Albert Lea woman will move to Dominican to help others

Published 9:32 pm Friday, August 11, 2017

By Kylie Brown

One Albert Lea woman plans to sell her things and move to the Dominican Republic to help children and adults have a better life.

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It all started back in April when Melanie Lange went on vacation to the Dominican Republic. She wanted to spend a day doing mission work and ended up at the Obinfron Foundation. The foundation helps take care of poor families — bringing them to the doctor and bringing them food and school supplies.

On Lange’s second trip, she stayed with someone she met on the first trip who explained the poverty, and she got firsthand experience of the poverty in the Dominican Republic. She also went back to the Obinfron Foundation and visited the families. A few weeks later she went to see if she could work there, and during her stay saw many sick people — including children.

“Those are the people that I really want to help,” Lange said.

Melanie Lange plans to move to the Dominican Republic to help those living in poverty. – Provided

Lange works in accounting at Taylor Truck Line in Northfield. She will continue to work there from the Dominican Republic to help with expenses, and said it will be easier to help the families without the burden of paying rent in Albert Lea. It is cheaper to rent in the Dominican Republic, she said,  so she will be able to use some of her paycheck to help others.

“I just feel God has opened all the doors to go there for me,” Lange said. “Everything has just fallen into place.”

Lange’s goal is to build a school for the children and give them a good education. She wants to provide them with desks and school supplies. She also would like the eventually hire someone to teach them.

“These kids need to realize that they can have a better life,” Lange said. “My heart just breaks, I just miss them so much. I just want to be back with them and help them.”

She wants to open an orphanage to get the children who aren’t in safe homes to a safe place with food and clothes. She would also like to open a clinic to help those in poverty to receive proper medical care.

“I made a promise to these kids that I would help them.”

Those interested in donating to Lange’s cause can visit her GoFundMe or Facebook pages, which are both listed under Melanie Whittick.

Melanie Lange plans to move to the Dominican Republic to help those living in poverty. – Provided