Meeting the Mission! | Be Like Brit |

At last weekend's Gala in Boston, I announced with great pride and a great sense of accomplishment that our 66th child would be enrolling on Monday, November 17. Some things never change, and in true "it's Haiti" fasion, our sweet girl Kathiana came home to us at Be Like Brit on Tuesday, November 18. A very bittersweet day for a lot of different reasons. At any rate, Len and Cherylann's vision of creating a home where 33 boys and 33 girls would feel loved and safe has come to be a reality. It's all very surreal, and while the day to day might be a bit busier and a bit more chaotic, things continue to run smoothly at Be Like Brit...

Indeed, my trip north was a bit of a whirlwind. Having returned with a Britsionary group on Friday evening, meeting up with Len, Cherylann, and Bernie on Saturday early afternoon to put the final touches on our respective talks at the event, and the event itself lasting until midnight, we were busy! After the event I got to spend some time with Melissa and Kristin, outside of work, with our good friends Lauren, Eileen, Kathy, Coleen, and Erin. My departure from Boston back to Miami on Sunday was after a wonderful morning of laughs amongst friends. A great time, indeed.

As I made my way south back towards the country I call home, I reflected on what this journey has been like. It's been unlike nothing else I've ever ventured to accomplish. On the plane and my overnight in Miami, I read back through blog entries from the first weeks and months we were operating as an orphanage here at BLB, and couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. Those days were so filled with mystery and of new experiences. After visiting more than 100 families and homes to assess children for eligibility to our program, the reality that this aspect of my work has come to a close was something that did not settle in easily, as it has always been the preferred part of my job: Meeting families and talking with people in their homes and communities.

Somehow, in what seems to have been a blink (or two) of the eyes, we've transformed entirely...

It's hard to believe that I once wondered how on earth we would get seven children up and dressed and ready for church and school. Now we do it with 66 children with relative ease. Although the volume level in the house has increased dramatically, the flow has remained much the same. Our schedule is flexible enough to be conducive to the realities of living in a place with 66 children, with a dozen or so employees on hand with visitors popping in both on a schedule and at random. We've grown and adapted so much and so very well. My return from the Gala in Boston was to an amazing and incredible sight. Just as we posed with our 7 in this photo above (March, 2013), our staff and children were eagerly awaiting my arrival. Our numbers slightly higher, the tradition remains. And we embrace it.

What we've been able to accomplish at Be Like Brit has been anything but an "us" feat. Indeed, were it nor for the unwavering support of literally thousands of individuals, civic groups, church groups, and other organizations, we would not be here today. We are especially fortunate this weekend to have with us four very special friends.

What we're calling Men's Weekend in Haiti is really a group of four individuals who have given to Be Like Brit in ways we can never fully explain and words can never fully describe. PJ has served as a friend and mentor to Len and Cherylann as they began the process of starting up a nongovernmental organization and is the man responsible for coining the name of this nonprofit - Be Like Brit. He is a founding member of our Board of Directors and has been a staunch supporter of the Gengel family and all of our efforts here at Be Like Brit. Through Eagle Hill School, PJ has helped BLB acquire a bus to transport our children, and announced to us last night that another bus was on its way to us! Now that we have 66 children, this is such a critical need! We can't thank PJ enough for coming to Haiti to see first-hand the amazing work being done here and the ways in which his guidance and efforts have helped make that happen.

Mike, a childhood friend of Len's, is here, too. Together with his wife and family, a total of 6 trips to Brit's Orphanage have been made, with more scheduled for next year. Mike and his family support our children through child sponsorship and their commitment to our cause and their amazing support of our organization are true examples of what it means to continue the compassion of Britney Gengel.

Paul has been to Haiti 3 times now, and also serves as a member of our Board of Directors. Having built a house for one of our most dedicated employees in March of 2013, Paul had to come back to visit the friends he's made here in Grand Goâve and to witness for himself how things have changed since his last visit. His expertise and his service on our Board is invaluable and we're happy to call Paul a dear friend.

Finally, Doug is with us. Doug and his wife are responsible for donating the space which as I write this is being moved in to so that we will be able to move all of our operations in the U.S. to this location at 66 Pullman Street! Doug and his wife so graciously gave this space to Be Like Brit and have allowed us to develop and build out a fully functioning office and warehouse operation - the Operations Center, or "OC" as we call it. The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze us and we're so thrilled to call them dear friends.

These four men exemplify what it means to Be Like Brit. We're so thankful and grateful for all of those who support our work, but this week, we'd like to acknowledge the amazing and selfless contributions of these friends.

As the OC is set to open Monday, be sure to stop in and visit! You can stop in for a tour, or bring any and all donations to this location! Len and Cherylann will surely be happy to have their garage space back for the onset of winter (for those of you who are enduring winter right now, we feel for you. It's 80 here today!) Now that we've learned about having another bus to fill up and ship down, we can use your continued generosity and support! Let's "FILL THAT BUS!"

As we near the Holiday Season, be sure to keep up on ways in which you can help us out at Be Like Brit! Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday will be special events for our organization and we have ambitious goals for each of those days. We know everyone has different capacities for giving and we want you to know that literally every little bit helps! Whether it's through child sponsorship or an in-kind donation, the children at Be Like Brit are reaping the benefits of your selflessness. On behalf of my Team here in Haiti and the 66 children who now call Be Like Brit home, mesi anpil, or thank you very much.

Don't forget to visit our online store this holiday season, too! We have lots of great Be Like Brit gear available for sale! They make great gifts! All proceeds benefit the Be Like Brit Orphanage!

God Bless, and thank you for Helping us Help the Children of Haiti at Be Like Brit!!!