Hahnville High School senior Lee Robichaux is out to make a difference, and he’s going about it in a unique and positive way.
As part of his senior project, Robichaux is focusing on helping orphans living in San Andres, Guatemala, the home of the orphanage Casa Hogar Feliz. The orphanage is home to boys and girls ranging from ages 10 to 16.
Robichaux wants to donate funds to allow those children to each be able to pick out their own pair of shoes at a local shoe store, hoping to not only supply the means to buy the shoes, but also bolster the local economy.
“I have always been a part of a loving family where I may not have had everything I wanted, but definitely had everything I needed,” Robichaux said. “I cannot imagine what it is like to be raised in an orphanage my entire life with the only family being my care takers that come and go and the other children that I have lived with my entire life. I have received encouragement to follow my dreams and to always dream big, but these young people do not have that kind of support.”
He plans to make the trip in December during Destrehan’s Christmas break. He will also be purchasing various gifts for the children, as well as other necessarily day-to-day supplies. He notes that because adoptions have been suspended in Guatemala, orphanages have struggled to keep their doors open and often find it difficult to do upkeep on the facilities.
“It means the orphans may receive only necessities and not anything extra,” he said. “They are fed staple foods that can be purchased in bulk and at a low cost.”
Robichaux said he got the idea to facilitate a trip to the shoe store from stories his mother recounted to him from her trip to the same orphanage.
“She told me how excited the children were to go to the shoe store and select their own shoes,” he said. “Before that moment, they only had the option to own shoes that were brought to them by mission teams and were not always new. For many of them, it was the first pair of shoes they owned. I wanted to carry on that experience and allow them to go to the shoe store at least one more time.”
He said he wanted the teens to choose and own their own shoes, shoes that would assuredly fit, with nobody left without.
Guatemala is especially meaningful to the senior because his baby sister was adopted from Santiago Atitlan, which is in the highlands region of Guatemala. He made several trips to the country with his mother and the things he has4seen there have always stuck with him.
“I truly came to love the people, culture, and the poverty I saw reshaped the way I see my own life. I thought by going to help I would be helping them and giving so much, but when I returned home I realized they had given me more than I ever thought to give them,” Robichaux explained. “I learned to appreciate the things that I have and accept the things that I do not. I also learned how important it is to help others around me that do not have as much as I do.”
The age group of the children also drew Robichaux’s attention, as it is his belief children at those ages don’t necessarily receive the same kind of attention as their younger counterparts in the same situation.
“What everyone misses is that these young people need visitors,” Robichaux said. “They need to feel loved and wanted instead of being portrayed as too old for attention. I wanted to show them even though I am their age I still care about them and I want to help.”
To help fund the project, Robichaux has created a GoFundMe page for those interested in donating to help the cause. The page can be found at gofundme.com/e68mpcng.
“I appreciate every person that is willing to help make this possible and no donation is too small,” Robichaux said. “A simple act of kindness can make a life long change in someone’s life.”
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