Just before dusk this past Friday, the Lexington High School (LHS) Pop and Rock band made an appearance in front of the VO250 arch in Lexington Center, pumping up a slowly growing crowd. Their lively performance was followed by a more traditional one by members of the William Diamond Fife and Drum Corps, playing timeless tunes like “Yankee Doodle” and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.” An elderly couple with a toddler in a bright pink stroller peered across the street to get a better view of the Lexingtonians clustered around the musicians, who were clad in tricorne hats and traditional threadbare Minuteman uniforms. Their interest piqued, they crossed the street and were engulfed by the crowd.
The performances were an opener for a bulb-lighting ceremony taking place underneath the Lexington VO250 arch. The arch honors the revolutionary fervor that characterized Lexington in 1775 by recognizing the community service hours logged by Lexington’s volunteers—individuals and organizations alike. On the inside curve of the arch, hours are marked in intervals of 20,000, with small light bulbs embedded below each number. The bulbs illuminate when the corresponding goal is reached.
The main part of the ceremony commenced with a speech from Sara Bothwell Allen, one of the co-chairs of the VO250 initiative. Allen outlined the mission of the program, noting that “each pair of bulbs represents 20,000 hours of volunteer service with our community.” At the top of the arch is a bulb marked ‘250,000,’ which is VO250’s goal for hours of service by April 2026.
Allen acknowledged that collectively volunteering for 250,000 hours is “a really ambitious goal, [but] we feel confident that there is that much volunteering going on in town.” VO250 is well on its way, as Lexingtonians have already completed 92,000 hours in the 5 1/2 months VO250 has existed, commemorated on Friday night by the illumination of four bulbs on each side of the arch. These bulbs will remain lit every night until the next bulb-lighting ceremony, at which point even more bulbs will be lit.
More than 200 residents logged their hours, including 165 who had completed more than 10 hours, which is the goal. Forty-nine people logged more than 100 hours and were verbally recognized at the ceremony. Seventeen Lexington organizations that collectively completed over 1,000 hours were also recognized, including the Lexington Field and Garden Club, Friends of Cary Library, the Lexington History Museums, Scouting America, LPS Green Teams, and LexSeeHer. Leaders and representatives of each organization spoke briefly about their group’s work.
When asked what community service in Lexington means to her, Representative Michele Ciccolo—who lit all four sets of bulbs on Friday—told LexObserver that “for me, it’s incredibly inspiring. This is a very, very special community, and it’s a privilege for me to be the representative here, because the people in our community care so deeply and give so much of themselves. So coming and celebrating all of our volunteers is what makes our town tick, and it’s awesome.”
Anyone who is even remotely affiliated with the town of Lexington can participate in VO250. All one must do is volunteer at a local organization and log their hours. For more information, go to https://lex250.org/vo250/.