The “Green Movement” was born back in the 1960s and 1970s and gained prominence since then as countries realized that they need to do something to conserve the planet to make it a better place to live. The mantra that was then coined was “Think Global and Act Local”.
Acting on the mantra, a Greater Philadelphia based company initiated a green project by the name First Light Project. The program has the core spirit of the Green Movement, which gives the liberty to think out of the box and implement changes. The project, First Light Project has been conceived and implemented by Charlie Szoradi, a Board Member of the Upper Main Line Rotary Club. Charlie is the CEO of Independence LED.
The project by Charlie is simple and works on simple terms. It works with local businesses and local Rotary Clubs of the industrialized countries to support cost effective lighting for schools and hospitals of the developing countries.
The First Light Project was seeded for a hospital in Gambia where the company is providing high efficiency LED lights to illuminate areas that were dark or under lit. the LED lights provided by the company not only reduce the cost of operations but also help to support and enable other hospitals and schools to be illuminated. According to Charlie, the schools and the hospitals are the building blocks of the society and the civilization and hence are the key areas that need to be improved.
Charlie Szoradi was presented with a Rotary Citation by the District Governor David Ellis for leadership in International Service. The Waynesborough Country Club was the venue for the felicitation ceremony.
Charlie thanked the audience and the District Governor for the recognition and honor and said that he was accepting the appreciation as a representative of the Upper Main Line Rotary Club, as there were many people involved in the project, those who not only supported the cause but also helped to get the program from the planning to the implementation stage.
The act of philanthropy by the Rotarian and CEO of an LED manufacturer from America is seen as a new trend. It is being analyzed that any new LED manufacturer in America would not only lead a profitable venture but would benefit the country by providing more job opportunities and other benefits. While most of the LED manufacturing is out of America, the shift of the Independence LED from China to Boyertown in Pennsylvania is seen as a welcome change.
