It’s been more than four months since Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico and nearly half a million residents still don’t have power. But 15-year-old Salvador Gomez Colon is working to make life easier on those folks while they wait for the power to be restored.
Days after the hurricane slammed the island, the ninth grader started a crowdfunding campaign with a goal of raising $100,000 to use to buy portable solar lamps and hand-operated washing machines. Since then, Gomez Colon has raised over $125,000 and has given away 1,400 solar lamps and has another 1.600 to give away soon.
He lives in Puerto Rico and spends his weekends visiting hard hit communities where kids are rushing to finish homework outside before the sun goes down, but with Gomez Colon’s help, they’ll have solar lamps to help. "This experience has taught me to be grateful for what I have. My family supports me, my teachers support me," the teen explains. "The world can always benefit from a positive mission. So I have to take this to the end."
Source: CNN