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| The woman who won the lottery and used it to do good | The woman who won the lottery and used it to do good |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| What would you do if you won the lottery? Buy a new house, a sports car, or travel the world perhaps? | What would you do if you won the lottery? Buy a new house, a sports car, or travel the world perhaps? |
| But how many of us would use our winnings to set up a charity? | But how many of us would use our winnings to set up a charity? |
| That is exactly what Rachel Lapierre, a former Miss Quebec, did back in 2013. | That is exactly what Rachel Lapierre, a former Miss Quebec, did back in 2013. |
| The Canadian always loved volunteering, and after running her own modelling agency and working as a nurse, she was looking for a way to follow her idol, Mother Teresa, and dedicate her life to charity. | |
| Then fate came knocking when she won a lifetime salary of C$1,000 (£605) a week in the Quebecois lottery "Gagnant à vie", or "winner for life". | Then fate came knocking when she won a lifetime salary of C$1,000 (£605) a week in the Quebecois lottery "Gagnant à vie", or "winner for life". |
| "At first I couldn't believe it, but I didn't celebrate or shout it from the rooftop because I had made a promise to the universe and I was determined to keep it. | "At first I couldn't believe it, but I didn't celebrate or shout it from the rooftop because I had made a promise to the universe and I was determined to keep it. |
| "I wanted to do something I loved for the rest of my life. I wanted to help others," she says. | "I wanted to do something I loved for the rest of my life. I wanted to help others," she says. |
| It took Ms Lapierre only two months to quit her nursing job and launch her own charity, Le Book Humanitaire. | It took Ms Lapierre only two months to quit her nursing job and launch her own charity, Le Book Humanitaire. |
| Her non-profit organisation, which is located in Saint-Jerome, about 60km north west of Montreal, uses social media to connect those in need with people who can help. | Her non-profit organisation, which is located in Saint-Jerome, about 60km north west of Montreal, uses social media to connect those in need with people who can help. |
| On its Facebook page, which has 22,000 followers, those who are struggling can let the community know about their plight. | On its Facebook page, which has 22,000 followers, those who are struggling can let the community know about their plight. |
| At the same time, members of the public can advertise services or goods they want to donate. | At the same time, members of the public can advertise services or goods they want to donate. |
| "Let's say that you have clothes to give away. We will put you in contact with a family that needs those clothes and will allow you to go give them yourself," Ms Lapierre explains. | "Let's say that you have clothes to give away. We will put you in contact with a family that needs those clothes and will allow you to go give them yourself," Ms Lapierre explains. |
| "It's not only about material things. You might end up driving a cancer patient to a doctor's appointment." | "It's not only about material things. You might end up driving a cancer patient to a doctor's appointment." |
| It's a far cry from Ms Lapierre's former career in the more glamorous, and some might argue consumerist, world of modelling. | It's a far cry from Ms Lapierre's former career in the more glamorous, and some might argue consumerist, world of modelling. |
| More The Boss features, which every week profile a different business leader from around the world: | More The Boss features, which every week profile a different business leader from around the world: |
| In the early 1980s she joined a local modelling school where she was encouraged to enter the Miss Quebec beauty pageant. To her surprise, the then-21-year-old won the contest. | In the early 1980s she joined a local modelling school where she was encouraged to enter the Miss Quebec beauty pageant. To her surprise, the then-21-year-old won the contest. |
| "I thought modelling was for tall blondes with blue eyes and I was short and brunette... But I am so glad I entered, it was a great experience." | "I thought modelling was for tall blondes with blue eyes and I was short and brunette... But I am so glad I entered, it was a great experience." |
| The following year she toured Canada as Miss Quebec and even got to meet Rene Levesque, the then-premier of Quebec. | The following year she toured Canada as Miss Quebec and even got to meet Rene Levesque, the then-premier of Quebec. |
| It inspired her to set up her own modelling school in 1984, to teach young women how to build careers in the industry. It had about 10 staff. | It inspired her to set up her own modelling school in 1984, to teach young women how to build careers in the industry. It had about 10 staff. |
