Meet Lynnsey Lafayette| Development and Alumni Relations Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynnsey Lafayetteand we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynnsey, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Pursuing the establishment of The Chelsy Marise Giles Foundation (CMGF) has certainly been an experience. The lessons learned have been innumerable, but dedication, community and creativity would have to be at the top of the list. When working on such a large initiative as creating a non-profit, while also trying to put on a successful, profitable event, you learn a lot along the way.

First and foremost, finding a group of dedicated individuals who support your cause is easier said than done. We have been fortunate enough to have family dedicated to our mission, but also community members who have joined us as well. We’ve learned the importance of truly sticking to our mission and intent. For CMGF, that is bringing epilepsy awareness and education to the Athens, GA area and establishing scholarships through the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia for people living with epilepsy to participate in programming geared towards helping them cope with their disorder all while making sure we honor Chelsy’s memory at our signature event, Chelsyfest. We’ve had to get creative at time to ensure we accomplish all our goals when it goes to marketing and sponsors, but we’re so grateful for our successes.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In my professional life, I work at the University of Georgia College of Pubic Health leading the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. I’ve also worked with many other non-profits in my career as well as while in graduate school at George Mason University where I had the opportunity to work at non-profits in Washington, DC. This culmination of experiences has lead me to develop many skills and apply them my work with The Chelsy Marise Giles Foundation and our fundraising efforts as well as community connections.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
While I live in Athens, GA, I was born in Atlanta and would be sure to include some select spots for a friend’s visit. The Georgia Aquarium is just amazing and so very beautiful and majestic. Afterwards, a trip to the Varsity would be a must. In other parts of Atlanta, the OK Cafe has always had a special place in my heart. The uniqueness of the space is wonderful and you can beat the greasy, southern food. And right across the street is Houston’s on West Paces, also a nostalgic place to grab dinner. The Chicken Salad and cheese bread are delish! I also love going to the High Museum. The permanent art there is incredible and they also always have wonderful exhibitions going on too. A trip to a Waffle House is also a requirement for obvious reasons. There’s so much to chose from in Atlanta, but these are some top spots I’d be sure to take a friend.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to all the family and friends, especially Vicky Giles and Lorien Moran, Chelsy’s mother and sister, respectively, for their dedicated, love and support to make Chelsyfest a success. We also couldn’t have done this without the help of the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia who has continually helped us to facilitate our signature event, Chelsyfest, a to give us the opportunity to help people living with epilepsy learn life skills to cope with their disorder. Lastly, it’s imperative that I thank our graphic designers at mPrint Studios. In the digital world we live in, we could not have had such immediate success without the donation of their time to create our logo (inspired by Vicky Giles’s first rendering) and all of out initial marketing materials in order to establish ourselves as a serious, legit organization.

Website: www.Chelsyfest.org

Instagram: chelsyfest

Facebook: Chelsyfest

Image Credits
Photography provided by Deadly Designs.