Every now and then we have the opportunity to get to know a Project Left Behind supporter better. This month, we had the pleasure of interviewing Teresa Poulos.  We hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as we did!

PLB: Thank you Teresa for allowing us to learn more about you! Where do you call home?

TP: Orlando, Florida

PLB: The Sunshine State! How do you spend your time?

TP: Taking care of our three boys….Jackson (7), Luca (5) and Carter (3).

PLB: That surely keeps you very busy. How long have you been involved with Project Left Behind?

TP: I was on the board the first year!

PLB: So you’ve been involved since its inception! You support Project Left Behind because…

TP: It’s a wonderful organization that was formed completely out of love for children in less fortunate circumstances. I love that you get to see the impact your donation makes. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces from simple acts of love and kindness melt my heart. I’m so grateful to have PLB where I can donate and see firsthand the impact that is has on the children. My husband and I adopted two of our three boys and I have two adopted nephews so this is a cause near and dear to my heart.

PLB: What is the one thing you would have to take with you on an island to survive?

TP: My photobooks.  I love taking pictures and I make photobooks of our kids, our family and our vacations.  I love looking at them.  I don’t like going anywhere without taking pictures of my boys with me!

PLB: One person who inspires you and why?

TP: My mom.  She is amazing.  We have a large family…I’m one of eight kids.  My mom has been through so much in her lifetime and her faith, patience and kindness amaze me.  I have never met anyone who I admire more.  I hope that I can be one-quarter of who she is.

PLB: Your Mom sounds incredible.  Do you have a favorite travel story to share with us?

TP: I’ve had so many wonderful trips but Costa Rica really stands out.  I was single for the first time in a very long time and I traveled with two of my best guy friends (one of whom is my husband now.)  We went zip lining, horseback riding and rode atv’s. It was amazing there. They don’t really have any rules so when we went horseback riding, they told us to follow a trail and left us on our own.  We rode along mountain cliffs that were crazy steep!  We were able to race each other.  It was awesome.  It was the same with the atvs.  We were left on our own so we were racing (and I took a corner too fast and ended up in a ditch.)  We stopped at waterfalls to swim and had such memorable moments.

PLB: What an adventure! If you could choose to have dinner with anyone (living or deceased) who would it be and why?

TP: Mother Teresa.  I have always admired her selflessness and her kindness.  I would love to learn how to constantly put others first and worry less about myself and my circumstances and focus completely on others.

PLB: Share with us something we would never guess about you if we didn’t know you well.

TP: I am deathly afraid of seaweed – always have been even though nothing traumatic ever happened to me to cause this fear.

PLB: I hope there was no seaweed on your Costa Rica trip or on any of your family vacations! Teresa, thank you so much for sharing yourself with us. And we are so happy to share our passion for children with you.  Thank you for all that you do.