Community

Connecting Utility Leaders with Community Needs: A Transformative Experience in Fort Collins with the RADIATE Women’s Leadership Program

Utility 2030 Leadership Collaborative (U2030) is all about helping leaders succeed – the brilliant and dedicated individuals guiding utility companies into the future. Part of that mission is connecting leadership to real community needs – to build empathy and perspective – through #serviceprojects at every U2030 event and utility site visit.

At our recent City of Fort Collins site visit with the 2025–2026 #RADIATEWomensLeadershipProgram, Gretchen Stanford and Tracey Winey introduced us to the incredible work of Engineering Brightness. For the first time in my life, I touched a circuit board, learning to solder and build solar-powered lanterns.

These lanterns will be shipped to Liberia, helping families experiencing #lightpoverty by providing safe light for studying, safety, and daily life after dark.

If you’re looking for a powerful way to combine learning, service, and human connection, I highly recommend bringing this project into your next gathering. 

Lighting the Way: A Brighter Future for Liberia

A huge thank you to the Young Men’s Service League for building 30 solar-powered lanterns! These lanterns will be shipped to Liberia, where they are urgently needed in communities with no access to electricity. Lincoln Middle School students, guided by our partner Jasper, learned firsthand about the critical need for light in these areas. Together, we’re not just making a difference—we’re making the world brighter, one lantern at a time!

We’re Growing! Introducing Engineering Brightness Clubs

At Engineering Brightness, we’re more than just a movement—we’re a global network of students, educators, and communities working together to bring light to the world, one solution at a time.

Our Engineering Brightness Clubs are student-led innovation hubs where young engineering minds and problem-solvers take real action to address light poverty. Through hands-on STEM projects, collaboration, and community engagement, students design and build solar-powered lanterns for communities around the world that lack access to reliable electricity.

Engineering Brightness Clubs exist in schools and communities around the world. Clubs include:

• Altona Middle School: Sam Cook, Stephanie Basile
• Estes Park Elementary School: Polly Greenblat and Jen Male
• Fossil Ridge High School: Herb Beaven
• Country of Liberia: Jasper
• Nicaragua Hester J. Hodgdon Library: Jane Mirandette
• Northridge High School: Machin Norris
• Ridgeline Middle School: Kathy Schroed

Otterbox & Engineering Brightness: Bringing Light to the World

What happens when innovation meets generosity? A brighter future–literally! Otterbox, known for its durable and impact-resistant phone cases, has taken its commitment to making a difference beyond technology by awarding a $50,000 grant to Engineering Brightness, an organization dedicated to fighting light poverty around the world.

This incredible partnership is about more that just funding–it’s about empowering students, fostering global collaboration, and bringing light to those who need it most. With OtterBox’s $50,000 grant, Engineering Brightness can now expand its impact by partnering with more schools worldwide, giving more students the opportunity to be part of this life-changing initiative.

Engineering Brightness thanks OtterBox for its continuing support. It has been an exciting journey and with OtterBox’s support, Engineering Brightness is set to ignite change–one light at a time.