Giving to Ghana
Since a young age, Chloe Roy dreamed and aspired to give back on a greater scale.
She never anticipated she would embark on her first overseas trip at the age of 15.
Chloe has traveled to Bawjiase, Ghana, a country in western Africa situated on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, for the past three summers and during that time raised over $30,000 for an orphanage and health clinic.
With the funds she gathered this past year, the clinic remodeled its children's immunization ward.
“These kids, at the end of the day, they really deserve the world,” said Chloe, 17, a Seneca Valley High School senior. “That's what my mission is about, raising the money and having this fundraiser to give these kids the opportunities they deserve.”
On her most recent trip, Chloe departed at the end of July and returned mid-August from the United Hearts Children Center and the Awutu Bawjiase Health Centre, located in Bawjiase, a town of nearly 12,000 people in the central region of Ghana.
During Chloe's third trip, she bonded with an 8-month-old girl, the youngest of three sisters who were new to the orphanage. Baby Chloe, the 8-month-old, was named after Chloe.The three sisters came to the orphanage malnourished after their parents locked them in a room and left. Baby Chloe, who weighed 6 pounds when she arrived at the clinic, could not crawl or hold her head up.While Chloe and her mother were in Ghana, they prioritized Baby Chloe's health. After the trip, Chloe sent the orphanage money to keep up the baby's high-protein diet.In December, Chloe was sent a video of Baby Chloe crawling and in January she was walking.Care can change the course of a person's life, she said, adding in this case it was Baby Chloe.The terrified feeling she felt leaving home for the first time dissipated with every trip, she said.After her first trip in 2017, Chloe prioritized fundraising for the orphanage and clinic and started a cycling event, which is her primary fundraising method.Chloe's upcoming fundraiser is at the spin studio Psycle Fitness, located in Warrendale, where people make a donation to attend the 40-minute indoor cycling class and participate in a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. It is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 27.
Since she was 12, Chloe has attended the studio located at 16087 Perry Highway, which has become a second home, she said.At her first event, Chloe raised about $10,000 and decided to host the event annually, she said.When in Ghana, she assists the orphanage with its daily tasks, including laundry, cooking and playing with the children.Throughout the years, Chloe became closer than she imagined to the 30 children and the orphanage owners, who create a family-centered atmosphere, she said.Compared to previous trips, Chloe volunteered three days a week in the clinic, where she learned the internal side of health care in the Third World country through observation and shadowing nurses.“Getting hands-on experience really shaped my career path and finalize my desire to become a doctor,” she said.One potential opportunity for her future is majoring in biology with a premedicine track at Northeastern University, one university where she was accepted, said Chloe, who is involved in the National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, Key Club, Global Leadership and the Medical Careers Club at her high school.This past summer, she spoke to the clinic's lead doctor about the clinic's need for an updated children's immunization ward.The doctor referred to the building as a shed because it did not have walls. Instead, it is a pavement slab marked by four posts that hold up the roof, Chloe said.People from across the area would travel to the clinic and stand for hours waiting with their children for immunizations on Wednesdays.After Chloe saw its condition, it became her priority to raise money for the clinic.Since she left Ghana, Chloe has been sent pictures of the finished project that now has four walls, multiple rooms and a roof, she said, adding the clinic was named after her.The fundraiser goes beyond a good deed to a larger cause, she said.Her pursuit of the cause is a mission she plans to continue, Chloe said.“They're so excited and I couldn't put into words how excited I get,” she said. “When I turn off that dirt road and see big smiles on little faces flock to me, I never get sick of that.”
WHAT: Charity Spin Class at PsycleWHEN: 6 p.m. March 27WHERE: Psycle Fitness, 16087 Perry Highway, WarrendaleACTIVITIES: Spin, food, drinks, silent auction and raffleNOTE: Call 724-487-3462 with any questions and to sign-up to ride.TO DONATE: If people cannot make it to the ride or want to donate to Chloe Roy, visit gofundme.com/f/z9yz8-chloe039s-going-back-to-ghana?utm_source=customer & utm_medium=copy_link-tip & utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
