n 2005, Gilda Jean-Louis and her late sister, Marie Joseph, RN, co-founded the Elise Joseph Foundation (EJF), a charitable, nonprofit organization that provides education, cross-cultural and health promotion to Haitian families.
For the past 13 years, Ms. Jean-Louis and the EJF team have convened health fairs, hosted a community relations radio show, raised awareness of the plight of Haitian-Creole-speaking refugees living in the Philadelphia area, in collaboration with the Haitian Clergy of Philadelphia, the Haitian Coalition of Philadelphia, and numerous government and community organizations.
She is the recipient of numerous honors including the Harold Howard Leadership Award, HIAS Pennsylvania Advocacy Award, American Red Cross SEPA Regional Chapter Clara Barton Outstanding Humanitarian Award, City of Philadelphia City Council Echoes of Africa Community Service Award, Haitian Clergy Association Community Service Award for Outstanding Service to the Haitian Community, and the Haitian Coalition of Philadelphia Haitian Community Leadership Award.
Ms. Jean-Louis works at Eastern University where she provides administrative services for the Nursing Department chair and faculty. She is a native of Haiti who has been living in the U.S. since 1969. The West Philadelphia resident is a cancer survivor, a single parent of four adult Haitian-Americans and grandmother of four, Ms. Jean-Louis earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management and a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management from Eastern University. She is currently a student at Palmer Theological Seminary.
Recently, Ms. Jean-Louis sat with FunTimes and shared her thought: The most defining moment in my life was the night the Lord orchestrated a group of Haitian missionaries in Brooklyn, N.Y. to lead me to Christ in the Haitian Church of God of Flatbush during the most challenging time of my life. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, used that moment to set the stage to steer my life and direct me to Philadelphia and ultimately to my career in service. There is no greater honor than to be called to serve and live a life of servant leadership.
Challenges: For the past 13 years, among the challenges that I have faced is getting people to understand that the need to financially support services for Haitian families in the United States is one of the best ways to give a hand up to those in need in Haiti.
They are the backbone of economic support for those living in Haiti and ensure that they get the help needed directly. Our people have special needs due to language barriers; hence, we speak their language fluently, we know how to serve our people because we understand their cultural norms. Access the kind of resources they need in order to fulfill the mission of the EJF to provide educational, cross-cultural, health promotion and humanitarian services for Haitian families. Love has never failed to help overcome challenges.
Love for the Haitian community and people has been the factor that helped me whether or not anyone believed in what I was called to do. Giving of self, time, and/or personal resources to serve your community, is the best way to demonstrate your commitment to serve and for others to support your work. God will always make a way for me to serve my Haitian people and others in
need in our community; we strive to serve all those in need of our assistance.
Community impact: The project that has impacted the community the most are the EJF health fairs held at local Haitian churches in collaboration with the Haitian Clergy of Philadelphia; we served over 1,800 people. The EJF Haitian Seniors Day sponsored by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging served over 150 people this past year.
Bridge the Gap: When you love people, there are no barriers. We are unique but not that much different, we are not divided. We need to remember that God has given us one origin, one African ancestry. We are called to serve one another and demonstrate God’s love for all people. Although I have been called to serve Haitian families in the Greater Philadelphia Area, the reality is, it has been my pleasure to help anyone in whatever way I can whether by a referral, advice, support, word of encouragement, collaboration and show of unity. We must help each other because we are one in spirit.
Women Of Influence 2018 In This Issue
