- Green — veterans and active military, Lyme disease, and environmental causes
- Purple — domestic violence awareness, Alzheimer's, and epilepsy
- Red — American Heart Month, and holiday spirit
- Pink — breast cancer support
- Yellow — suicide awareness and several cancers
- Orange — hunger and leukemia awareness
The campaigns behind the colors
Project Blue Light honors fallen police officers. Display a blue light outside your home or in a window, often during National Police Week in May, or all year long.
Light It Up Blue supports Autism awareness. Since 2010, on and around World Autism Awareness Day (April 2), homes, schools, and landmarks turn blue for the month of April.
Purple Light Nights began in Washington in 2007 for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October), remembering survivors and those who were lost.
Light Up Green marks Lyme Disease Awareness Month (May), started by a patient who asked her neighbors to swap their porch lights green.
Go Red for Women turns cities red each February for American Heart Month, at the invitation of the American Heart Association.
More than a ribbon
You can do more than wear a pin or tie a ribbon. A colored bulb in your porch light catches the eye of every neighbor and every car that passes, and starts the conversation for you. Pick your color, light it up, and give back at the same time.
Have a cause and a color that is not on our list? Tell us about it, and we will learn it and add it, so others can too.