LAWRENCE, N.J. — A group of high school students from the Light for the Night students’ club
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at The Lawrenceville School conducted fundraisers and bought 200 solar flashlights that they recently donated to storm-devastated Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean island in September, ripping apart its fragile infrastructure, and leaving many without electricity.
Therefore, when Darin Khan, a resident of Plainsboro and president of Light for the Night club started his fundraisers, he explained that he understands the importance of kids having electricity and lights in order to do homework at nights, and that he hopes to “prevent children from dropping out of school when they can’t finish their homework in the dark.”
Khan founded the club in 2015 following his trip to India where he witnessed the poor situations that kids without access to electricity endure. His aim is to provide sustainable energy to children living in such areas, he said.
Khan can also relate to this lack of electric energy in Puerto Rico, India, and other regions, as he recalls Hurricane Sandy’s havoc on New Jersey five years ago.
So, he made Light for the Night students-run club official
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at the high school this year, and the local community has applauded its president and other club members for their efforts. On Nov. 2, Middlesex County Sheriff Mildred S. Scott honored them with Junior Sheriff Badges.
Khan responded, “I am truly honored that our efforts have been recognized by the community, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
The Middlesex County Sheriff Department helped the kids to send the lights to Puerto Rico.
Khan is dedicated to his mission to alleviate the issues that especially children face at nights due to lack of lights.
Thus, he has also started a GoFundMe campaign at Solar Lanterns for Children.