ST. JAMES — A local non-profit organization is on a mission to stop a cycle of violence by helping young men who have lost loved ones to violence achieve big dreams in the right way.

LEAD, which stands for Love, Educate, Advocate and Dream, aims to be a beacon of hope and a way to make others feel heard. It offers a four-week program in which a mentor teaches kids how to stay out of trouble through fun activities, showing them that the simple things in life can be enjoyable.

“We teach how if you keep going forward, you're gonna reach your goal, you may not get there overnight, but you're gonna reach it," LEAD founder Romain Leblanc said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 20,000 people die every year in gun-related homicides. Leblanc is all too familiar

See Full Page