About Lauren

Lauren grew up in Woodmere, NY and Cherry Hill, NJ with her parents, Susan and Stuart, and her younger sisters Jackie, Amy and Elizabeth. She was the wife of Dr. Todd Albert and the mother of Stuart, Elliot and Emily.

On February 18, 1999 Lauren was a passenger in a vehicle that tumbled down a mountainside in Morocco, killing her. She was only 40.

Lauren was truly, a ray of sunshine. Full of laughter, love and light, Lauren's smile would warm and comfort all who were touched by her radiance, her gentleness and her compassion.

She believed in helping others and was an activist for causes in which she believed and a volunteer to help others less fortunate than herself.

For her parents, sisters, friends and colleagues - and for her own family - Lauren was an inspiration. She had integrity, self-discipline and great strength of character; she always spoke up for what she felt was right. And she fought for her beliefs with determination and dignity.

These are the qualities that inspire the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation.

Because both her daughters, Iiana, 8, and Ilexia, 4, suffer from major medical conditions, Amber was inspired to pursue a nursing career And they keep her determined to overcome the constant challenges she faces every day as a single mother with one daughter who is legally blind and one who suffers severe respiratory problems.

Caring for her daughters on her own and constant medical appointments are only two of her challenges. Amber began the clinical portion of her nurses training in September and the work has been a struggle, requiring hours of studying every week. But she is determined to earn her RN and then become a Nurse Practitioner.

While searching through scholarship opportunities offered at Gloucester County College, Amber read about how Lauren touched people's lives and, as a mother, felt a strong connection with her. "I just felt that Lauren was looking out for moms like me who need help." The required nursing books are very expensive and the foundation's assistance "takes a little bit of weight off my shoulders."

As a single mother to four-year-old twin boys, Bolivia has already overcome significant challenges in her young life. As she began her senior year in high school, her sons were born prematurely at only 27 weeks gestation. Yet she still managed to remain in school and graduate with her class. Now she's enrolled full-time at Burlington County College.

Her ultimate goal is to continue her education at Thomas Edison State College to earn her BA and become a social worker. She's currently president of the Human Services Club at BCC and will graduate in May 2010 with an Associate's Degree in Human Services. She also holds a work-study job as an office assistant for the Liberal Arts Department.

Fortunately, her family is very supportive and the additional assistance from LRAF also is a significant help. "I never thought I could get a scholarship," Bolivia said.

In her application essay, Amber quoted Albert Einstein who said, "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." She tries to live by this quote every day so that she can do the best for herself and her children. "Returning to school is a prime example of how I am trying to persevere and follow my dreams. I truly believe that I can do anything I put my mind to and nothing is going to stop me."

"This semester has been the best experience of my whole life," Heather says, her enthusiasm contagious as she relates how she recently coached a first-time mother through labor and delivery and how the mother told her, "You are going to be a fabulous nurse."

Her challenging schedule includes working full-time Monday through Friday at a landscaping company and after working all day, going straight to classes, labs and clinical rotations until 10 p.m. four nights a week. She worries about spending enough time with her 14 year-old son, but knows that ultimately the sacrifice will be worth it when she receives her nursing degree in December 2010.

A second time LRAF scholarship recipient, "It was like Christmas and my birthday and the 4th of July all rolled into one when I received the letter and found out that someone was actually going to help me do this," she said. "and you have no idea how much these funds have helped."

"It was LaShara's young daughter who encouraged her to pursue her education. "She in second grade, she loves school and she's my backbone," she said. Mother and daughter often do their homework together.

Currently enrolled at Cumberland County College and pursuing a degree in Social Work, LaShara also works full-time at the Woodbine Developmental Center.

"Receiving the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation Scholarship not only allows me to continue my education, it also allows me to show my child that education is fundamental," she said. "Granting me this opportunity allows me three things: to be able to give back to society what I have learned, portray to my daughter that education is vital and also provides me with the opportunity to enhance my standard of living.

"The LRAF scholarship puts me on the path to becoming a productive member of society."

Two years ago, Sharon moved to New Jersey from Indiana during a period of extreme crisis in her life. She lost her job, she and her husband lost their house, their marriage ended and she suddenly found herself a single mother with a six month old son. Fortunately, she was able to move in with her mother until she could "get back on my feet again."

Sharon could be considered an early victim of the economic devastation now facing this country. Although she had an abundance of work experience and a variety of skills (as a licensed cosmetologist, a medical assistant and in construction management), because of unemployment, she found it necessary to continue her education in order to change careers. She is now pursuing an Associate's Degree in Business Administration at Gloucester County College.

