Be Like Brit volunteer Brian Preston and Kathy DeCicco, Brtiney's Grandmother, along with Mountview students and Principal Erik Githmark

Photo Credit: Daniel Castro

The BLB wall at Mountview, after students raised $400 for the foundation.

Photo Credit: Daniel Castro

HOLDEN, Mass. — Along the wall of the Mountview Middle School cafeteria, a series of paper donation bricks come together to build the letters "BLB," a display that is the result of students working together as a community to raise $400 throughout the week for the Be Like Brit foundation's construction of an orphanage in Haiti.

"Britney would think this is fabulous!" said Kathy DiCicco, the grandmother of Britney Gengel, a young college student from Rutland who was killed while working in an orphanage in Haiti during the catastrophic earthquake. "It's a good way of them learning how to volunteer, and how good it makes you feel when by just donating something small, something good can come out of it,"

Britney's death was just over two years ago last Thursday, and since then the Wachusett community has responded to the tragedy by supporting the Gengel family's Be Like Brit Foundation and the orphanage being built in her name.

DeCicco says they have felt very blessed by the response from people in the community, who have already contributed a significant amount twoard the organization's goal of raising $1,200,000.

"People are just wonderful," she said.

One resident, Brian Preston, who is also married to DeCicco's niece, has been a big help.

"He's been there for everything I need him for," said DeCicco.

In fact, the Mountview fundraiser was the idea of his kids, Erin and Morgan Preston, who wanted to come up with a project that would give students from all the Wachusett schools the opportunity to get involved.

Taking cues from March of Dimes fundraisers, the girls developed the idea for a paper brick that would designed to resemble the bricks used for the orphanage in Haiti, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to its construction.

DeCicco and Preston sold the paper bricks at Mountview during lunch throughout the week, and from the first day students began contributing, raising a total of over $400 by Friday.

"The kids are so well-behaved, and all receptive," DeCicco said. "It's a great bunch of kids."

Currently, the project is making headway in Haiti, and on Monday work began on framing the second floor of the building, which is designed in the shape of a "B" for Britney.

"When a plane flies into Port-au-prince, they will see the B," said DeCicco, who further explained that because Britney was 19 when she died, the orphanage was designed to be 19,000 sq. ft., and when it is completed it will serve 66 orphans — 33 girls and 33 boys.

"The significance of that is that she was lost for 33 days," said DeCicco. "We'll have a health clinic there, and the children will be educated, and fed."

The construction continues every day, and residents can follow the progress on Facebook by liking the Be Like Brit foundation.

"Hopefully this time next year the orphanage will be built," said DeCicco.

To help support the foundation further, residents can visit the Be Like Brit website and make a donation, or find out other ways of volunteering.