Caroline Boudreaux: “The secret is in continuing and committing”

In India, she spent the majority of her time volunteering in villages and meeting new people. One day, a villager invited her and her friend to dinner at his place. But when she went that night, she was shocked to see that his house was also an orphanage. She was not expecting this. As she ate and spent time with the kids, a little girl fell asleep on her lap. After a little bit, she went to put her to sleep on her bed and found that her bed was a wooden plank. She broke down and could not believe that these kids had to live in this condition. Immediately, she started thinking of the many other kids in all areas of the world who live in such conditions and felt haunted by that thought. The fact that children are not able to get the life they deserve has haunted her for so long and it still does. In fact, she is still trying to overcome the emotional aspect of this as she looks at all these kids on the streets and wishes to give them the world. This is what led to the birth of Miracle Foundation.

However, when she went to India to start this, she realized she didn’t know enough about the situation there. There were large amounts of corruption and it even ended up in many people wanting to sue her for what she was doing. She had no clue as to what was going on and felt so stuck in this moment. She worked so hard to get to this point, to get the licenses and do the research and it was not working out the way she anticipated it to. 

It was then that she was met with reality. She found that there were kids who were perceived by the public as “ugly” and “unhealthy” due to the conditions they were in and so many families did not want them. She then realized that she needed to switch her focus. It was that moment that made her realize that she wanted to help those kids. The kids who were not wanted. She knew that these kids were far, inconveniently located, and hard to reach, but she didn’t let that stop her. The idea that these kids are living without a family haunted her and she let that get to her because it pushed her to keep going. She told herself that she is going to do something, anything, every single day to contribute to Miracle Foundation. Whatever it is, she committed to devoting even a very little amount of time each day to helping Miracle Foundation grow. Many of the days, she didn’t know what she needed to do and felt in such an uncertain position. She had no idea what she was doing but she knew that she needed to keep going. She still remembers the first day that she sat at her desk and she knew what she had to do that day. The first time that she knew what she had to do for Miracle Foundation.

While starting Miracle Foundation, and still today, Caroline has felt uncertain not about the success of the organization but about whether or not she would be able to reach her goal of finding a family for each child. However, whenever this thought crosses her mind, she reminds herself that she needs to be grateful for what she has been able to do so far to help these kids. She looks at how far she has come and how many lives she was able to change with Miracle Foundation. As she continued, she found that when there is purity in the intention, people pick up on it and are willing to help the cause. 

What determines success and determination is not only doing whatever you can to contribute to your journey but also not doing some things in your journey. A few years after she started Miracle Foundation, Caroline partnered with someone in India to build an orphanage for 300 kids who she sponsored. She worked with him to build this orphanage and after all the kids settled in, she found that the person she worked with started to take some of the money for himself when he was not supposed to. When she asked him to get an audit done to continue the orphanage, he refused. She then had to walk away from this situation and tell him she could not support these kids anymore. It was by far one of the hardest things she had to do but she knew that she had to get away from the situation. Years later, some of these kids found her on WhatsApp and later met with her. When they asked her what happened and why she had to leave, they ended up telling her that she did the right thing.

Now, Miracle Foundation has become something that Caroline just loves to do. It’s her passion and she is so grateful to be able to help kids live the life they deserve. Her husband told her that she can retire whenever she wants but she continues to commit. 

If you would like to help Miracle Foundation transform the lives of many children, check out the Student Ambassador program on their website (click the link here) or find more ways to donate. The Student Ambassador program works to give students tablets with the right educational material to help enhance their learning, especially during the pandemic when online education is not easily accessible to many. 

Speaking with Caroline has been one of the most inspiring moments of my life. Her story her journey, and her purpose amazes me. The fact that she was able to get so much done to help society and she still continues to do more is so amazing and I felt so touched by it. When speaking to her, I could feel her passion for what she is doing and her purpose. From this, I not only learned the importance of just committing but also the importance of knowing your purpose. When I asked her if she ever felt uncertain about what she and Miracle Foundation would be able to accomplish, she said that she still does feel that way but she reminds herself how far she came. I learned that it’s not only about growing and reaching higher but also about being proud of how far you have come so far in the journey. 

It’s all about the journey and the progress, not what is left to do.