| "Running my own business taught me about accounting and how to manage employees," Ms Lapierre says. | "Running my own business taught me about accounting and how to manage employees," Ms Lapierre says. |
| She closed the business in the late 1980s to focus on bringing up her four children, but also dedicated herself to voluntary work - making numerous trips with humanitarian organisations to places like India and Haiti. | She closed the business in the late 1980s to focus on bringing up her four children, but also dedicated herself to voluntary work - making numerous trips with humanitarian organisations to places like India and Haiti. |
| It was this passion that led her to set up Le Book Humanitaire four years ago. | It was this passion that led her to set up Le Book Humanitaire four years ago. |
| This year, the charity has made 15,000 "direct actions" in Quebec, ranging from furnishing an apartment for a family of Syrian refugees, to finding a home for a homeless mother who had just given birth. | This year, the charity has made 15,000 "direct actions" in Quebec, ranging from furnishing an apartment for a family of Syrian refugees, to finding a home for a homeless mother who had just given birth. |
| She has also funded the organisation - which has 10 full-time volunteers and its own board - entirely by herself, investing $70,000 to date. | She has also funded the organisation - which has 10 full-time volunteers and its own board - entirely by herself, investing $70,000 to date. |
| "This weekly C$1,000 I get from the lottery allows me to not go to work anymore and finance my organisation," she says. | "This weekly C$1,000 I get from the lottery allows me to not go to work anymore and finance my organisation," she says. |
| "I pay for things such as our office rent and other administrative costs." | "I pay for things such as our office rent and other administrative costs." |
| There are limits to Ms Lapierre's budget, though. After she was interviewed by a popular Quebecois television station earlier this year, Le Book Humanitaire saw a huge increase in its Facebook followers, from around 4,000 to more than 20,000. | There are limits to Ms Lapierre's budget, though. After she was interviewed by a popular Quebecois television station earlier this year, Le Book Humanitaire saw a huge increase in its Facebook followers, from around 4,000 to more than 20,000. |
| It led to an influx of requests for help, as well as donations, and the charity has struggled to keep up. | It led to an influx of requests for help, as well as donations, and the charity has struggled to keep up. |
| It needs to open several new facilities to store donated items, but Ms Lapierre can't afford to do this alone. | It needs to open several new facilities to store donated items, but Ms Lapierre can't afford to do this alone. |
| "We are counting on municipalities to lend us offices and make donations," she says. | "We are counting on municipalities to lend us offices and make donations," she says. |
| "But there are always ways to make things work." | "But there are always ways to make things work." |
| Growing pains | Growing pains |
| Jean-Pierre Tchang, the founder of IRIS Mundial, a non-profit group that works to improve visual health in developing countries, says that building a successful charity is not easy. | Jean-Pierre Tchang, the founder of IRIS Mundial, a non-profit group that works to improve visual health in developing countries, says that building a successful charity is not easy. |
| "The main difficulty is money and getting funding," says Mr Tchang, who worked with Ms Lapierre earlier in her volunteering career. | "The main difficulty is money and getting funding," says Mr Tchang, who worked with Ms Lapierre earlier in her volunteering career. |
| "You also have to know your limits. You can start feeling overwhelmed by all the work and forget oneself... I am sure Rachel's nights must be very short." | "You also have to know your limits. You can start feeling overwhelmed by all the work and forget oneself... I am sure Rachel's nights must be very short." |
| Despite the challenges, Ms Lapierre shows no sign of slowing down. She is also taking a workshop class on managing non-profit organisations to get better at what she does. | Despite the challenges, Ms Lapierre shows no sign of slowing down. She is also taking a workshop class on managing non-profit organisations to get better at what she does. |
| She continues to get joy from her work, which, she says "is nothing like running a regular business" and instead "feeds her soul". | She continues to get joy from her work, which, she says "is nothing like running a regular business" and instead "feeds her soul". |
| "Volunteering work represents billions of unrecorded dollars across the world. Without it, the world would not function." | "Volunteering work represents billions of unrecorded dollars across the world. Without it, the world would not function." |