WORCESTER, Mass. - On January 12, 2020, The Be Like Brit Foundation will be honoring the 10-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.
More than 300,000 people were killed, including Rutland native Britney Gengel, when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit on January 10, 2010. The 19-year-old was in Haiti on a humanitarian mission trip with a group from Lynn University.
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Since it opened, it became the largest employer in the Grand Goave community with over 100 employees.
In 2013, her family opened a memorial orphanage named “Brit’s Home” in Grand Goave, Haiti in her honor. It is home to 66 children ages 7 to 18.
Brit’s Home in Grand-Goâve, Haiti was built to honor the memory of our daughter Britney Gengel, who died tragically in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti along with approximately of 300,000 others. To honor her life and to honor her commitment to those less fortunate among us, we’ve built this home and are now working towards fulfilling our Vision to raise the next generation of leaders in Haiti.
— Len and Cherylann Gengel - Britney's parents
The foundation, created by Britney’s parents, will be premiering a 10-year-anniversary documentary on their social platforms.
Len Gengel will be in Florida at Lynn University on January 10 and 11 to discuss the anniversary and attend memorial services while Cherylann Gengel will attend the Be Like Brit Foundation’s first open house.
[ ‘What she started, we will finish’: Rutland family keeps quake victim’s mission alive for a decade ]
You can read more about The Be Like Brit foundation here and here.
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In September 2019, Boston 25 News anchor Vanessa Welch spoke at the Be Like Brit 5K Walk.