Spirit of Springfield president joins Lesser for Lunchtime Livestream

Date: 10/7/2021

SPRINGFIELD – Founder and President of Spirit of Springfield Judy Matt was the latest guest on state Sen. Eric Lesser’s Lunchtime Livestream interview series on Sept 24.

Matt, who has overseen the creation of singular city events like Bright Nights and the Pancake Breakfast, started the discussion by explaining the origins Spirt of Springfield. She said the 31-year-old nonprofit organization started as an offshoot of the mayor’s community affairs office. Comprised entirely of local citizens, Matt explained that the Spirit of Springfield formed a mission statement to bring people together in positive ways. “Our community is not a wealthy community, not everybody has an opportunity to go away…so we try to give them reasons to come together and celebrate,” said Matt.

She shared how Spirit of Springfield works to formulate major events, relying solely upon grants, community donations and fund raising to create their storied traditions. Lesser then asked Matt about her yearly calendar. Along with events like the Pancake Breakfast, the Springfield September 11th Remembrance Ceremony and Star-Spangled Fireworks that occurred this year, she shared that the Spirit of Springfield is finalizing plans for their City of Bright Nights Ball and Bright Nights 5K Road Race in November.

Out of all the events, Matt expressed the most pride in the formation of the 9/11 Memorial at River Front Park. She articulated the process behind the memorial’s creation, working for years to obtain an artifact from the World Trade Center and raise $350,000 to construct the monument. “It’s something near and dear to my heart...it’s as beautiful as any other 9/11 Memorial in the country,” said Matt.

Lesser shifted the conversation toward the challenges stemming from COVID-19. Matt revealed that the pandemic forced her to furlough herself and her three other employees for half a year. During that time, she said she still came into the office every day to raise sponsorship money for 2020’s Bright Nights. “If we couldn’t do Bright Nights, my entire operation collapses…I didn’t want anything to happen to this organization” said Matt, who revealed that the annual holiday event draws around $11.7 million annually for the Spirit of Springfield.

Bright Nights then became a focal point of conversation, with Lesser asking about the event’s origin in Springfield. Matt shared that Springfield Parks Director Patrick Sullivan initially proposed the idea after receiving a flyer about lighting events going on in the south. “Both of us got into this without realizing what we got ourselves into. It turned out to be one of the best things we’ve ever done,” said Matt.

She shared that her team worked diligently to develop sketches for the light-up creations, going directly to the light manufacturer to craft Springfield-specific creations. After receiving approval from Audrey Geisel and the Bradley estate, Spirit of Springfield was able to integrate Dr. Seuss and Milton Bradley designs into the festivities. Since opening the event, Bright Nights has hosted six million visitors and was named one of the top ten holiday happenings in the country by People Magazine, according to Matt. Last year marked a new milestone for the event, as she shared that Bright Night’s had their second largest turnout.

Matt concluded the interview by revealing what has driven her toward communal pursuits over the years. “Since I’ve been a kid, I’ve always been the last one home from school because I stayed to do activities. I get such gratification…I really do believe [these events] bring the community together,” said Matt.

Readers can learn more or donate to The Spirit of Springfield at http://www.spiritofspringfield.org/. Readers can also watch the full Lunchtime Livestream at Lesser’s Facebook page.