Gold Porch Lights Have A Touching Purpose: Here's What They Mean

Beautifully decorated and lit porches are a common sight during the holiday season, from Halloween-themed strobes flashing through fog machines in October to strings of Christmas lights to brighten your holiday home in December. However, numerous colors represent solidarity with those having to fight particular illnesses. If you see golden porch lights during your evening stroll — especially during the month of September — this means the owner is probably advocating for childhood cancer awareness.

You're likely aware of the color pink representing breast cancer awareness given how common this association is, but the idea holds true for a spate of cancers: bone cancer is yellow, liver cancer is green, and testicular cancer is purple, for example. Gold started to represent childhood cancer in 1997 when Gigi Thorsen, president of her local American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) branch (then Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation), wanted to help raise awareness as effectively as advocates against AIDS and breast cancer. If your neighbors choose gold outdoor lighting, this is in line with the vision of those whom Thorsen discussed the idea with. According to the ACCO, this reason for this is simple. They state, "Gold is a precious metal, and is therefore the perfect color to reflect the most precious thing in our lives — our children."

The National Cancer Institute says childhood cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death past infancy. Many people are not aware of how common these scary diseases actually are in children. Former President George H.W. Bush advocated for a month of awareness through a presidential proclamation in 1990, since the Bush family having lost loved ones due to leukemia, but Congress officially recognized September as "National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month" in 2019. During the interim and in the years since, numerous organizations have pushed the use of gold decor in every aspect of life.

In the month of September, major awareness campaigns include the Coalition Against Childhood Cancer's "Gold Awareness Project," the American Cancer Society's "Gold Together," and the ACCO's "Go Gold." This serves as a great resource for anyone looking to move beyond merely raising awareness through gold porch lights or other gold-painted metallic goods. Still, any little bit helps regardless of your means, so maybe consider lighting up your life with a little bit of gold next September.