Spokane Standard

Angella Southerly describes herself as “a caregiver at heart,” which is fitting given her background in the health care field.

In 2014, she created the nonprofit Light a Lamp, which recognizes groups and individuals who have shown that caregiver work ethic. One of Light a Lamp’s acts of service is creating and delivering gift baskets to those individuals to let them know they’re appreciated and noticed.

Earlier this year, the Light a Lamp board met to discuss ideas for where else they wanted to serve. That’s when Project Lift Up was born.

In Project Lift Up, Light a Lamp creates and delivers gift boxes to middle and high school counselors to give to students who are struggling with feelings of hopelessness.

“It was my vice president Staci (Borup) and my marketing coordinator Kristine (Songhurst) that both said, ‘Man, we just really need to serve these struggling teens.’,” Southerly said. “Kristine already had the name all in her head, and we just said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it!’ I’ve been working my tush off to make this happen.”

Light a Lamp already has partnerships with Rogers, North Central and Shadle Park high schools, where it provides five luminary gift boxes each month that include:

• Drawstring bag
• Inspirational pen
• Card inscribed with “You’re Not Alone”
• $5 Froyo Earth gift card
• Journal
• Inspirational bookmark
• Tumbler
• Gum, candy
• Bracelet

“Since the pandemic, we’ve seen such an increase in mental health issues,” Southerly said. “This box is for the counselors to have on hand, and they can confidentially decide who they provide it to. When the child sees this the hope is that they go, ‘Wow, there are people out there that don’t know me but really care. They care about my life.’ We want to just hold them in that moment.”

Students have been grateful while receiving the boxes. One SPS counselor said a student “was so thankful and said that it brightened her day.” She’s heard from the other counselors that it has been very inspirational for students.

Moments like that validate Light a Lamp’s purpose in addressing mental health issues for today’s students. Project Lift Up is one way the community rallies around SPS students.

“We’re here to support them,” Southerly said. “It’s just a gift box, sure, but with anything Light a Lamp does, the gift is just a conduit that brings that feeling of comfort and to let them know they’re not alone. It’s that tangible item that brings the ultimate goal of letting them know they’re seen and heard.”

Original source can be found here.