During the Fall of 2009, John Lafferty with his wife, Jennifer, were on a mission trip in Liberia, West Africa. This part of Western Africa was devastated by years of civil war in countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia. During the mid to late 1990’s, rebels in these countries traded guns for diamonds and in the process removed all the electric and telecommunications transmission wire from utility poles to sell for scrap metal in order to financially support their rebel causes. As a result of these actions after the civil wars, these Western African countries were forced to have an infrastructure of cell phones for telecommunications and dependence on generators plus batteries for electrical power. Due to lack of sanitation, trash, and proper environmental disposal requirements, batteries are typically disposed of by throwing them into the streams, rivers, or even just into the gutters of streets. Recharging any type of battery is expensive and in most cases does not happen.

Mr. Lafferty saw a need in these countries for a portable light that could be used at night to illuminate a standard 10 x 20 foot dwelling in a village. He envisioned a portable flash light that could be powered by the sun and hold a charge to enable the West Africans to use an environmentally sound product by having it used at night for light, recharge during the day via the sun (i.e. solar), and be able to do extra functions such as recharge a cell phone or even have the power to run small devices like a radio or fan. Hence, his product was being born right in front of his eyes.

Upon Mr. Lafferty’s return, he founded a company with his wife Jennifer, called CellMyLight. The company’s name came from experiences he witnessed with sample products which were made and sent to West Africa. Here, the product was used to illuminate village dwellings at night (instead of no light or an unsafe light produced from a small fire). The light could be recharged in the day during sunlight hours and then used anytime during the day to either recharge a cell phone and even strong enough to power other devices such as a portable radio or a small fan. The origin of the name “CellMyLight” came when the villagers became entrepreneurial and decided to “sell” their portable light’s cell phone recharging capabilities and charge a fee of a few U.S. Dollars for such a service. This service was well received because the recharge fee was less expensive than the fees charged for recharging cell phones in the West African cities and the villagers did not have to walk for 35 mile round trips into metropolitan areas just to have their cell phones recharged.

As a result of a humanitarian effort in West Africa, Mr. Lafferty envisioned this product to be used to recharge many different types of phones from an IPhone ® to smart phones such as the Droid ®. He also envisioned the product to be durable, carry a long lasting battery, and be able to do other features such as be charged through a wall outlet, and function as an emergency type product that would help in various type situations, but could also be used for recreational and leisure activities from hiking in the woods to fishing in a boat. Just when you lose your battery life in your phone, you could simply recharge it, be safe for the environment (solar), and could help withstand emergencies such as power outage related type situations. Hence, CellMyLight was born and ready to solve major areas whether abroad in 3rd World countries or as a weather related safeguard at home.

The CellMyLight company had a strong vision through after-tax profits earned to help educational programs both in the U.S.A. and abroad with a percentage of these profits so many children may receive a primary education. This company has been the beacon of light to provide safe, reliable, environmentally friendly and durability to various markets who need a dependable and ready charging power source at critical times of the user’s need. Hence, this is the sole reason CellMyLight was established in serving those individual needs.