Most juniors in high school use the spring and Thanksgiving breaks to relax and unwind from the stress. But Lauren Ladouceuer is not a regular high school junior.
In August, 2012, Lauren’s father visited the country of Haiti to visit his grandparents. When he returned home, he told Lauren about the children struggling in the town of La Trembly.
“The timing was perfect because I wanted to do my Girl Scout Gold Award Project in Haiti, but didn’t know where to start”, Lauren said. Now, she had the ideas for her project and could put them into action.
That October. Lauren spoke to Anera Harrell, a woman who runs a sewing trade school within the Foundation Severe d’Haiti. This non-profit organization provides shelter, food, medical aid, education, and spiritual care for children in need.
Lauren then set up her own organization, L.O.V.E, meaning “Learn, Outreach, Volunteer, and Empower.” Through this group, Lauren would be able to help children in need.
In the summer of 2013, Lauren set out for Haiti with over a hundred textbooks from her former elementary school, Maryvale Elementary School, in Rockville, Maryland. Since Lauren had attended their French Immersion Program, all the math and reading textbooks were written in French, the native language of Haiti.
In addition, Lauren also requested school and sewing supplies, and fabric from her church and Girl Scout Unit. In the end, Lauren received over a thousand dollars and over six hundred pounds of books, supplies, and fabric for her trip.
Once in Haiti, Lauren taught children different sewing designs and installed electricity, ceiling fans, tables, and chairs into three of the classrooms. Lauren then capped off the trip by donating the textbooks to 385 students.
“It was a joyous sight to see the students receive their supplies,” Lauren explained. These new supplies will continue to help the children develop skills that may one day, lead them out of the horrible conditions in La Trembly.
The project developed into a non-profit organization a short time later known as Love2Haiti. This way, even after Lauren finished her Gold Award Project, the impact would not stop with it.
As a result of Lauren’s amazing effort, over 300 pounds of books have been delivered to the Hebron Academy, significantly improving the education of the current children and future generations.
Girl Scouts is a program designed to improve the life of others and inspire leadership from the girl herself, and others around her.
Without Girl Scouts, Lauren may have never been able to help the children in Haiti who are far less fortunate than we in Peachtree City.
A simple project has turned into a saving act for some children in Haiti.
Lauren returned to the Hebron Academy over the Thanksgiving break to provide Christmas packages, and collect products made by the sewing school to sell back in the states.
For more information about Lauren’s project that will help children succeed later in life, visit www.Love2Haiti.com, or check out their Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Love2Haiti.
— Written by Jack Thuon
