Jodi Luminiello, a realtor with Coldwell Banker West, is hoping to put the power of social media to work for her clients and the town of Westfield.

Several weeks ago, Luminiello, who has worked in the downtown area for the past six years, created a Facebook page '365 Things to do in Westfield.'

The goal of the site, she explained, is to provide a platform for Westfield residents, organizations and businesses to interactively cross-promote one another and create a greater awareness for important events and activities.

Though the site is only several weeks old, the realtor said offering information about the area is something she's been doing for years.

"I'm a real estate agent and part of being a real estate agent is when I have buyers moving into the area I like to gather community information and give it to them," she said. "I also do area tours of where local restaurants are or the post office just to have them become familiar with the downtown area. People want to know as much as they can find out about the downtown and just how to access everything easily.

"I started it originally as a simple way to catalog great things to do in the town, great places to go, and then I realized that there could also be a benefit for the exisiting community and that's kind of when I started thinking about how could I really do something with this that would benefit the community and the downtown area."

Luminiello said she felt compelled to create the site to help shine a light on businesses in the face of the recent economic downturn. Each month, 365 Things will host a "Support Westfield" promotion featuring the chance to win a prize donated by a local merchant.

For the month of February, The Brick Oven has donated a $100 gift certificate. In exchange, the Quimby Street eatery will be prominently featured in 365 Things ads throughout the month.

"We've actually had great feedback already as more businesses have contacted us to sign on for the upcoming promotions. It's a really good thing to give some businesses visibility in the community. We're hoping that as other businesses see what we're doing that they'll sign on and it'll grow and grow and grow. Who doesn't like to win something? It's a win-win for everybody," Luminiello said.  

"We are quite pleased to work with 365 Things To Do In Westfield on this promotion,” said The Brick Oven owner, Aurelio Cardoso in a press release.

Cardoso is co-owner of The Brick Oven, along with the restaurant’s original founders, the Vasfailo Family, who opened the restaurant in 1993.

“We are very proud of our long history here in Westfield, our regular dining community and love the chance to participate in something that gives to others and thanks guests of The Brick Oven for their ongoing support of our restaurant,” Cardoso said.

Luminiello has been going door-to-door to introduce herself to local business owners and learn more about what they offer to the community.

"You might drive by and see a sign but not know what else is going on," she said. "For example, CoolVines, you might know that's a wine shop, but you wouldn't know that they also offer tastings. That's the kind of thing we want to bring out."

Going forward she hopes to post an activity calendar that would list upcoming events.

"Another thing we're going to incorporate is possibly doing some videos of people or customers talking about their experiences at the stores or restaurants," she said.

For Luminiello, starting the site has combined many of her passions.

"I love meeting people and helping people. I enjoy learning about the businesses and learning about things they offer and I love social media," she said.  

To enter this month’s promotion for the chance to win a $100 gift card to The Brick Oven, visit the site, “Like” it, and then submit an email address through the “Promotion” tab to enter the drawing.   

For businesses interested in participating in future “Support Westfield” promotions, please contact Luminiello at 365thingswestfield@gmail.com