By Alexis Gonzalez 

Margie Pierrelouis, founder of Flourishing, was brought into the Red Cross Sarasota Community Adaptation Program (CAP) through a mutual referral already working with the Red Cross. Flourishing works with young ladies 14 and up with life and job skills and their families to promote success as girls in the community navigate through high school and after graduation. Their mission is to help girls find their place in the world. 

Flourishing has an afterschool program that teaches female students life and job skills, mental health, hygiene importance and overall support. Along with the afterschool program, Pierrelouis has now incorporated another project to keep the girls involved in their community with Mothers Helping Mothers. Pierrelouis picks up clothing that needs sorting and brings it to the girls. After they finish their schoolwork, they can gain volunteer hours they may need for school by sorting the clothing.  

Being trilingual in English, Spanish, and Creole, Pierrelouis has bridged the information gap, reaching communities with language barriers. This communication was vital to bringing resources to community members in their language. 

Through CAP, the Red Cross provided furniture and technology, such as computers, for Flourishing's facility, which opened in January of this year. Pierrelouis brought families in to use the computers to apply for resources and translate for them. At the same time, Martha Brookley from Mothers Helping Mothers made a guide so community members would know what information they needed to bring.  

"We work hand in hand with other CAP partners in the community. The relationships have developed to where we are all just a phone call away from each other," said Pierrelouis. 

Glama Carter, Community Manager of the Red Cross Sarasota County CAP and Pierrelouis conducted a Red Cross feeding mission in Newtown when they put their CAP training to work. They were waiting for a Red Cross emergency response vehicle to deliver hot meals when they got stuck in traffic and pushed behind schedule. 

Their first thought was that they would need tables to serve the food, and at that moment, Pierrelouis jumped up in joy, saying, "I have tables! The ones you [the Red Cross] donated." 

"It was an 'aha' moment when we saw our CAP partnership working," said Pierrelouis. 

The ladies drove to the Flourishing facility to bring the tables, chairs, lights, and generators and set up the hot meals once they were delivered. While folks were waiting, Pierrelouis had the idea of calling a local restaurant struggling after the hurricanes to purchase meals for the community. They served over 100 improvised meals. 

"Being in this program has created an environment where we are constantly seeing each other and growing our relationships to the point that we are volunteering our time to help each other at each other's organizations. It feels natural," said Pierrelouis. 

As Flourishing takes the next step forward, Pierrelouis prioritizes collaborating with the Red Cross to bring preparedness classes to the community. She saw firsthand how vital disaster preparedness is through her daughter, who attended a Red Cross preparedness class for kids. 

Through the class, Tegan learned to fit her disaster essentials into a pillowcase. When the light flickered, and Milton came through, she grabbed her pillowcase. "It comforted her, knowing she was prepared and had something to hold. 

As Pierrelouis continues to empower young ladies in the Sarasota community, she does the same with her daughter. Tegan attended the feeding in Newtown and said, "When I grow up, I want to do what the Red Cross does so I can make a difference."