Light powers change: Join in welcoming cyclists riding ‘1,000 miles for 1,000 lights’ Sept. 27 in Downers Grove
Watts to Love invites the community to a celebration on Friday, Sept. 27, at the Downers Grove Moose Lodge welcoming cyclists who are riding “1,000 Miles for 1,000 Lights.” This also will kick off the Movement to End Poverty fundraiser.
For the second year in a row, Scott and Jessica Hein will be combining Scott’s passion for cycling and their mutual passion for Watts of Love by spearheading a fundraiser in a Movement to End Poverty.
The aim is to raise $50,000 to provide personal solar lights and financial literacy training to a thousand families living without electricity around the world. Scott, along with Todd Wilson, will ride 1,000 miles to raise funds and awareness. They also will be joined with other riders along the way.
The ride will begin Friday, Sept. 13, in Beverly, Massachusetts, and end on Friday, Sept. 27, at the Watts of Love office located in Downers Grove.
The ride will go from Athol to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Amsterdam, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, New York, then into Canada at Tillsonburg, Ontario, down to Chesterfield, Battle Creek and Benton Harbor, Michigan, and then ending at Downers Grove
Watts of Love is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in suburban Chicago. Its mission is to empower people to raise themselves out of the darkness of poverty, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to achieve self-worth and financial freedom. Their vision is to end generational poverty, and it starts with a solar light. Since 2013, Watts of Love has helped more than 134,000 families in more than 55 countries.
Solar light acts as a catalyst to change many aspects of the recipients’ lives. After receiving a personal solar light, recipients can save up to 30% of the money they would have spent on lighting. Their health can improve, and they have more educational and economic opportunities. Light enables children to study after dark, women to work and cook safely, families to stay connected and they can alert others in emergencies with the strobe function.
Watts of Love is tracking the success of their light recipients, and has been attributed to the reversal of child marriages in Malawi through providing financial freedom for families. Their patented solar lights are designed to last at least 10 years, so one solar light can keep more than 450 batteries per year per family from contaminating their soil and water.
Scott Hein said, “Jessica and I were introduced to Watts of Love through her business under Chalk Couture. As we learned more about the organization’s mission and the struggles of so many worldwide, we saw an opportunity to help. We began with donations on our own to Watts of Love. Jessica had the opportunity to distribute lights and teach financial literacy training in Malawi, Africa in 2022 and 2023 and then I went in 2024.
“We have both seen firsthand the impact we can have and realize how fortunate the life we live is. We have no way to truly understand the day-to-day challenges people who live in darkness face, but we can see we are making a difference,” Scott said. “Jessica and I are now aiming to make a bigger impact taking our passion for cycling and leveraging it as a platform to bring awareness to those who live in darkness and poverty on our second ‘1,000 Miles for 1,000 Lights’ ride this September.”
To learn more about Watts of Love or show support, visit wattsoflove.org or follow on social media (Facebook, Instagram LinkedIn and X)
Join the celebration at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at the Downers Grove Moose Lodge, 1030 Warren Ave. For the last few blocks, they are looking for people interested in walking and riding Scott, Jessica and Todd in to the event. They are looking for groups and organizations that might want to participate.
RSVP via funraise.org/give/Watts-of-Love/f767ffa2-0856-4871-b59a-53d098be5e56/.
Donations can be sent directly to the “1,000 Miles for 1,000 Lights” fundraiser through the link: themovementtoendpoverty2024.funraise.org/fundraiser/1000-miles-for-1000-lights.
To participate in the Movement to End Poverty Campaign and raise awareness and funds for Watts of Love at themovementtoendpoverty2024.funraise.org/start-fundraising.