We recently connected with Connor Farrell and have shared our conversation below.

Connor, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

As a competitive, year-round swimmer who trains six days each week, my daily drive to the pool requires that I pass the Triune Mercy Center, a local soup kitchen, where there is consistently a line of homeless individuals. During the spring of 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I spoke to the Pastor of Triune Mercy Center, Jennifer Fouse Sheorn, who confirmed that many of the homeless were not receiving adequate hygiene supplies to protect themselves from the pandemic. With my family’s help, Bright Lights Greenville began.

After three years of pouring myself into this passion, Bright Lights Greenville is a fully functional 501(c)(3) non-profit (www.brightlightsgreenville.com). It is our hope that our hygiene kits are a bright light in the lives of the homeless. Our hygiene kits are a reflection of our conviction that the homeless are dignified members of society worthy of respect. To date, we have produced and delivered over 3,600 hygiene kits, we have raised approximately $25,000, and we continue to supply monthly hygiene kits to Triune Mercy Center, Catholic Charities of South Carolina, and a local outreach center.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Senior in high school at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Greenville, South Carolina. I have always been fascinated by politics, advocacy, and service ever since I first got involved with the South Carolina Youth in Government program in 2017. Since then, I have worked to grow Bright Lights Greenville from a family project into a nonprofit organization.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

After receiving our 501(c)(3) status letter from the IRS, we began collecting grassroots donations for our work. I emailed and reached out to family members and friends initially, but we began receiving donations from generous people across the country. Initially, one of my principal jobs was to apply for grants as well. I applied to many different grants, and was able to secure grant funding, most notably from the WHO-backed Global Youth Mobilization Accelerator Program, and the grocery chain, Aldi.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience is an important value in nonprofit work, because there are often obstacles that we face. One of our most difficult challenges is trying to remain engaged with the community at all times. We are often seeking volunteers to help us package our hygiene kits, and it is sometimes difficult to do so. Additionally, packaging 150 hygiene kits each month is a task that certainly requires resilience. As an organization, we have to remain focused and disciplined to ensure that the kits are produced on time every month.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brightlightsgreenville.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bright.lights.gvl
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bright-lights-greenville

Image Credits
David Lawrence Photography Jack Robert Photography