WORCESTER, Mass., Jan. 7, 2020 — Britney Gengel was a beautiful, fearless and compassionate 19-year-old when she decided to travel to the country of Haiti. The children she met gave her so much love she was inspired to send the following text to her mother just three hours before the earthquake:
“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.”
Shortly after sending the text, a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, killing an estimated 300,000 people, including Britney. She was missing for 33 days and thanks to the USA Southern Command, she was recovered and brought home to Massachusetts for a proper burial.
Her family could not let her die in vain. In loving memory, they started the Be Like Brit Foundation, Inc. During the course of two years, a 19,000 square foot earthquake-proof, non-adoptive orphanage was built in Grand Goave, Haiti — the town where Brit was supposed to travel to the day after the earthquake.
Brit’s Home in Haiti is home to 33 boys and 33 girls. Our commitment is to continue the compassion of Britney Gengel by serving the children of Haiti through sustaining a safe, nurturing home rooted in the virtues of Faith, Hope and Love while developing a sense of social responsibility, community involvement and unconditional love. Our goal is crystal clear, to raise the next generation of leaders in Haiti.
In addition, Be Like Brit has brought over 1,800 people to Haiti through their “Britsionary” Program and has constructed over 145 houses for local families in need. We would like to thank all of our supporters over the past 10 years, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. Our hearts are with the families of the 300,000 Haitians who passed away in the earthquake.
On January 12, 2020, Be Like Brit will be premiering their special 30-minute 10-year anniversary documentary on all social media platforms.