Lauren’s philanthropy career started as a teenager when her father, an AME minister, and her mother, a social worker, gathered the family together to write grants for their church’s newly established 501(c)3. He told them they needed to come up with ways the church can be self-sustaining. It is with his wisdom that Lauren learned first-hand what it means to “teach a man to fish”. It wasn’t until over a decade later, with Public Allies Pittsburgh, that she was able to utilize her honed grassroots skills and passion to bring her dreams to life.
Lauren sees it as her calling to help those around her. Whether it is registering PA felons to vote, planning Girl Scout activities, researching opportunities for artists, or providing clerical duties for her church’s food bank. She’s always willing to jump in with a bright smile and a boisterous laugh.
Lauren and her daughter, Anise Lorraine, are passionate about exploring Pittsburgh's parks, attending arts and cultural events, searching for new restaurants, and dancing the house down during living room dance parties. It is their mission to visit family, socialize with friends, and play and laugh as much as possible.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
-James A. Baldwin