About Us

	About Lighting up The Sky
	Mission, Vision & Guiding Principles
	Board of Directors
	Team Volunteers

About Lighting Up the Sky

May 2009: A much discussed and ravenously awaited idea finally hatched. How can a group of determined women improve the world we live in? Where do we start? Who can we get to help us? What can we do to make a difference?

The why was simple. There are people - entire communities of people - with talent and intelligence galore, but incredibly limited resources. No way to get organized and make connections. There are orphanages in Mexico that don't have running water. They are so far away from the next town that all they have is what is in front of them. Kids are living in cities where the only playground is a fenced-in patch of asphalt at a run-down school. Families are struggling in transitional shelters   and have never had a framed picture of themselves on the wall. Never.

We found a way to connect with each other and collaborate to help communities in need. To make a substantial impact, we organized and formed a nonprofit organization to share our skills and experience with those who need it.  We are learning along the way - coming together through email, conference calls, intranet sites, internet sites, notes passed in hallways, and old fashioned face-to-face discussions.

Our mission, vision, guiding principles and goals were formed to encompass our approach to any cause we are fortunate enough to help. Our name, Lighting Up The Sky (LUTS) comes from a Hafez quote: "The Sun never says to the Earth, 'You owe me.'   Look what happens with a love like that. It lights up the
whole sky."

The Hafez quote speaks volumes about the way our organization aims to advance the abilities of those we partner with to learn and to grow. All of the materials that the Earth needs to operate are there. They are just hoping and waiting for a spark of sunlight to touch the sky and permeate the ground before they blossom. Our vision is what we will work toward, every day, as an unwavering goal. We will open avenues for those in need to realize their full professional, academic, and emotional potential. Every person involved with LUTS efforts will have the incredible opportunity to light up the sky with their own passion and energy, while reaching toward their dreams.

Our first program focuses on supporting an organization with a determination that is staggering and aligns perfectly with our purpose. Common Ground Relief in New Orleans, Louisiana, is building a school garden at Martin Luther King Jr., Charter School in the Lower 9th Ward.

> Read more about the Garden of Eatin' program

LUTS will select a new project to contribute to or manage on an annual basis. If you have wonderful ideas for ways we can help communities in need, please send them our way.