TL;DR
The Lightbridge Foundation has surpassed $1 million in dollars raised, supporting working parents and children through various initiatives. The foundation was established in 2001 by Guy Falzarano, the founder of Lightbridge Academy.
This is a very exciting time for both the foundation and Lightbridge Academy. The company has been growing rapidly over the past year, and as we open more centers, we are able to raise more money for the Lightbridge Foundation. This allows us to expand our support of those in our Circle of Care.
Established in 2001 by the brand’s founder Guy Falzarano, the Lightbridge Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting working parents and children along life's journey. Its work is central to the core beliefs of all Lightbridge family members — meeting the needs of all parents and children is a natural extension of the Circle of Care philosophy, which inspires everything Lightbridge does as a company.
We’re so proud to have been able to surpass this $1 million mark right before Guy retired as it highlights his incredible dedication to giving back through the foundation. The Lightbridge Foundation enables us to support those children and families going through a difficult time in their life, whether it is a child suffering from an illness, a family devastated by a fire or a community recovering from a natural disaster.
When a Lightbridge Academy opens up in an area, it is our honor and privilege to give back to the community. We realize that the well-being of our educators, parents, children and even our vendors contribute to the strength of our communities, enriching our lives in countless ways. Instead of focusing on a single cause, our foundation provides a wide range of services to people in our Circle of Care.
We were primarily giving out scholarships and grants to students in the past, but now we’ve been able to expand our philanthropic efforts to larger causes as well. For example, in April of this year, the Lightbridge Foundation pledged $30,000 through the local efforts of its 63 centers to support the children and families of Ukraine. After the Uvalde shooting in Texas, the foundation donated $5,000 to an organization helping the victims’ families, and the centers also supported organizations on a local level.
The foundation also has a partnership with the Spread the Joy non-profit to bring Joy Boxes to hospitalized children. Looking ahead, our Executive Director Audrey Feci says the Lightbridge Foundation will continue to grow its college scholarship programs in new markets while expanding its partnerships with other charitable organizations.
Our centers do an amazing job at raising funds in ways that are fun for the staff and the children, whether it is an art show where parents can purchase children’s artwork or a dunk tank to dunk their favorite teachers. These are really teachable moments for our children, and it is so rewarding to come together to give back through the Lightbridge Foundation.
Even more than the money, this is about the people of the Lightbridge Foundation. Their smiles, their time, their kindness, their dedication to helping others. What is so amazing is to realize that the $1 million came from a series of 50-cent lemonades, $5 artworks, $2 muffins — all those small gestures and that hard work has added up, and we couldn’t be more proud.
In this story
This story was originally published in 1851 Franchise on October 11, 2022. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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