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by VERONICA CISNEROS
“One day I just sat at my computer and thought to myself, ‘I am going to start my own organization to fight child poverty,’”
Monique Johnson says.
That thought has probably traversed the young minds in today’s society that incessantly dream up ways to make a positive impact on the world, a passion that is rare among today’s mostly apathetic youth. While many dreams do encompass these grand thoughts, Monique is boldly taking steps to make this dream a reality.
“Why not?” she says.
That one summer day in 2009 was the day the 17-year-old high school senior created 5, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting poverty and hunger among youth. The name 5 is derived from the average life expectancy of children in Ethiopia due to extreme malnutrition.
“Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes,” Monique says. “That’s one child every five seconds. My dream is to be a part of splitting that number in half.”
Her aspiration is driven by the determination to help “silence a child’s stomach.” Poverty is something she is especially passionate about.
Monique has served the community by volunteering at Chez Hope and the
Lafourche Parish Home for the Elderly. She also collects clothes annually to donate to those in need and has tutored children at Thibodaux Elementary. Along with one of her friends, she has helped to start a club at Thibodaux High School called “Girl Talk” that helps young middle-school girls transition to high school.
She plans to attend Louisiana State University in the fall of 2011 to major in philosophy, and one day hopes to “be on the Oprah Show and talk about the fabulous things the charity has done for children in
poverty around the world.” Creating a non-profit organization seems like a natural objective for this young humanitarian. This past Christmas,
5 raised $200 for Chez Hope, and that’s just the beginning.
Monique remains ambitious. Next summer she hopes to visit Cape Town, South Africa, with Global Leadership Adventures, a Peace Corps for teens, to volunteer in orphanages, schools and community centers to “give hope to the youth of the city.”
Monique also aims to help lower Louisiana’s poverty rate, the second highest in the nation. A current goal for 5 is to help provide funds to
remodel Thibodaux’s Salvation Army to “give people in low-income
situations a beautiful place to shop like the rest of middle-class America.”
Monique e-mailed Jessica Durocher, executive director of Thibodaux Main Street Inc., to express her desire for 5 to host a fashion show to benefit the remodeling of the local Salvation Army.
“It was evident that she really wants to make a change,” Jessica says.
“It was impressive. I remember being in high school wanting to make
a difference in the world. We are very excited and supportive of a young woman really wanting to come in and do something big.”
Jessica says the Salvation Army is a remarkable organization and one of the only places in the community that assists lower-income families. Any assistance would be beneficial to the organization.
“You guys are amazing,” Monique adds about Thibodaux Main Street Inc. She is excited about the fashion show, an event she has dreamed of hosting since her childhood days.
The fashion show, dubbed Hungry for Fashion, will be hosted in historic downtown Thibodaux in conjunction with Thibodaux Main Street Inc. on July 31 from 3 to 7 p.m. Monique’s friends will be
modeling the “hottest clothes” local boutiques have to offer.
The two organizations are hoping to gain sponsors in order to raise the money, but Jessica says that raising awareness is equally important. There will be T-shirts and a raffle at the event, and donations are
accepted.
For now, the budding organization 5 is devoted to serving local areas, but Monique hopes it will bloom beyond the Thibodaux area. Her
next step after the fashion show is to become a 501(c)(3) charitable
organization. She is hoping 5 will eventually become a movement
as big as UNICEF.
“That’s one of the things we are doing to help her,” Jessica says about Thibodaux Main Street Inc. serving as 5’s fiscal sponsor. “I hope from our current involvement that further down the line she’ll have more people jumping in and wanting to help out. We’re excited to help her get this going.”
Getting involved is not restricted to joining 5. Doing anything to help people in low-income situations would help 5’s cause.
“Honestly, I don’t care about changing the entire world, but if I could change just one child’s life, then my God can take me,” Monique says.
“If I can just inspire one person to go out and get their dream, then I’ll die happy because, to me, I’ll have lived a full life.” PoV |
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