AJ awards $106,000 Innovation Lab to Chantilly High School
CHANTILLY, VA., Feb. 22, 2019 – Innovation Lab at Chantilly High School (CHS) is now open, offering all students access to a dedicated space with hands-on opportunities to design, experiment, build and invent while fostering creative thinking and collaboration. The Innovation Lab was made possible through the donation of...
CHANTILLY, VA., Feb. 22, 2019 – Innovation Lab at Chantilly High School (CHS) is now open, offering all students access to a dedicated space with hands-on opportunities to design, experiment, build and invent while fostering creative thinking and collaboration. The Innovation Lab was made possible through the donation of $106,000 by non-profit Asha-Jyothi (AJ) through a privately-funded Educate-Innovate campaign.
Background: After 10 years of successfully organizing Annual 5K Run/Walk fundraiser in multiple cities, the fundraiser reached a steady state losing momentum to continue. A few unsuccessful attempts requesting High School track teams to participate, made us realize that we needed to do more to integrate with the local community. In order to sustain for a long time, AJ team brainstormed ideas and decided to take on something new as an experiment. We wanted to partner with the local schools with the end goal to increase participation in the AJ 5K Run, to evolve AJ Run as a marquee race, to integrate and raise awareness about Asha Jyothi with local communities through out USA and in turn increase the funds raised to support education of underprivileged kids in India. What started with a simple thought of laying a brick in the name of AJ in CHS after an initial dialogue in Nov 2017, transformed into an Innovation Lab with the promise of the local schools agreeing to encourage their students, faculty, parents and community to participate in the 5K Run/Walk.
Based on the successful engagement of the school, students, faculty and the entire county public schools with AJ 5K Run in Fairfax, AJ decided to take this to the next level and plans to build Innovation Labs in local schools in USA, in cities that are in close proximity to AJ 5K Run/Walk event location.
Photos
Press Release
- Asha-Jyothi Press Release – Lab opening press release
News Articles
- FCPS News Release and Video – Chantilly High School unveils New Innovation Lab
- FCPS Newsletter from the Principal’s Desk – Newsletter
- Deed Indeed article on Innovation lab
Videos
Social Media
- Posts on various social media – FCPS Foundation on FB, FCPS Post, FCPS Post on Instagram