Currently employed part-time at GCC's Senior Corps as a volunteer placement coordinator, this additional education will hopefully become her pathway to a full time position in community service. She also teaches basic computer skills to seniors.

The LRAF scholarship represents "a hand up to better myself and my family"

"I feel that this is the right direction in my life," said Sharon "and I thank God every day for the opportunities I have been given."

Without her grant from the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation Lisa feels she would not have been able to finish her education at Gloucester County Community College.

"I remember having to buy a particular book which was $175," Lisa says. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh, how am I going to pay for this?' I was just trying to survive financially from one semester to another. My goal was to take each semester as it came."

"The Foundation grant helped to alleviate a lot of the burden I would have had to endure if I had not been a recipient. Also, the LRAF grants were not about just helping me pay for my education. When I received these grants I felt like someone else was on my side. Someone else saw my potential and said, 'Yes, we think you can do it too. We want you to succeed and this is how we can help.' It was the validation I needed to believe I could achieve."

As a child, Lisa did not have a lot of encouragement. She grew up in an abusive family setting; for Lisa there are no happy childhood memories. Books and reading were her only escape and her only dream was to seek a college education after graduating high school. But this was not to be and Lisa ended up in a brief marriage with a child and a series of unproductive jobs in the accounting field.

"I remember thinking, there has to be more to life than this," recalls Lisa, "I had to do something to change my life for me and my daughter Ellen." She choose a path that reflects her troubled childhood and her passion to help others; in 2005 she enrolled in Gloucester County College to study psychology. That's where help from the LRAF and others changed her life forever. "I remember feeling liberated," recounts Lisa, "I could envision a better life for Ellen and me." Her years at GCC were marked by significant recognition and achievement; most notably the ALL-USA Academic - 1st Team, NJ New Century Scholar and a long list of prestigious academic and community service awards.

Despite her accomplishments, life for this single working mother is not without daily challenges. Lisa was born with cataracts and is legally blind; she currently can drive during daylight, but any worsening of her condition will result in the permanent loss of her license.

A routine health check-up in July 2007 ended in a hospital stay and diagnosis of diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Confronted with sizable medical bills - and no health insurance and fear for her life - and concern for her daughter Ellen, Lisa fought back. And she won! She's been medicine free since February and to date has lost 132 pounds! "I no longer use food to cope with life," Lisa explains, "I use exercise or meditation as substitutes." All the diagnoses have changed or completely disappeared.

In May 2009, Lisa will graduate with honors from Rutgers University with a Bachelor's Degree in psychology and a 3.95 GPA.

Once upon a time, Nadine, a divorced mother of two sons, didn't have a home. Now she has graduated from Rowan University and thinking about attending graduate school.

Getting to this point hasn't been easy - she's held as many as three jobs at a time, suffered a heart attack and watched her lifestyle take a dramatic turn when her marriage ended while she was earning her associate's degree.

She's had a bit of help though, including financial assistance for her course load from Rowan and a scholarship for her books from the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation.

"There were times I questioned whether I could make it," said Nadine, of Washington Township, Gloucester County. "The scholarship was a godsend. It's a wonderful thing. It just meant so much to me that someone would consider me and issue the money for books."

The future is full of options for Nadine. She would like to teach college history and become an author. Ultimately, she'd like to start a non-profit organization that can help women going through what she experienced to find the assistance they need.

"It's been one of my dreams to hopefully have a place they can turn to where I am directing them to the right place or helping them myself."

Nadine now serves as a member of the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation Education Committee.

Kristen attended Burlington County College briefly after graduating from high school, but the arrival of her daughter re-focused her goals and the importance of education. "I wanted to give my daughter a better life," said Kristen, "and I wanted to get a degree and better myself."

The Lauren Rose Albert Foundation Scholarship grant meant a great deal to Kristen, "It's been a big weight off of me. In fact, I'm not sure I would be able to graduate without this help."

Marquita feels strongly that a parent should set an example for their children by pursuing their dreams and being a good parent. This has been a challenge for this single mother but one that she has handled "by letting go and letting God." It is hard work, notes Marquita, but it surely pays off in the end. "You never want your children to be strangers to hard work; leading by example is the best teacher."

A Gloucester County College student, her LRAF Scholarship grants made a real difference for Marquita -- she had no other financial assistance and this was the only way she could afford her textbooks.

A few years ago, Roshawnda made a decision to change her life. Realizing that she had no real job skills, - "counter work was not going to cut it" - Roshawnda went back to college to pursue a nursing degree specializing in cardio-pulmonary care. For the single mother of a teenage daughter and young son, the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation scholarship award was a "significant help" for Roshawnda who received only a small amount of financial aid.