As I have been scrolling social media lately, I have seen more posts about leaving Baton Rouge than anything else. I know crime has been on the top of everyone’s minds as the recent news of an LSU student being senselessly killed last week.
As a mom of a seventeen-year-old myself, I have spent the past few days reflecting on what we as a community should be doing differently in and around Baton Rouge. For me, making a statement of leaving or “getting out of dodge” is a bold statement and also takes resources most people do not have at their disposal.
For our family, that is not the answer. For us, we are spending time investing in our community. We have a few organizations we support financially or with our time volunteering. Through that, we are improving the community we live in. We personally work with organizations focused on our youth and young adults.
Here are a few local organizations that are great to support either financially or with your time.
Front Yard Bikes “The heart of our organization is motivated by compassion for kids from low-income families that are willing to work for a better community. We hope to impact the youth of Baton Rouge one bike at a time, one heart at a time, because the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Foster Village Baton Rouge “The mission of Foster Village™ is to come alongside children and families in the Baton Rouge area child welfare system and show them that they are not alone. Our goal is to create opportunities for the community to be a ‘village’ of support to these vulnerable and under-served children and families.”
Capitol Area Reentry Program “To redefine reentry in Baton Rouge through a holistic approach to routine screening, compassionate engagement, and harm reductive services aimed to reduce health disparities among people who inject drugs (PWID) and LGBTQ+ individuals. {To change the narrative of reentry amongst health/wellness and economic justice.}”
When you find yourself sitting at home in a funk about what is happening around you, I encourage you to think and process what YOU can do to make the community around you better. Maybe volunteering at a non-profit is too overwhelming for you, what about loving your neighbors? If we all took the time to love and invest in Baton Rouge, I promise you it would be the best city to live in!
