Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynnsey Lafayette.
Hi Lynnsey, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
First, I want to share with you who this foundation was named after and why. Chelsy Marise Giles was born July 17, 1986 in Decatur, Georgia; her first seizure occurred when she was 18 months old and she experienced multiple seizures in the years following. At age five, the family moved to Covington, Georgia where Chelsy lived until she left to attend the University of Georgia in Athens, graduating Cum Laude with a degree in Early Childhood education in 2011. She made the difficult decision to eschew teaching as she feared a seizure might alarm her young students. She endured epilepsy throughout her life and battled thyroid cancer before her death in July 2021 at the age of 34.
In reflection of her optimism and in celebration of her life, the Giles’ family and friends hosted the inaugural Chelsyfest on July 16, 2022 at Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, with proceeds given to the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia to support those living with epilepsy to have access to education opportunities teaching them life skills to cope with their disorder.
Chelsy was a very dear friend and with her passing, there seemed to be an opportunity to bring her spirit into educating communities and helping those living with epilepsy to live full lives and not get trapped in the stigma that epilepsy can often bring. Working with family and friends, Chelsyfest was born – a fun, free-spirited way to raise money and support the North GA epilepsy community through an annual festival in her honor at Terrapin, of course.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
What we also discovered was there’s no epilepsy community support in Athens. Athens, where we have hundreds of non-profit organizations, there’s nothing for epilepsy. All services and support groups are in Atlanta, and many people living with epilepsy can’t drive for fear of seizures. Learning this only furthered our motivation to promote Chelsyfest and get out into the Athens community.
We were blessed to have a generous graphic designer, Jessica Magnarella of mPrint Design Studio, in Athens. She donated hours of her time to fine-tune our logo and create high-quality, professional graphics. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to show our legitimacy and present the professionalism needed to advertise in the world of digital media we live in today. And it raised our spirits, having a special symbol displaying the embodiment of Chelsy and the work that we were doing.
The day of Chelsyfest was the hardest, but the turnout of family and friends was beyond humbling. We had hundreds of people at the event and were overcome with joy and heartache, but we pushed through! We were all hands-on deck, selling merchandise with our precious Chelsy’s name emboldened on it and having fun manning activities like our dunk tank booth and flower-crown making station, something special to the Giles family because Chelsy had started a tradition of making flower-crowns for each family member on their birthdays.
Chelsyfest has been an incredibly rewarding initiative, and I know we’re all impressed we pulled it off! Now, Chelsyfest is a 501©(3) operating as The Chelsy Marise Giles Foundation and we’re gearing up for Chelsyfest 2023! We couldn’t be prouder of what this has evolved into and how much we’re doing to help those living with epilepsy. Our inaugural Chelsyfest allowed us to donate $12,500 to the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia to provide 25 scholarships to children and adults living with epilepsy to attend Camp Carpe Diem, run by Children’s Healthcare of Georgia, and Camp Big Heart, sponsored by the Civitan Clubs of Georgia.
Now, the Chelsy Marise Giles Foundation has started holding epilepsy educational events with plans to include support groups and other epilepsy awareness opportunities. Chelsyfest 2023 will be held at Terrapin on July 15, 2023 and we’re planning to make it better than before with more vendors and artists and musicians involved to truly create an annual event families and friends can enjoy and always know there’s a day each year to celebrate Chelsy’s beautiful spirit on her birthday weekend while also supporting others who struggle every day battling this terrible neurological disorder.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Personally, I hold a deep passion for supporting underserved communities and awareness of gaps in our society. Chelsy was a very dear friend and with her passing, there seemed to be an opportunity to bring her spirit into educating communities and helping those living with epilepsy to live full lives and not get trapped in the stigma that epilepsy can often bring. Working with family and friends, Chelsyfest was born – a fun, free-spirited way to raise money and support the North GA epilepsy community through an annual festival in her honor.
I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia (UGA) and later acquired a Master of Science at George Mason University in Conflict Analysis and Resolution where I focused on conflict in the U.S. Criminal Justice System and Sentencing Reform. While in graduate school, I interned with several non-profits in DC including the Equal Rights Center, the Prison Policy Initiative and Families Against Mandatory Minimums. Having fallen in love with Athens, Georgia while attending UGA, I returned to work for Live Forward (formerly AIDS Athens) where I supported the organization’s housing program for homeless and low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS and gained hands-on experience learning a deeper importance of quality mental health care and health care access.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Giving back makes me happy, truly. I’m also on the board of another Athens non-profit, the Boybutante AIDS Foundation, putting on drag shows throughout the year to fundraise for agencies supporting HIV/AIDS advocacy, education, outreach, and/or direct client services in Northeast Georgia. This cause is very special to me, not only as someone who worked directly with people living with HIV/AIDS for many years, but I also had close friends who suffered from HIV/AIDS, some of which have passed away due to complications from HIV/AIDS.
The Athens community as a whole is very supportive of charities and I love attending events to give back to the community that I love so much. That’s why Chelsyfest is so special because we found a void in the Athens community that needed to be filled. Athens needed more support to the epilepsy community and I’m thrilled for us to be able to provide that through Chelsyfest and the Chelsy Marise Giles Foundation.
Pricing:
- $2,500 Liger (Platinum) Sponsorship
- $1,000 Tiger (Gold) Sponsorship
- $500 Lion (Silver) Sponsorship
- $250 Jaguar (Bronze) Sponsorship
- $25-$500 Individual Sponsorship Options
Contact Info:
- Website: chelsyfest.org
- Instagram: @chelsyfest
- Facebook: @chelsyfest
