About Us
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Our Background
The idea for FTWF came about when Aeli Poydras, a local Baton Rouge lawyer and public servant, approached two friends, Matt Gamble and Blake May, about helping Aeli’s neighbor who was in need. This neighbor was struggling to keep up with his home rent payments because of a recent event that drained all available cash resources. Aeli felt compelled to help support his neighbor and enlisted Matt and Blake to help raise the necessary bridge funds from friends and family. The three men felt that raising funds this way, while good intentioned, was unsustainable so they devised a plan to take their charity to the next level and decided to try to scale from a charitable act into a charitable engine and FTWF was born.
Meager Beginnings
Soon after legal formation, Blake May assembled a group of community leaders, who have a history of charitable involvement, to form what might best be described as a well aligned cohort of soft-hearts and forward thinkers who care about the future of the communities located within the inner city of Baton Rouge. A mission was created to provide shelter, companionship, and spiritual guidance to individuals and families in the Baton Rouge community that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The first FTWF house was purchased in the midcity community through a generous donation and a team of 75 friends and family was formed to create a network of support for future house guests. Through this house team network, the foundation house was repaired, repainted and furnished.
With Your Help, We are are helping Families grow
Current Operations
FTWF is in year two of operation and the foundation home is currently occupied by a single mother and her 8 year old son (house guests). Thanks to the financial support during a seed fundraising round from our house team and family members, we have operating funds to take us into 2024.
The foundation has a close relationship with the Baton Rouge St. Vincent de Paul society and the board has established a formal selection process for house guests. Each house guest family is paired with four house Shepherds, selected from the house team, that will serve as advisors and companions on a weekly basis. Their primary goal is to assist our house guests in breaking the cycle of poverty by building a trustful friendship, utilizing the house team resources, public welfare programs, and church assistance.
Future direction
FTWF has successfully set up a process to to select, support, and shelter a family in need and at risk of becoming homeless. But we believe we can do more. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37
We plan to work closely with Sacred Heart Parish and St. Vincent de Paul to continue to identify these “at risk” families and our goal for the future is to provide multiple houses to several of these Baton Rouge families in Mid-city and North Baton Rouge. We need your donation to support the operations of our current home a to purchase and maintain additional homes.
Mission focused
We work with each guest and their family to come up with affordable rent options that fit their current financial situation in order to temporarily relieve the financial stress of daunting rent payments so that they can focus on getting their lives back on track. With the house team’s ongoing support throughout the year, our guests have access to resources that will serve to support their social, financial, health, and spiritual needs.
Our message
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Your Donations Make a HUGE Impact
Thank you for considering a donation to Finding the Way Foundation. We are excited to have you join us on our mission to spread the Good News of Salvation through Christ Jesus by providing shelter, companionship, and spiritual guidance to the underserved in the Baton Rouge community.
We hope that you can offer up your prayers of love and support to our house guests so that they can also come to experience and accept God’s grace. In this document we will share with you how we are faithfully carrying out the FTWF mission and how your financial support can help us achieve that mission.
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