“Let your light shine so brightly that others can see their way out of the dark”- Katrina Mayer.

For one Saline County family, this quote rings true. Lauren Lisowe and her daughter, Amelia, started a non-profit called Lisowe’s Lights.

Lisowe’s Light’s main mission is to provide items of comfort to children in the foster care system. They got started when Amelia, age 7 at the time, was told by many organizations that she was too young to volunteer, so she started doing small projects on her own. Amelia heard her mom talk about how foster kids sometimes leave their homes in the middle of the night.

At that moment, Amelia knew she wanted to help those foster kids and thought that a nightlight would be the perfect way to help. They began, as most non-profits do, by asking for help on social media.

Donations started pouring in from all over the county. They received those donations and thought that might be the end of it. That was not the case.

A year later, a local CBS news anchor asked the Boys and Girls Club in Bryant for a story about a kid making a difference, and the Boys and Girls picked Lisowe’s Lights. When the story aired, it went viral, even getting the attention of CBS National Morning News. Donations started pouring in from all over the country.

To date, they have donated over 13,500 nightlights to children in the foster care system. They have donated to every county in Arkansas, as well as all 50 states and 8 countries around the world. They also deliver hand-made cards with each light.

Through her work with foster kids, Amelia has realized that either due to finances or safety issues, foster kids may miss out on a lot of things other families take for granted. At least once per quarter, Lisowe’s Lights will try to host in-person events for foster children in Central Arkansas. Lauren’s son, Braden, also helps behind the scenes as well, so it really is a family affair.

Lisowe’s Lights really do shine a light in this world. They help so many people around the country and I know this world would be a better place if there were more people like Lauren and Amelia. Let your light shine bright Lisowe’s Lights!

Follow their journey on Facebook and Instagram at Lisowe’s Lights.