ABOUT US

My name is Marie Lagman, a Filipino-American born in the Manila and raised in the U.S. In 2007, my parents, my two sons, and I started volunteering at a Massachusetts non-profit that sent used books to the Philippines to open libraries in poor communities. It was the perfect opportunity for three generations of my family to work side-by-side while connecting with our Filipino roots and making a positive contribution.

As we began to sponsor our own libraries in Philippine schools and make connections with their teachers and principals, the work became more personal. We saw pictures of students unable to take notes from the blackboard because they can't afford a sheet of paper, heard accounts of children whose walk to school includes rummaging through trash cans for their lunch, and read e-mails from teachers explaining that with no books, their students have little to feed their imagination and even less on which to build aspirations. All of a sudden, the overwhelming socio-economic issues of a far-off country were simplified to the needs of a girl who is so hungry she can’t stay awake in class, a boy who has never known the joy of smelling a fresh box of

crayons, and a teacher who wishes she had a story book to read to her students. We became empowered by the realization that helping a single child was enough to make the effort worthwhile.

Of course, there was little we could do from our home in Massachusetts without someone in the Philippines who shared our vision. Thankfully, my father’s cousin generously took on the mantle of being our “angelic quartermaster,” identifying where there was need and distributing whatever aid we could provide. Each thank you note scribbled by a student and each photo documenting their appreciation, inspired us to do more. Eventually, my family realized that we had to organize our ad hoc outreach initiatives, and that is how The Lagman-Prouty Foundation was born.

We ask for your help in supporting and promoting our mission to give these children the essentials to learn, grow, and thrive. They are worth it.

Sincerely,

The Lagman-Prouty Family