Episode 16 Kelli Todd - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Kelli Todd, Executive Director of Volunteers for Youth Justice, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:

 

0:37 1. You once said, “Even the smallest contributions from caring individuals culminate into great achievements for our children, youth and families.”

 

Talk to me if you could about what you meant by the quote above.

 

4:48 2. Back in 2004, you were teaching biology and coaching at Captain Shreve High School when you first began volunteering for Volunteers for Youth Justice (or “VYJ”).

 

A couple of years later, a job at VYJ came up in the Court Appointed Special Advocates department. Due to a chance encounter with Virginia Shehee and Virginia advising you to “follow your heart”, you ended up applying for the position, getting the job that included a pay cut and changing the trajectory of your career and life.

 

You are now into your ninth year as the Executive Director of Volunteers for Youth Justice. Can you talk to me a little about the organization and a few of your programs?

 

11:50 3. Preparing for my discussion with you, I came across some background on the formation of Volunteers for Youth Justice, which reminded me of how Providence House first came about. Can you talk about the origin of Volunteers for Youth Justice, who first started it and how?

 

13:46 4. You have worked and continue to work with many of the families in our community who are struggling. What are some things you could share or talk about that maybe the general public doesn’t see or know about these families in crisis?

 

18:35 5. In your opinion, are we breaking cycles? If not, what are we going to have to do differently to begin putting an end to some of the areas where our community struggles the most?

 

22:35 6. What is currently your biggest challenge at Volunteers for Youth Justice? Or in other words, what could you most use more of? Volunteers? Money? Or something else?