Hecht first encountered the Lost Boys in 2001, when 85 of the approximately 3800 refugees who had relocated to the United States settled in Jacksonville, Florida. Hecht became a mentor to the Lost Boys of Sudan and continues to assist the Lost Boys and the people of South Sudan on a volunteer basis, as they acclimate to life in the US and struggle to assist remaining family members and friends in South Sudan.[1] Prior to meeting the Lost Boys of Sudan, Hecht had worked as an executive in sales and marketing and also as a professional singer, backing Johnny Van Zant.[2] In 2002, after Ezekiel Kong Deng — one of the refugees whom she had unofficially adopted — died following a failed liver transplant, Hecht conceived the idea of creating a Foundation to assist the refugees.