Daily Point of Light #4515 Alayna Charpentier

Alayna Charpentier is a very special girl; in spite of her academic load and participation on sports teams she finds time to volunteer at the Wayside House every week and at church every single Sunday.

The Wayside House is a great place that helps low-income women overcome addiction and mental illness. It is a place that empowers women to recover sobriety, identity, family, home and community by providing treatment, housing and supportive services.

Alayna has a large part in the rehabilitation process and has volunteered her services for the past two years by providing childcare for mothers who receive treatment.  Most of the women there who have children have no means for childcare, so for them to attend weekly counseling sessions they rely on Alayna.

These women not only learn how to manage their lives, sobriety, and careers, but they also learn to trust again. Alayna has won a place in all of their hearts and homes as a sign of hope, a person who cares for them despite their history and mistakes they may have made, and in support of the changes they strive for to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Alayna herself has had to deal with much adversity in her life, and her health has always been a huge hurdle for her. She has suffered from Sensory Integration Dysfunction, ADD, major depression and many aspects Aspberger Syndrome and major allergies since she was a small child.

For the past two years she has become a very well respected and supportive friend to these women and their children at the Wayside House. She finds resolve and inspiration in helping these women, and believes in the good in others.