By Kimberly Dunbar

Although it’s been nearly three years since Britney Gengel’s passing, her memory is more alive than ever thanks to a community of volunteers.

“We never thought it would be as big as it has become,” said Britney’s mother, Cherylann Gengel.

Britney was one of more than 250,000 killed in the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake. Then 19, she was on a trip with Lynn University classmates to feed the poor of Haiti when she fell in love with the country and its children. The last text message to her mother ~ sent three hours before the earthquake ~ read: “I want to move here and start an orphanage myself.”

This message, which Cherylann calls Brit’s last wish, was the inspiration she and her husband, Len, used to start Be Like Brit (BLB), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the children of Haiti, and to build an orphanage in her memory.

“Brit loved life and her spirit will live in the orphanage,” said Cherylann. “She wanted to build a place where kids could get the love, education, respect and opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have.”

Brit’s Orphanage, shaped in the letter “B” and located in Grand Goâve, is earthquake-proof and slated to open in January. It will house 33 boys and 33 girls, symbolic of the 33 days Brit’s body was missing.

“We have been able to do this because there are tens of thousands of people helping us,” said Cherylann, who along with Len chronicle their experience in Heartache and Hope in Haiti, which will be released in January (preorder copies now ~ all proceeds benefit Brit’s Orphanage). “Everyone in Worcester County has been so kind, generous and compassionate. People are hosting fundraisers around the world. It’s really unbelievable.”

Although BLB attracts volunteers of all ages, many are younger. “I think a lot of people can relate because Brit was just a regular kid,” said Cherylann. “They think it could have been them. People just want to help and do good things and it’s given them an outlet to help.”

She said schools like St. John’s High, Boston University and Becker College (which on one occasion brought students to visit Haiti) are planning trips during school vacations. One of her favorite memories is an open house event put on by the students at Seven Hills Charter School.

“People come up to me and tell me Brit is their hero and they never met her,” Cherylann said.

In October, Brit was honored by the St. Thomas More Society with a posthumous humanitarian award. “We feel so honored that people think of Brit in that way, but also sad because she isn’t here to get it.”

It’s just another way the community is keeping Brit’s spirit alive.

For more information and ways you can help, visit www.belikebrit.org.