Lightbridge Foundation® Earmarks Over $30,000, Collects Donated Items for Ukraine Relief Efforts at All Lightbridge Academy Locations

The Lightbridge Foundation®, the charitable branch of the 63-unit mid-Atlantic and Southern early education and child care franchise Lightbridge Academy®, announced that it has earmarked more than $30,000 in funds to be donated through its centers to assist in Ukraine’s humanitarian relief efforts. The locations are also collecting basic necessity items and sending them overseas to those in need to help teach children about the importance of giving back and helping others.

“Because our mission at Lightbridge Academy is to help children and families along life’s journey, we knew we had to support those going through the heartbreaking situation in Ukraine,” said Audrey Feci, Executive Director of the Lightbridge Foundation.

The Lightbridge Foundation® has allocated $500 for each center to add to their local initiatives benefiting the Ukraine. The first donation of $2,500 was presented this week to Baranova 27, a New Jersey-based nonprofit established this year to support Ukraine. Five local Lightbridge centers located in Iselin, Woodbridge, East Brunswick, West Caldwell and Fort Lee, designated Baranova as their recipient. The money will help pay for the shipping and logistics of getting supplies and aid to orphanages and shelters, Feci explained.

Those five centers have also been collecting on-site donations of much-needed items, including diapers, infant formula, children’s clothing, first aid and hygiene products, and nonperishable food, that they have been delivering to Baranova 27, who will disperse them to families in Ukraine and refugee territories.

“Many women and children need to completely start over in a foreign place,” Feci said, “The Lightbridge Foundation wants to be a part of ensuring that they have what they need to get settled and cover their basic needs. It’s been heartening to see how generous Lightbridge Academy families have been and how they have rallied to the call. We’re here to provide additional funds to support them.”

Founded by Sasha Chmerkovskiy, Baranova 27 is named for the address in Ukraine where he grew up and raised his sons Maks and Val, before coming to the United States in 1994. Maks and Val are well-known professional dancers who have both been featured on “Dancing with the Stars.” So far, the organization has shipped over 60 tons of donated items to overseas relief efforts.

Feci explained that they connected with Baranova 27 because they are an active member of the local community that Lightbridge Academy of Fort Lee also serves. “The center heard their call for help and immediately reached out to see how they could get involved. Children and families are at the heart of everything we do and Baranova had the connection to deliver relief.”

Other centers have come up with creative ways to use their Lightbridge Foundation-allocated dollars to help Ukranians. For example, at the location in Manasquan, New Jersey, the teachers bought t-shirts with sunflowers - the international symbol of peace - from a local elementary school student who is making them and donating proceeds to benefit refugees through a Polish church that his uncle attends.

“It's been really great to see the children in our centers bringing in those items to help others. A big part of our curriculum is kindness and gratitude. So to be able to have the children not only learn about it, but actually do it has been amazing,” she said.

Feci commented on how great it is to be able to help at both a micro and macro level, giving both financial aid as a foundation and also allowing their families to contribute financially as well as donating everyday supplies.

“Through the Lightbridge Foundation, we always strive to help those most vulnerable; the children,” Feci says. “While our primary focus has also been serving the needs in our local community, there is no way we can turn away from the humanitarian crisis impacting the families in the Ukraine.”

Established in 2001, the Lightbridge Foundation supports parents and children along life's journey and has raised over $850,000 to support the needs of children and families.

About Lightbridge Academy: 

Established in 1997, Lightbridge Academy was founded by Guy and Julia Falzarano based on core values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners and the community. Lightbridge Academy provides early education and childcare to children ages six weeks through kindergarten, as well as special programming for children up to 10 years old for summer camp and a new school age remote learning program. The company franchised in 2011 to expand their distinctive concept throughout the Mid-Atlantic region; it currently has over 119 childcare centers either open, under construction or in development throughout Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. In response to COVID-19, Lightbridge Academy rolled out The Lightbridge Promise as the gold standard in childcare health protocols, prioritizing the safety of everyone in the company's Circle of Care. In 2020, the company was featured on the Inc. 5000 ranking, Franchise Times Top 200+ awards, and Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500. Lightbridge Academy was also recognized on Newsweek’s 2021 list of America’s Best Customer Service.