Preparing for 2025 Gold Star Family Day
This Sunday, Sept. 28, the soft glow of tealights in white bags will line the perimeter of BridgingLife’s Dove House in Westminster in remembrance of armed services members killed in action, veterans and first responders.
In observance of Gold Star Family Day, BridgingLife’s We Honor Veterans program is partnering with MISSION BBQ, Bikers without Borders, McDaniel ROTC, VFW Post 467, John Stewart’s 84 patriotic Corvette, Maryland’s 9/11 Rolling Memorial and more to remember and honor Gold Star Families, veterans, first responders and their loved ones by lighting patriotic luminaries in their name.
Names of those lost will be featured on the hundreds of bags, with gold star stickers indicating those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. “A Gold Star is somebody who has been killed in combat, and so it’s an opportunity for us to gather around those families, to let those families know that their loved one is not forgotten and let those families know that we will walk beside you,” says Kathy Barna, BridgingLife’s volunteer manager and organizer of the annual event.
BridgingLife volunteers help to make this event a success, especially in the preparation and placement of the luminary bags.
Taylor Chaffin, 28, is one such volunteer. Although she has continued to face several health challenges in her life, Taylor was looking for a way to give back to the community. Jen Garner, director of community-based palliative care services at BridgingLife, connected Taylor with Kathy, who had a perfect task for her: placing gold stars on roughly 200 luminary bags of Carroll Countians who had died in combat — from the Civil War to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Taylor’s passion for arts and crafts was the ideal match, as was the family’s military connection. “My husband was military, and he was actually injured in Iraq,” says Christie Timmons, Taylor’s mother. “Their vehicle was hit with an IED, and he was sent home. He lost a lot of friends.”
The spirit of Taylor’s giving is not lost on Kathy. “We’re all about caring for the community,” she explains. “So here’s Jen, caring for [Taylor], and here’s [Taylor] saying ‘I want to give back to the community.’ It’s full circle.”
From left: Jen Garner, Taylor Chaffin and Kathy Barna
Jen echoes that sentiment. “Knowing what Taylor has gone through the last several years, for her to just be able to have something that will occupy her and lift her spirits up and for her to give, it’s just incredible,” she says. “She’s an amazing person.”
2025 Gold Star Family Day Luminary Event
Sunday, Sept. 28
Dove House, 292 Stoner Ave., Westminster
The personalization and placement of luminaries will start at 6 p.m., followed by a moment of silence and a brief ceremony beginning at 7 p.m.