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YWCA seeks $12,000 from Caddo Parish to expand LEAD program coordinator and outreach
Summary
Rashida Dawson, executive director of the YWCA of Northwest Louisiana, asked the Caddo Parish Commission for $12,000 to support the LEAD youth program (about $10,000 for a coordinator and $2,000 for outreach) after the organization lost a Crime Victims Act grant.
Rashida Dawson, executive director of the YWCA of Northwest Louisiana, asked the Caddo Parish Commission to consider expanded support for the YWCA’s LEAD (Leadership, Empowerment and Development) program.
Dawson told the commission the YWCA requested $12,000 in the current NGO funding cycle — $10,000 to support a program coordinator and $2,000 for marketing and outreach — and said her longer term goal is for the commission to underwrite a substantial share of a full‑time coordinator to stabilize program delivery.
The organization reported that in 2025 it directly served about 578 participants and that, counting indirect contacts through partners, its programming reached roughly 1,900 young women. Dawson said the YWCA recently lost a Crime Victims Act grant that formerly helped fund trauma counseling and that the loss strained the group’s ability to sustain counseling and capacity for LEAD.
Shirley Pearson, the YWCA youth program consultant, described school partnerships and a team‑council model that brings counselor‑recommended girls together for leadership and advocacy projects. Commissioners responded with offers to help connect the YWCA to schools and local partners as the appropriations process proceeds.
Dawson provided a phone number and email for program contact and asked community members to volunteer or support the program financially.
