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 engaged to be married in the summer of 2009! Here is their story...
Jennifer is a corporate event planner based in New York City. 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 instant messenger and managed to spend Thanksgiving together in Sri Lanka.
It has been over three years since Jennifer’s return from Asia. She is now back in the magazine industry. John continues his career as an account executive. They live in Crofton, Maryland and have a small apartment in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen.
They share a passion for travel and a desire to make the world a better place.
Jennifer & John in Peru, 2006.