Luminaria bags lined the Long Beach boardwalk on Wednesday evening to honor loved ones lost and provide hope to those grieving.

The Light Up the Night event is part of Long Island’s first ever Luminaria fundraiser.

The nonprofit Empower organizes events like these to help children and young adults who have lost loved ones.

The organization also works to pair them with mentors to help them through the grieving process.

"One of the things that we want children and young adults to know is that they're not alone. There are other people that have gone through this and can help them anticipate some of what's to come as well as manage what's happening in the moment,” said Long Island Luminaria Light the Night chairperson Stacey Conklin.

Organizers say they hope more people will volunteer to bring the event back to Long Island next year.

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