Hello and Welcome

Rony Camille here. I am traveling to Haiti this summer to volunteer at the Be Like Brit Orphanage located in the Town of Grand Goâve. This will be my first service mission trip and I’m asking for your help contributing to a good cause, that’s close to my heart – orphaned children and families in need. 

I will join a group of fellow “Britsionarys” (a term coined by the founders of this great non-profit) who will help build and furnish a small home for a Haitian family and help around the orphanage.

Thank you to those who have helped achieve my goal. Since July 2015 we have raised $4,100 with every single penny going towards enriching the lives of the children living at BLB in Haiti. While the initial funraising goal has been met. I am still taking donations to help this organization. 

So, why am I going to Haiti to help out this orphanage? And most importantly, why should you care?

Some of you may or may not know that I have DEEP Haitian roots! Both of my parents were born and grew up in the impoverished nation before coming to the mainland (Canada and the U.S.) in the early 1980s. While I still have a lot of family living there, and have taken a handful of trips to visit them over the years (including 4 days after the earthquake – click here to read about that from The Milford Cabinet and click here to see a news story from WMUR-TV after I returned), I feel that it is my personal responsibility as a descendant of the Haitian Diaspora to not sit idly by and watch the motherland continue to suffer. Since the January 2010 earthquake, I have felt a need to actively do something more but was always “busy” with that thing we call life.

It wasn't until a few months ago that I said to myself “If not now, when?” This has been my personal and professional mantra over the last 2 years.

I have taken it as a sign from above, having crossed paths with people that have traveled to Haiti to volunteer at Be Like Brit who encourage me to go and volunteer. Britney Gengel’s story, her legacy and her family's strength and persistence to press forward in helping the people and children of Haiti is truly awe-inspiring.

The Details & How You Can Help Contribute

Since July we've raised and met the $4100 goal. Of that total, $1,950 is going go towards my trip down there (travel, lodging, food, insurance costs and building costs). The additional funds that has been raised will go directly to the orphanage to help with their day-to-day needs. If we raise more that would be wonderful. Every amount donated, no matter how small, counts more than you know! All of the proceeds from this fund-raising effort will go directly to the Be Like Brit organization which is tax-deductible.

Please feel free to contact me to learn more about Be Like Brit (more info below), this trip or my personal connection to Haiti. Lastly, please feel free to forward this link, tell someone you know who may be interested and share/retweet this link on all of your social media platforms and any form of sharing you can do via personal contact.

Mesi Anpil! (many thanks) for reading, supporting and praying to help make this happen.

In truth and service,

Rony

Donations support one of the following:

Britsionarys in need of financial support:

Britsionarys who cannot afford the cost of the trip alone, can use our pages to ask family and friends for financial support. Donations help to cover the cost of the Britsionary's trip (lodging/food/transportation/insurance/etc.) until they have reached their total amount due for their trip. Once they have reached this amount, any additional donations will go directly to a Be Like Brit general fund to support the children at Brit's Home.

Fundraising for the children at BLB:

Britsionarys who are paying for the entire trip themselves, can choose to fundraise for the children at Brit's Home and support our mission. All donations will go directly to a Be Like Brit general fund to support the children at Brit's Home.

Any donations/payments raised over the total amount due for the Britsionary's trip, will go to Brit's Home to support the children who live there.

What does it mean to be a “Britsionary”? Being a Britsionary means different things to everyone, but in essence it means you are continuing the compassion of Britney Gengel. Britsionarys travel to Haiti and work side-by-side with Haitian workers and interact with the children at BLB - to achieve a common goal - to fulfill Britney's last wish to help the children of Haiti.

Our Britsionarys have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skills yet they are able to work together to help bring hope to the children of  Brit's Home. In our past trips, we have had students, nurses, social workers, teachers, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters - and everyone has played an essential role in building Brit's Home and making our children feel deserving of love. We have also been blessed to have skilled tradespeople such as carpenters, plumbers, and electricians donate their time and teach their Haitian counterparts their skills and techniques. 

Our Britsionary Program was created to provide an opportunity for volunteers to gain a better understanding of global partnerships and cultures. Short-term Britsionary groups take a 1 week service trip to Brit's Home in Haiti, to help with youth and community outreach projects and immerse themselves in the beautiful Haitian culture. This program gives young adults an opportunity to enhance their understanding of poverty and development while also broadening their global perspective. For non-medical Britsionarys, the mornings are spent building a home for a family in need in our community, and the afternoons are spent doing programatic activities with the children (field trips, coloring, games, learning activities, etc.). For medical Britsionarys, the mornings and some afternoons are spent working in the BLB or local public clinic, and the remaining time is spent with the children and the Britsionary group.

About Be Like Brit

In many ways, Britney Gengel of Rutland Massachusetts was a typical 19-year-old young woman, but her humor, passion and deep sense of caring for those less fortunate made her memorable to all who met her. It was her compassion for others that brought Britney to Haiti on January 11, 2010, just a day before a catastrophic earthquake claimed an estimated 230,000 lives and rocked the small, poverty-stricken country. Britney had spent the day visiting a Haitian orphanage where she and fellow students of Lynn University, met the Haitian orphans they had traveled so far to help. Just a few hours later, Britney, three of her fellow students, and two Lynn University professors lost their lives in the rubble of the Hotel Montana in Port-Au-Prince. Britney was missing for 33 days before her remains were recovered.

Fortunately, Britney’s dream did not die with her. Only hours before the earthquake, Britney sent a text message to her family that read:

“They love us so much and everyone is so happy. 
They love what they have and they work so hard to get nowhere, yet they are all so appreciative. I want to move here and start an orphanage myself.”
- Britney Gengel, 3 hours before the earthquake

These forty words would sustain Britney’s family through the tragedy and, ultimately, serve as the driving force behind the establishment of Be Like Brit and the decision to build an orphanage in Grand Goâve for the children of Haiti. 

Our Mission: Our commitment is to continue the compassion of Britney Gengel by serving the children of Haiti and sustaining a safe, nurturing home, rooted in the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love, while developing a sense of social responsiblity, community involvement, and unconditional love.
Our Vision: To raise the next generation of leaders in Haiti.



Be Like Brit Foundation, Inc. is an official U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, tax ID #27-1857525.