The City of Cortez is going green this month to help support veterans.
The city’s Greenlight a Vet initiative, which takes place every November, shows support to the veterans who call Cortez home.
“Let us honor our veterans for an entire month rather than Veterans Day alone by changing one light to green in a visible location – on your porch, your home or at your office and keep it glowing every day during the month of November as a symbol of appreciation and support for our veterans,” the proclamation read.
The initiative was formally signed by Cortez mayor Rachel Medina on Oct. 24, and Lanette Candelaria is promoting it.
Many city buildings are getting in on the action, along with residential homes.
Both Medina and Candelaria said that Slaven’s and other area businesses often stock up on green light bulbs for November.
Some of the city buildings that change their lights to green for the month include City Hall, the Cortez Recreation Center, the Cortez Library and the city’s industrial park, according to Candelaria.
The color green is used because it symbolizes “hope, renewal and well-being,” and “green light” is a military term that is used “to activate forward movement,” Candelaria said.
“America's veterans are some of our nation's bravest, hardest-working men and women. However, it is hard to show them the appreciation they deserve when, back home and out of uniform, they are more camouflaged than ever,” a flier about the initiative states. “Greenlight a Vet is a campaign to establish visible national support for our veterans by changing one light to green.”
Candelaria said the campaign is a chance to show veterans that their sacrifice is appreciated, even in an “anti-everything world.”
“I feel the Greenlight a Vet program is so important because unless you see someone in uniform or wearing a hat that states a person is a veteran, it’s like out of sight, out of mind,” Candelaria said.
