About Us
Charity Begins was started in 2006 when two travelers, heading to Peru for vacation, used their extra luggage space to carry shoes to a local non-profit in Lima. Upon returning to the U.S. a concept was born - to help other travelers do the same.
Those two travelers, Jennifer and John, are now married! Here is their story...
Jennifer is an event and marketing professional based in Maryland. Her career brought her all over the United States planning events for the magazine industry before she packed it all into a backpack for a one-year journey through Asia. The journey introduced her to many different religions and cultures - enhanced by volunteer work at Laliguran's Womens Center in Nepal, and a brief teaching assignment in Cambodia.
John Lagrotteria is an account executive for a luxury Italian brand. His passion for travel has taken him to Cuba, Italy, Sri Lanka, Canada, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Iceland and many other countries.
They met in 2004 on a blind date in New York’s Central Park in spite of the knowledge that they had only one month to get to know each other before Jennifer's open-ended trip to Asia. They kept in touch while Jennifer traveled through Asia thanks to email and managed to spend Thanksgiving together in Sri Lanka.
It has been over four years since Jennifer’s return from Asia. She is now working at a non-profit in Maryland and is also a freelance event consultant. John continues his career as an account executive. They live in Crofton, Maryland.
They share a passion for travel and a desire to make the world a better place.