Lasting Legacy Foundation provides positive pathways for Louisiana youth

James Grey, a military veteran of 19 years from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is one of those people who you meet and simply can’t help but admire. He is a man truly driven by a passion for helping his community. A native Louisianan, James has seen firsthand the hardships and struggles that many families in rural, low-income communities face.He explains, “My heart is really with the children, to make sure they’re okay. When I see kids and teens home by themselves, without food, without anywhere to turn besides the streets... it really strikes a chord with me. I spoke with my wife about it, and we decided we had to do something.”In June of 2018, the Greys started the Lasting Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit that works with youth aged 8-18 years old around the state of Louisiana through after-school and summer programs. These programs offer free meals and help with homework, allowing kids and teens to be positively engaged in their community while their parents are at work.James explains, “We travel all over Louisiana, but whenever you go to the different areas, you kind of see the same thing. Problems with drugs, alcohol, violence. Disengagement in school. Kids just don’t know where to turn.”All of the programming for the Lasting Legacy Foundation is completely free and takes place in areas that are close to where the kids live, such as schools, libraries, and local community centers. ““We really want to make sure we’re doing this work close to the kids.” says James. “We hire locals that know the kids, know the area. That way the kids don’t feel like it’s some stranger coming in out of nowhere and telling them what to do and how to live. We figure, if we can keep them for a few hours while mom is at work, to help them stay out of trouble and have food in their bellies… well, then that’s something I feel good about.”In the summer of 2018, the Lasting Legacy Foundation applied for a state grant to start a food feeding program. Through the program, the Lasting Legacy Foundation works with kids and teens after school and during the summer, providing support and resources while making sure that they all have a good meal. The program also allows opportunities for kids and teens to make positive, healthy connections with mentors and peers.The Lasting Legacy Foundation does no advertising— everyone that comes to them has heard of them through word of mouth. The Foundation members travel to different sites around the state and ask community leaders themselves, “is this the sort of programming that would be of benefit to your community? How many kids here would benefit?” As of September 2018, the Lasting Legacy Foundation works with over 100 different sites across Louisiana, and more than 1000 kids and teens are enrolled in their programs.When reflecting on the Lasting Legacy Foundation’s achievements over their past four months of operation, James replies truthfully, “I’m proud of it all. There’s no one scenario that I can point to. Every day that these kids look at us and say, ‘wow, this is something we can actually do?’, the look on their face when they realize that they can do these things that they never would have dreamed of previously… that just says it all for me.”Moving forward into the new year, the Lasting Legacy Foundation has a goal of expanding to other states across the nation. In particular, they hope to help kids and teens in states that have been affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters by going into low income areas that couldn’t afford to fix damages and offering free programming for youth.James remarks, “I don’t go in looking for glory. I just try to help these kids. It’s amazing how, even in a short time, we’re able to touch a lot of these young people and turn their lives around.”To learn more about the Lasting Legacy Foundation and how you can donate to their cause, contact james@ourlastinglegacy.org.