|
|
It has been my dream for over 20 years to open and manage a place of refuge for
homeless and unwed young ladies 13 - 19 years old. Lean On Me, Inc. is that dream. It is more than just a shelter
but a home. The home will provide an on -site daycare, a dining hall and educational center. The organization’s
main goal is to ensure that each girl completes her education, learns basic life skills and is prepared to enter the job force
before leaving the facility. There
are phases in which an organization such as this is formed. Phase I was to become incorporated completed May 2007.
Phase II is to receive non-profit status, received June 2009. Phase III receive recognition as an organization.
This is the phase we are currently in. We will continue to do outreach activities, offer educational assistance,
HIV/AIDS awareness, and Domestic Violence education until we reach the final phase. The final phase will be to find
and occupy the home where we can continue to offer the girls the same love and attention on a 24 hour basis. Collette Desselles was born in Marksville, LA. She is the daughter
of Marion Desselles and the late James C. Desselles. She has two sister Lisa and Raphaella and two brothers,
Robert and Blaise and 3 children, Reginald, Markeshia and Deon. She came to Baton Rouge as a single teenage
parent in 1983 determined to make a difference in her life and in the lives of many young ladies she planned to help.
As she worked and raised her three children, she was constantly flooded with the dream of housing
young teenage girls who were runaways, throwaways, pregnant or just homeless girls. She is currently
enrolled at University of Phoenix and will graduate in 2012, with a Bachelor’s in Business Management. She
has worked for the State of Louisiana for the last 20 years. She worked in a multifaceted areas including:
Pediatric Clinic, Medical Records, Audit Control, Workers Compensation, Unemployment Compensation and finally the Road Home
program. She believes that her passion to help others, her personal life, work life and educational background
qualifies her to be the executive director of this program.
|
Enter supporting content here