What’s in a name?

The name, “Be the Light, Be the Change!” (BTLBTC for short), comes from the following two ideas:

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matt. 5:13-16

and

Be the change you wish to see in the world!

Unknown

The second quote is often attributed to Ghandi. However, there is no writing or recording of him saying this exact phrase, though his writings do express ideas that are very similar to it. Ms. Arleen Lorrance, a high school teacher in Brooklyn who taught at Thomas Jefferson High, started a project titled “The Love Project” with the goal of improving educational outcomes for students facing poverty, violence, and other negative influences. In a report that she published about the program, she opens with these words: “One way to start a preventative program is to _be_ the change you wish to see happen. That is the essence and substance of the simple and successful endeavor of The Love Project.” You can read more about it here.