With Puerto Rico still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and damaging earthquakes, volunteers are stepping up to help the island in unconventional ways.
By: Heather Newgen
Puerto Rico has always been a popular vacation spot and destination for tourists, but for Lou Rod it's something much more--it's home.
“My family, including my grandparents and mother, were both impacted by the hurricane. It broke me," Rod revealed.
Although he no longer lives in Puerto Rico, he comes back often to visit family and friends, and when he saw the amount of destruction and how many people were affected by the events, he decided to do something about it.
Rod who is the, Founder and CEO of MLR Artist Management, created the campaign Care 4 Puerto, which helps the locals in a few ways. One, he travels with his creative team of professional hairstylists, makeup artists and manicurists to the island to give residents makeovers. Two, he brings essential supplies like clothing, diapers and batteries to hand out to anyone in need and he also helps stimulate the economy by hiring locals for the days he's in town doing a variety of projects.
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“A lot of times when you think about giving service after such devastation, you think about rebuilding a home or getting water supplies or food supplies–those are the basic needs to survive. We’re not necessarily building houses here. We’re not in those types of industries or trades, but we were able to use a trade that we specialize in. We were able to create a project where we’re providing comfort, we’re providing luxury services that is the first that’s taken away from individuals because they’re trying to make ends meet,” Rod told The Voluntourist.
For the last three years, the talented group of artists have visited Puerto Rico on their own dime to volunteer, and will continue to do so on an annual basis.
Please watch the video to see Rod and his team in action as they give back and make a positive impact in Puerto Rico.