{"id":19124,"date":"2015-12-10T10:24:18","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T15:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/?p=19124"},"modified":"2015-12-11T11:40:28","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T16:40:28","slug":"lighting-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2015\/12\/10\/lighting-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Lighting the Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>University of Mary Washington senior Luci Coleman has just one thing on her Christmas list \u2013 Luci Lanterns.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s already purchased nearly 400 of the solar-powered lanterns, which she will deliver to families during a three-week trip over semester break to Moshi, Tanzania, where she will teach English and math to children, prepare meals for local families and share tips about organic farming.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19125\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2015\/12\/10\/lighting-the-way\/luci-lantern_hp\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2280,920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1449084945&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Luci Lantern_HP\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP-300x121.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP-1024x413.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19125 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP-1024x413.jpg\" alt=\"Luci Lantern\" width=\"1024\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP-1024x413.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP-300x121.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP-768x310.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/Luci-Lantern_HP-1140x460.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCandles and kerosene lamps are their main source of light at night,\u201d said Coleman, who is volunteering through the Friends of Tanzania, based in Arlington, and the Komboa Vulnerable Groups Association learning center, located on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. \u201cBut they\u2019re also unsustainable and a safety hazard, causing many homes to catch fire, leaving families homeless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where the importance of Luci Lanterns comes in, she said. Running off sustainable energy, Luci Lanterns, coincidentally named, are durable, waterproof and include an important S.O.S. setting &#8211; crucial for young girls and women who often walk through dangerous areas to get home at night.<\/p>\n<p>With an original fundraising goal of $500, Coleman set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/lucislanters\" target=\"_blank\">Go Fund Me page<\/a> and reached out to fellow community members to spread the word. Since August, she\u2019s raised nearly $3,000 that enabled her to purchase the 400 lanterns that will be donated to orphanages, schools and individual families. But Coleman is far from finished. She will continue to accept donations as long as the need is there, she said.<\/p>\n<p>A double major in biology and environmental geology, she discovered her passion for helping people last December, when she traveled to Capetown, South Africa, on a faculty-led study abroad.<\/p>\n<p>While she talked of the rich history and beauty that she enjoyed, it was really the people and the culture that opened her eyes. Coleman thinks back to a moment when she stood near a highway at the border of Langa township; one side exemplified the luxury lifestyle, and the other left her with heartache.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are suffering just feet away from a surface that is frequented by\u00a0BMWs and Mercedes,\u201d she explained. \u00a0\u201cAt that moment, I realized how critical the social and culture\u00a0pillars\u00a0of sustainability were, something I had never appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy experiences at UMW have truly changed who I am and what I believe in,\u201d said Coleman. \u201cI have grown in so many ways. The Luci Lanterns are not just a way to give a gift to orphaned children, but are\u00a0a way to provide them with a sustainable light source that will help them overcome the poverty cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coleman, who also works for Next Tier Concepts in Northern Virginia, plans to continue immersing herself in projects such as the solar lanterns. After graduation, she aims for a career working with environmental nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Luci Lanterns will truly change the lives of hundreds of Moshi residents,\u201d she said. \u201cI have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I\u2019ve received.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UMW senior brings Solar Lanterns to Tanzania<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":19125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,81],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19124","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-show","8":"category-umw-home","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - 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