Shelagh Farrington-Pritchard is the founder of Lignum Vitae Bahamas, which has recently merged into Lend a Hand Bahamas. She has 25 years of experience working with youth and families. Educated in Nassau and United Kingdom, she is a founding member of Blairwood Academy. Her passion for multi-sensory education led her to a collaboration with The University of Florida’s 4-H IFAS extension services and she leads the Bahamas 4-H National Youth Development Plan for the Bahamas. Pritchard’s research into economic empowerment for “at risk” impoverished women and mothers led to the creation of a consumer-science pilot project launched in July 2012. She recognizes the intrinsic importance of economic equality for women, understanding when they thrive, so do their families and societies. A founding member of the The Bahamas Kennel Club, who until 2014 served on the boards of Corona International Women’s club (Bahamas Help for children), Mary Ingraham Senior Citizen’s Intergenerational Home. She is a recipient of The Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart Foundation Golden Heart Award (2013) and a member of Rotary East Nassau’s “Inner Wheel” of District 7020.