When the car Taylor Stevens McLaughlin, 20, was driving collided head-on with another vehicle near Burlington, Vermont, on January 10, 2010, two lives were lost: Taylor’s and that of the driver of the other car. To try to make something positive happen out of the devastation, Taylor’s family decided to build upon Taylor’s friendship with a group of Sudanese immigrants living in Burlington. The family created a foundation that Taylor’s mother, father and sisters hope will be able to aid Sudanese in need in the U.S. and in Sudan. At the annual July Fourth parade in Montpelier, Taylor’s Sudanese Mission for Peace made its first official appearance. With a new banner, his family, friends and a contingent of Sudanese Vermonters made an emotional march through the streets of Vermont’s capital.
