For LaShawn Thompson, the first glimpse of what would inspire and drive her came when she was just 5 years old. She woke up for school one day and found that her mom had abandoned her.
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"So being a person that was in need of help myself, if I see someone that has a need and it's a true need -- so that's the thing for me, a true need and I can help -- I'm going to help. So it just comes from within. It's just a part of who I am, you know, that nurturing, caregiving sometimes ... to a fault, you know?" Thompson said. "It's just a part of who God made me."
Thompson would rise out of her challenging circumstances and thrive. She would eventually co-pioneer the largest church in Durham and go on to mentor and counsel thousands of women -- helping them to stand up to their demons and face them head-on.
During a mission trip to Kenya in 2012 her focus shifted. She saw children struggling, missing school, missing meals and she knew she could help.
By 2015 she had started Projects of Hope, a group that works to "make sustainable change for children in impoverished parts of the world."
"That's really who I am today, and it's really because of all that I've gone through all that I've been healed from, and I desire for every single boy and girl that was of my age at that time especially. I love little kids to be healed, to have what they need, and if I can meet that need, that is what I'm going to do."
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Projects of Hope helps build schools and provide basic needs (like water and food) for struggling communities around the world.
"They're rich with heart and spirit, you know what I mean? So they don't see poverty that way. Even though there is poverty there, they don't see it that way," Quan Burgos, the construction coordinator for Projects of Hope said.
The non-profit also helps children in the Triangle. It organizes food drives especially around back-to-school time to help make sure families are getting off on the right foot.
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Thompson said she understands what it's like to go without, and she wants to make sure few children in the world ever feel that way.
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Going forward, Thompson has big plans for Projects of Hope. She said she wants to build a type of house where children can learn life skills, receive mentorship and access counseling.
"When you reach your goals, do not forget that there's somebody behind you looking to see 'How can I get this done?' Reach back and help them get it done. It is never too late to start something," Thompson said.
"When I die, I want to be remembered like how she lives her life," Burgos said.
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