LoveLight, Inc.

LoveLight, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit, was established in November of 1995 "to plan, design and implement activities, projects, processes, products, and programs which are for charitable and/or educational purposes in accordance with 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code";   "to assist individuals and families, especially those who are lower-income or otherwise disadvantaged, to move toward the actualization of their potential"; and "to promote positive lifestyles and behaviors, optimal health and quality of life for and with such persons." 

Our main emphasis has been on children and youth, within the context of family, neighborhood, and community. The perspective of our agency is an interdisciplinary, pro-active one. Thus, we work to bring together the fields/sectors of education, health, social service, recreation, criminal justice, government, and communities of worship in a cooperative effort to optimize the development and empowerment of young people, particularly lower-income children and teens.

In 1996, LoveLight began providing congregate free summer lunches and activities for children in lower-income neighborhoods in Kent, Ohio and other local communities including Brimfield, Brady Lake, and Ravenna. During the pandemic, weekly non-congregate distributions of food during CO-VID for Kent and Franklin Township youth as well as Brimfield and Windham children and teens, in partnership with the Brimfield Community Cupboard and Renaissance Family Center, respectively. In addition to the more than 100,000 meals provided for children, LoveLight has also conducted activities to promote the healthful development of the youth in our communities. In Kent, with the help of a grant from the City, we were able to provide magazine subscriptions and scholarships to Kent State’s weekly art program for kids and send home books, art supplies and lessons, cooking tools, chef hats, and aprons, as well as other items to stimulate youthful imaginations and support the healthful growth and development of these children and teens.

Besides the summer lunch and ABC’s of Fun summer program, other initiatives have included:

• Traveling Playground involving university students (mostly future teachers) who planned and carried out educational and enrichment activities with youngsters in low-income neighborhoods. LoveLight’s Executive Director gave a presentation on the Traveling Playground at the 2003 UNESCO Conference on International Education in Finland;
• StudyBuddies, which consisted of pairs of college students assisting pairs of public school children with their academics;
• LoveLight Learning Center and neighborhood tutoring;
• Licensed afterschool program for children ages 5 through 14;
• In conjunction with Kent City Schools and community partners, PEAKS mentoring program for lower-income eighth grade “at-promise” youth; 
• Building Community, Building Futures activities for youth in local low-income neighborhoods;
• Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Academy which over three school years, provided professional development for teams of P-12 educators (270 individuals) in order to create Professional Learning Communities in their schools to increase student learning and teacher retention as well as improving school climate- the academies were held at Kent State and participants had the option to receive workshop credit from KSU if they engaged in further work under the direction of LoveLight’s executive director;
• Blomberg Rhythmic Movement Training (BRMT) Symposia held at Kent State University and presented by Swedish psychiatrist Dr. Harald Blomberg. BRMT exercises, which mimic natural baby movement patterns, have been found to improve attention, cognitive, emotional and motor functioning, vision, reading, speech, and handwriting;
• Tutoring PLUS, one-on-one sessions for youth and adults experiencing difficulties with academic and/or overall functioning- these sessions are focused on addressing underlying causes of these difficulties.

LoveLight, Inc. has been formally recognized by the Kent City Schools, the Portage County NAACP, and Kent State University for service to the community.