GIVING  BACK  TO  THE  COMMUNITY December  2011

Giving BackTo The

Community

KIDS  IN  DISTRESS,  BROWARD  COUNTY,  FLORIDA www.kidinc.org

We  live  in  a  very  fast-­‐paced  society  where  sometimes  we  don't  take  time  to  help  those  that  are  in  need  most.  Many  of  us  have  good  intentions,  but  get  caught  up  in  the  daily  grind  and  focus  only  on  the  tasks  at  hand.  We  think  "what  can  I  do  that  will  make  a  difference?"  It  is  important  to  remember  that  everything  great  starts  with  first  an  idea  and  then  a  drive  and  determination  to  make  it  happen.  It  begins  with  one  person  but  can  quickly  become  a  movement  when  others  adopt  the  cause  or  common  goal.  

Recently  the  team  at  LED  Source®  and  the  great  people  at  Toshiba,  LED  Lighting  Systems  Division,  came  together  to  help  make  a  difference  for  the  South  Florida  based  charity,  Kids  In  Distress  (KID).  

Originally  starting  in  a  small  house  in  1979  as  an  emergency  shelter  for  the  abuse  and  neglect  of  children,  KID  has  since  expanded  services  and  grown  to  a  5-­‐acre  campus  located  in  Broward  County,  Florida.  

The  mission  of  KID  is  to  prevent  child  abuse,  preserve  the  family  and  treat  children  who  have  been  abused  and  neglected.  KID  has  provided  adoptive  and  shelter  services  to  more  than  6,000  children  and  their  families,  and  is  the  only  remaining  emergency  shelter  in  the  area.  

Timm  Stifter,  Sales  Support  Manager  at  LED  Source®  has  been  involved  with  KID  for  several  years,  recently  brought  to  light  the  challenges  the  charity  was  facing  with  their  current  lighting.  

Timm  noticed  that  some  of  the  facility’s  incandescent  bulbs  were  burned-­‐out,  mismatched  and  hard  to  change  due  to  their  location.  The  bulbs  required  constant  replacing  and  maintenance,  which  caused  unnecessary  expenses  for  the  charity.  He  knew  that  LED  lighting  would  not  only  improve  the  current  lighting  conditions  and  provide  an  increased  level  of  safety,  it  would  also  cut  costs  on  maintenance  and  lower  energy  bills.

LEDs Making A DifferenceBy Dean Ernst

LED Source® and KIDsThe  staff  and  management  of  LED  Source®  with  the  children  of  KID  -­‐    Grif  Palmer,  Timm  Stifter,  Jason  Ernstam,  Andres  Pereira,  Troy  Dockery,  Jerry  Mitchell.

Smile For The Camera  Sheila  Malone  Jones,  VP  of  Facilities  and  Support  Services,  with  Timm  Stifter  and  Cynthia  Viteri  from  LED  Source®.

GIVING  BACK  TO  THE  COMMUNITY December  2011

Special Thanks

Upon  learning  about  the  need  to  update  the  current  facility  lighting  at  Kids  In  Distress,  LED  Source®,  a  Wellington,  Florida  based  company,  donated  their  services  and  labor  for  the  project.  Toshiba  International  Corporation,  LED  Lighting  Systems  Division,  also  responded  by  donating  all  the  necessary  LED  lamps.  

The  LED  lighting  retrofit  included  an  activity  room,  a  classroom,  a  TV  room,  front  lobby,  as  well  as  some  of  the  exterior  lighting  for  the  facility.  

The  previous  lighting  consisted  of    a  mix  of  44  compact  fluorescent  and  incandescent  bulbs  and  9  PAR38  bulbs.    

Using  the  latest  in  LED  lighting  technology  from  Toshiba,  the  bulbs  were  replaced  with  long-­‐

lasting  second  generation  A19,  PAR30  and  PAR38  lamps.  

These  LED  lamps  last  up  to  40  times  longer  and  use  up  to  75  percent  less  energy  than  traditional  bulbs.  They  also  contain  no  mercury  or  lead  and  have  a  5  year  warranty.    

“Our  goal  is  to  provide  a  safe  environment  for  children  in  need,”  says  Mark  D.  Dhooge  Vice  President  and  COO  of  KID.  “The  state  of  our  facility  is  of  utmost  importance  to  us  and  we  couldn’t  be  more  grateful  to  LED  Source®  and  Toshiba  for  donating  their  services  to  our  organization.”

So  what  can  you  do  to  help  others?  Donate  your  time  and  get  others  involved.  You  never  know  who  will  answer  the  call  to  action  and  create  a  movement.  

A Helping Hand

3101 Fairlane Farms Rd, Suite 4Wellington, FL 33414

866.900.4533 • www.LEDsource.com

Find out how you can help

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