Project Porchlight Blog

The Jersey City India Day Parade held on August 14 in Jersey City, New Jersey, celebrated the 63rd anniversary of India’s independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The parade featured floats, traditional Indian classical dance as well as Bollywood-style performances, and free food for absolutely everybody who came to the event.

Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, is a fun place to visit during the summer. Along with its state-of-the-art aquarium, the complex features children’s shows and amusement park rides. Jenkinson’s also presents a fireworks display on Thursday evenings.

Paresh Trivedi (pictured here, left) , a resident of Randolph, New Jersey, emigrated to the United States 17 years ago from Gujarat, India, in search of a better life.

It is not extraordinary that Paresh has indeed found a better life--millions of immigrants have shared that experience. What’s remarkable about Paresh is how much he has, in turn, given back to his community here.

The motto of Two Kids Foundation, a charity based in Whippany, New Jersey, is “Together we can cross the finish line,” and the foundation is racing to on behalf of a most worthy cause: children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

The Family Fun Day event on August 6 in Orange, New Jersey, brought township residents--including the mayor--to Central Playground for a perfect summer evening. The multicultural event featured something for everyone, including a basketball competition, a deejay spinning R&B music, and free blood pressure screenings and other simple medical tests.