When Erika Smith moved to the Historic Third Ward a couple of years ago, seeing the Hoan Bridge lights dance outside her window was an immediate source of inspiration.
Since its 1977 opening, the Daniel W. Hoan Memorial Bridge has been a notable piece of the Milwaukee skyline. In October 2020, thousands of LED lights were added to the west side of the bridge, creating the colorful light displays that Smith and other onlookers see nightly over the Kinnickinnic River.
Light the Hoan is a collective of Milwaukee leaders who led the Hoan Bridge lighting project. Seeking a more fulfilling way to impact her community, Smith joined the organization two years ago as its first executive director.
The historic Hoan’s twinkling additions serve a greater purpose beyond entertainment, Smith said. Since the initial lighting, she and others at Light the Hoan have worked to use the bridge to bring the city together, raise awareness and provide unique experiences.
Light the Hoan’s Miller Lite “Shine a Light” program is just one example of how the organization is creating awareness and fostering connection in the community.
“We offer 12 nonprofits the opportunity to have their night on the Hoan Bridge through sponsorship with Miller Lite, and then we share their story,” Smith said.
Stephanie Sherman is the associate director of Near West Side Partners, one of the nonprofit organizations currently featured as part of “Shine a Light.” She said the collaboration with Light the Hoan has brought visibility of Milwaukee’s Near West Side to a larger audience, spotlighting the neighborhood’s art, parks and businesses, as well as the work being done by NWSP.
Additionally, Light the Hoan allows enthusiasts to purchase their own spot on the bridge by dedicating a bulb for as little as $25. Smith said it is an opportunity for donors to feel they have someone special shining over Milwaukee every night.
“All bulb dedications go back to those nonprofits, and it’s a way for us to use our platform to elevate other nonprofit communities and other initiatives going on,” Smith said.
The donated money also allows the Hoan Bridge to continue to shine. Smith said while many people think the lighting project is city-funded, it is completely scholarship and donation-based.
Michael Hostad, board president of Light the Hoan, is grateful for fundraising opportunities such as bulb dedications that allow individuals to contribute to the bridge’s development in a way that is financially viable for them. He said it is important for everyone to be able to help without feeling pressured to donate a large sum of money.
“We had a kindergarten class that each brought $1 from home so they could buy a light,” Hostad said. “How cool is that?”
Light the Hoan focuses primarily on initiatives that benefit the entire Milwaukee community, like the “Shine a Light” program and bulb dedications, Smith said. She and the organization see the bridge as a symbol of how people can come together to create a change for their community.
“For us, it was a bridge,” Hostad said. “For you, it might be, ‘How do I reform education in Milwaukee? How do I reduce homelessness?’”
The Hoan Bridge light displays are always designed to make a difference in those who see them, Smith said, even when they are not the most joyful. She specifically recalled one night where the bridge was lit up for pancreatic cancer awareness that touched the hearts of viewers.
An example of another tragic, but impactful light display that directly connected with the Marquette community was seen this past summer. After former University President Michael Lovell passed away from a three-year battle with sarcoma, the bridge, along with other buildings in Milwaukee, was lit in yellow and gold June 11 and 12.
“Those lights can really hit home to a lot of people,” Smith said. “Whatever those initiatives are, it’s about creating awareness.”
Smith has several favorite memories from her time at Light the Hoan so far, including when she overheard an airport traveler mentioning how the lit-up bridge would be the main landmark he remembered from Milwaukee. Her favorite memory, however, took place on Rare Disease Day, when she encountered some onlookers by the river while testing the night’s colorful display.
“Seeing children light up and know that they’re not alone in what they’re going through, I think that’s really impactful,” Smith said. “It’s amazing what those lights can do.”
Olivia Swain, social media manager at Light the Hoan, gets to read touching stories about the bridge every day while monitoring online engagement. She said seeing individuals interact positively with Light the Hoan on social media is a gift for the organization.
“No matter if you’re five years old seeing the bridge for the first time, or you’re with your family seeing it for the 20th time, it’s still special,” Swain said.
All other initiatives aside, Smith and the Light the Hoan team are currently focused on illuminating the bridge’s east side, a project she said is in the home stretch. The goal is to have both sides shining for the Hoan’s fifth-year lighting anniversary next fall.
Money for the task has already been raised by the organization’s Intern Challenge, a competition where local companies pay to send interns who compete for their light display design to be featured on the bridge. Smith said the project is an opportunity to engage the community and highlight the significance of keeping the Hoan Bridge illuminated.
Hostad said he is proud that Light the Hoan has developed unique ways to raise money to complete the double-sided lighting and make the organization sustainable.
“I never would’ve thought that we would go from asking for money to put the lights on the bridge to sharing money with other organizations who are also doing great things in Milwaukee,” Hostad said. “There’s been such an embrace of the project across the community, especially in a time when people can’t seem to agree on any one damn thing.”
This story was written by Mia Thurow. She can be reached at [email protected].
