20th Lights On Afterschool: 1 million people, 10,000 events, 1,000s of lightings and billboards

For the 20th Lights On Afterschool, afterschool programs, supporters, and youth took the nation’s only rally for afterschool to new heights.

More than 1 million students, parents, educators, business and faith leaders, policy makers, community members, and more gathered at schools, parks, campuses, state capitols, city halls, museums, malls, and other venues to show their support for afterschool programs.

10,000 events – the most ever held – showcased the breadth and depth, the unmistakable energy and creativity, the hearts, minds and close bonds, of the afterschool world.

We saw things we could not even imagine 20 years ago:

• SpongeBob making the lightbulb pose with afterschool youth from the Police Athletic League on the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building;

• Afterschool puppets in the lightbulb pose, a giant blue lightbulb costume, human lightbulbs covering playground and playing fields, lanterns filling the night sky; 

• Roundtable discussions with mayors and police chiefs, proclamations read by governors and passed by the Senate, events focused on conservation and the environment, growing and cooking healthy food, space exploration, child safety, technology arts, public policy, literacy, community service, pumpkin carving, painting, and smashing, and more;

• Times Square billboards several stories high displaying the power of afterschool to help youth strive toward a bright future, complemented by 1,000+ billboards across the nation running afterschool messages this month, thanks to Clear Channel, the National Summer Learning Association, and the National League of Cities; and  

• Contributions for Lights On events, from 250,000 KIND bars to SpongeBob art activities to a special Wonderopolis post for students to learn about what lights the Empire State Building.

We lit the skies and our communities, from the Empire State Building in New York to the Salt Palace in Utah to the Orlando Eye in Florida to the State Capitol in Pennsylvania to the Superdome in New Orleans to the Spirit of Detroit in Michigan to City Halls in Houston, Hampton and San Francisco. In fact  landmarks across the country were lit in yellow and blue this evening to support afterschool programs.

Savor this afterschool moment, and take a look at the feed of messages and photos from Lights On Afterschool across the nation. 

A list of Lights On Afterschool events is available here. To see other events held in your area, see this map.