Providing Hope at Laurel House

Class of 1987 alumna, Lesley Forde Cancino was inspired to open her home to young women who had aged out of Ranfurly Homes for Children – a foster care home located in Nassau, Bahamas, after filling in for a friend who volunteered at the home. “After a few years of young women between the ages of 18 to 20 living in our home, we decided we needed to fundraise some money to build a small house that would help teach the ladies life skills and independence,” said Lesley Cancino. “We raised $50,000 and were able to build a small two-bedroom house in our backyard.”

Laurel House is named after Lesley’s Trafalgar Castle School roommate Laurel Anderson-Weigelt, Class of 1986 alumna. “Laurel was an orphan from the Ottawa area,” said Lesley. “Years later I learned that she would go to work on the weekends and stay in boarding during the week. She put herself through university. Laurel passed away in 2016 from cancer, but her memory lives on in Laurel House.”

“My friend Laurel, just like the young women who now live at Laurel House inspired me,” added Lesley. “They are determined to get ahead in the world and make something of themselves, and fulfil their goals and dreams.”

Laurel House is filling a void in Bahamas’ Social Service system by providing young women with transitional accommodations and the ability to find employment, save for first and last month’s rent, learn how to support themselves, and much more.

“Unfortunately, there is no government assistance for young women who age out of foster care in the Bahamas,” said Lesley. “Ranfurly Homes for Children also really takes care of the children’s every need – so when they leave and go out into the real world, everything is a real shock. They need to learn how to support themselves, open a bank account, obtain government documents such as a passport, driver’s license, make a monthly budget, find employment, cook and clean – we support them and help teach them this at Laurel House.”

Since opening Laurel House, Lesley has helped four women transition to independence & is currently housing four other young women, having taken in two of them who had nowhere to go. One young lady that Lesley has helped is Tena. Before meeting Lesley, Tena was homeless and living from place to place. She was also undocumented and, therefore, unable to find work. With help from Laurel House, Tena is now working on her citizenship, rebuilding her life and is Lesley’s dog and house sitter. Tena hopes to attend college once she obtains her Passport and National Insurance Card, which are required before you can attend post-secondary institutions.

“Laurel House is my version of Trafalgar Castle,” said Lesley. “The young ladies build relationships with our family and each other. They eventually go their own way, but they remain in contact. I’m extremely grateful to my Trafalgar friends and former faculty, that I remain in contact with, who have supported me by sending donations to Laurel House. It means the world to me.”

The Laurel House ladies all remain in touch with Lesley and call her various names from Mrs. Cancino, Miss Lesley, Nona or Mommy. They reconnect with each other and gather every December for the annual Holiday Party.

Lesley added that “Attending Trafalgar Castle School was a privilege and a wonderful experience. My advice to current students is to take advantage of your time at the school – try everything from new subjects to different activities and sports. Life is a journey. Your life will change, and you will encounter different stages but remember there is a lot to learn from the people around you that will spark inspiration in your life – hang onto that inspiration and use it as fuel to start your own dream initiative or project.”

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Class of 1987 alumna, Lesley Forde Cancino attended Trafalgar Castle School for Grade 12 and 13 after graduating from high school in the Bahamas in Grade 11. Her husband is a Rotarian and they have twin daughters.  Their family is always giving back to the community and helping others is what Lesley does.

“Attending Trafalgar allowed me to make friends from around the world. Friends that I still remain connected with via social media and see while we vacation together. It’s a life bond that cannot be broken.”