Today’s Purpose:

Corretta Scott King was quoted as saying “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Sometimes, when we think about community, we focus solely on our neighbors. Yes, we should be participants in our community, but we should also think about community in a broader sense. Consider our online community, our ancestral community, and those with whom we share a nationality. Today’s guest is Haitian American Vanessa Fleury, the founder and director of Carl’s Village.She’s taken the idea of impacting her community to the next level by starting a nonprofit.

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Impacting Community | Business with Purpose Podcast EP 145: Vanessa Fleury

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Things You Don’t Want To Miss:

2:00 – The Vanessa 101

Vanessa is Haitian American. She was born in New York, and she grew up in Miami. She shares a strong connection with all three locations.
After college, Vanessa tried the AmeriCorps program. She wanted work experience, and in 2011, she started working with Haitian immigrants after the earthquake to help them get legal status in order to work in the U.S.
She later received a masters degree in Nonprofit Management, and now she’s started her own nonprofit, Carl’s Village.
The organization is named after Vanessa’s grandfather who passed away in 2015. It was a wonderful way to honor and continue his legacy.

4:31 -The Background On Carl’s Village

Carl’s Village works in the region of Grand-Goâve, Haiti.
Education is privatized in Haiti, meaning many parents can’t afford to send their kids to school. Carl’s Village fills in the education gaps through after school community programs.
Vanessa’s grandfather was an accountant and entrepreneur in Haiti. He’d always wanted to assist the local community, and after he died, Vanessa met with Canadian missionaries who helped her identify ways to support children in the community. She wanted to work that wasn’t already being done by other organizations.
In addition to its after school programs, Carl’s Village launched a community garden. The also feed their students in order to alleviate malnutrition.

12:30 – Civil Unrest In Haiti

Right now in Haiti there are lots of protest against government corruption. The Venezuelan government gave money to Haiti to provide infrastructure, and the people are demanding accountability for how the relief funds are being used.
Inflation is a real problem in Haiti. The value of Haitian currency is drastically sinking while the cost of living is going up. Protests broke out in the capital of Port-Au-Prince as a result.
Grand-Goâve is two hours south of Haiti’s capital. They’ve been able to avoid direct civil unrest, but as a result of the political turmoil, they’re not able to receive as many resources to the community.

18:33 – Working Internationally While Being Stateside

Vanessa shares the story of her parents’ journey to the United States in the 1970s.
Vanessa still lives in the United States, and she runs her nonprofit in Haiti from abroad. She says technology is essential to keeping everything running smoothly.

21:52 – A Moment Of Realization

Vanessa jokingly claims every Caribbean parent wants their child to become a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, an engineer, or an accountant. Every other path is seemingly out of left field. Vanessa’s parents wanted her to be a lawyer, but it didn’t feel like it was the right fit for her.
Vanessa joined a public service sorority in college. She said it just felt right. It was the first time she realized she might be able to make a career out of working in the nonprofit industry.

24:02 – Advice For Those Starting Out

You cannot do this work alone. You have to find the right team, and you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. Find the people you need to accomplish your mission.

25:53 – Vision For The Future

Carl’s Village is a safe space for kids. Vanessa wants to provide children with the resources to excel and realize what they want to become in the future.
She wants the community to become a family. She wants the older kids to become leaders and provide stability to the area.

Getting To Know Our Guest:

27:54 – Vanessa shares with us her whackiest superstitions including the importance of scrubbing her house on New Year’s Eve. She also reveals her love of Whitney Houston, a weird family tradition, and what she’s most grateful for today.

A Memorable Moment:

Meet Your Guest:

Vanessa Fleury is the founder and director of Carl’s Village. Carl’s Village is a nonprofit agency providing tutoring and after school programs for young people in the region of Grand-Goâve, Haiti. Their goal is to establish a community that will create sustainable pathways to academic success and self-empowerment for young people in Haiti.

Website: www.carlsvillage.org

Instagram: _carlsvillage

Facebook: @CarlsVillage

Linkedin: Vanessa Fleury