Oakland University alumna Ashley Lorano believes in “turning heartache into hope.”

Lorano, a lifelong volunteer whose efforts have taken her from Macomb to Mexico, has found good will to be an antidote for grief.

When her best friend Daniella Saveski lost her battle with cancer in 2009, Lorano established Party with a Purpose, a grassroots charity. Friends and family raised more than $5,000 in support of cancer research.

“Ash is seriously one of the only genuine people I have met when it comes to reaching her hand out to others in a ton of aspects in life,” Malissa Saveski, Daniella’s sister, said. She worked with Lorano to plan Party with a Purpose.

A year later, Lorano’s charity hosted a party to raise money for Angel House Rescue Orphanage, a Rochester-based nonprofit group that has opened 35 orphanages that house approximately 1,000 children.

“When she began this event, I thought it would be a one-time deal and tried to help and thought it would not last more than one year…and possibly thought she was doing it to lighten the mood with my family and I,” Saveski said.  “Little did I know we would start to become best friends, and this event would take place every year.”

The event drew in $11,500, which Lorano used to establish an orphanage in Hyderabad, India in December 2011. The shelter, home to eight girls and four boys, is run by a local church family who act as surrogate parents.

Lorano has since decided to pursue a second orphanage and organized another party to fund the effort. More than 200 people attended, and about $16,800 was raised. She hopes to return to India by 2014.

Volunteering started early for Lorano, who was raised in a Christian home and remembers volunteering at soup kitchens with her family. She has worked with the Macomb Rotating Emergency Shelter Team, where she volunteered to do security, laundry and even offered manicures to give hope to people in need.

After her first missions (Missions or mission? -drew) trip to Mexico at age 14, Lorano said she knew she could not just stand by — she had to start taking real action.

“I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. This is where I want to be,” Lorano said.

She describes herself as someone who can’t stop giving and feels personally responsible when she hears of a community in need.

“I love the U.S., I’m grateful to have been born in the U.S., that’s a privilege that we have and that gives us an opportunity to go help people in other countries,” Lorano said. “In America, even the poorest don’t come close to how bad it can get in other countries.”

Lorano’s philanthropic efforts have earned much recognition.

She was most recently recognized as a RARE Everyday Hero, an award presented by the youth mentoring program Winning Futures. Lorano has been active with Winning Futures for years where she serves as a mentor to local high school students. 

She has also been named a Distinguished Volunteer by the Association of Fundraising Professionals and was the recipient of the Civic Leadership Award from the Twilight Benefit Foundation.

Lorano has also worked with the Live to Give Foundation, serving as a project coordinator to revitalize Detroit.

She remains ambitions in spite of her hectic schedule, and she hopes to someday establish her own foundation to raise awareness about human trafficking, children’s rights and poverty.

“I don’t take a lot of ‘me time,’” Lorano said. “I love people, so being around others isn’t too stressful for me.”

She stressed that every little bit helps and even modifying everyday habits can result in positive change.

“Just do something, find an organization that you can help, live everyday and be kind to each other,” she said. “Just love one another.”