Episode 21 Dan Farris - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Dan Farris, Local Attorney and Community Activist, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana to answer the following questions:

 

0:36 1. Let’s start here. You once said, “Some children are dealt a rough hand, but with some support and guidance, they are fully capable of discovering and achieving their dreams and ambitions.”

You grew up in the Lakeside/Allendale neighborhood. For those out there who don’t really know what you mean when you say, “some children are dealt a rough hand”, or who have a hard time understanding what life looks like for a number of families in these neighborhoods, let’s talk for a second about that.

What would you say that many of us take for granted or are maybe unaware of, when it comes to life for many in Lakeside and Allendale?

 

4:43 2. You are a successful attorney, highly involved in the community, serving as the Former President of the Providence House Board and on the Volunteers of America LightHouse Advisory Council. You also volunteer with Junior Achievement and participated in LANO’s Community Leaders program, which began as a means to transform nonprofit board service through diversity.

All that to say, you are highly involved and have thrived where maybe a number of your childhood peers from Lakeside and Allendale have not achieved the same level of success. What do you attribute your success to?

 

15:14 3. How do we get more people like you setting aside time to get involved in the community?

 

19:53 4. In addition to practicing law and all your community service, you are also an actor, a published author of two fantasy novels, the host of a podcast, and you do voiceover work. You clearly love and understand the importance of telling stories. As you look around the community, what stories do you feel should be given more attention or are not being told enough?

 

25:30 5. What makes you hopeful about the future of Shreveport-Bossier?

 

28:30 6. Lastly, it’s a question I’ve asked numerous times. I feel like I only interact with a very small portion of the community and I am always trying to expand my understanding of what the entire community looks and feels like.

If I met you one Sunday morning at 8AM and said for the next twelve hours I want you to show me your Shreveport-Bossier, what does our day look like?