The Creation of LNG

LNG began in July 2023. Sameera Madan and Jacklyn Pizzella brought their two passions together: youth leadership (Sameera) and education (Jacklyn). They were inspired by the idea that a broader mission might produce synergies and make their independent passions stronger.

​

The first step was filing the paperwork for a 501(c)(3) through LegalZoom. They raised money to pay for this through a bake sale they held in their local shopping area.

​

LNG launched through its Free Tutoring program and quickly expanded to include 2 new programs: Green Guardians and a Robotics Summer Camp. Together, Jacklyn and Sameera have created, organized, and led each of LNG’s programs.

​

For Free Tutoring, Jacklyn and Sameera first reached out to the Stamford Public School system through the Peach Jar platform. On this website, they applied and were accepted for the Community Free Flyer Application, which allowed them to post to Stamford families. Their flyer promoted one-on-one tutoring services, all provided by high school volunteers. In the first twenty-four hours, they received fifteen inquiries from families requesting services in academic disciplines and knew they had identified a real community need. Currently, the program has over 50 tutors and 84 families participating.

​

Through mailings to local organizations, they secured a partnership for Green Guardians with the Greenwich Audubon Center, which allows LNG to utilize their facilities to host events (they have held two so far). Green Guardians is a community program dedicated to teaching youth about recycling through fun arts and crafts. The first Green Guardians event attracted over 200 people. 

​

The LNG Robotics Summer Camp, the organization’s most recent initiative, was spearheaded by Ryan Wadhwa at a meeting room in Greenwich Town Hall. It launched with a week-long program in July 2024. The ambition for the first cycle was to attract 5–6 middle schoolers. They were privileged to enroll double that amount in its inaugural summer. Over five mornings, instructors worked with groups of three campers each (plus a one-on-one instructor with a student with special needs) to research, build, and present robotic cars. The following summer, the program expanded to include two one-week sessions. Each session attended to ~20 kids with around 40 kids participating in the Robotic Camp's second summer. 

​

Throughout, their team have also been engaged in fundraising efforts—including bake sales, luncheons, and grant applications (e.g. $1,000 grant received from Eversource). To date, LNG has raised over $15K—far exceeding its initial $1K goal. These funds are being used to print promotional materials (yard signage, posters) and purchase craft items for the programs. LNG also benefits from non-financial partnerships with local organizations including WasteFreeGreenwich, The First Bank of Greenwich, The Reading Room Café, and the Gigio App, all of which have helped LNG reach a broader audience.

​

Today, LNG serves communities in the USA (CA, CT, FL, MD, MA, NJ, NY, NC, PA, VA), Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, and Uganda.

​

In winter 2024, LNG applied for the 2024 CT Award of Excellence in Service to the Earth and was honored to be selected. Not only that, but LNG was featured on the cover of Greenwich Magazine in May 2024. But the greatest honor, Jacklyn and Sammera believe, has been the opportunity to collaborate with others to make a meaningful difference in her community.