The Strand Village Project #thrive held a special celebratory luncheon on January 12, as sponsors recognized and honored those involved in the very successful youth program.
The after-school program was the brainchild of LaSalle Economic Development District (LEDD) Executive Director Cynthia Cockerham, who had already successful wrote, received and implemented over $1.6 million worth of grants from 20122019. This money was used throughout LaSalle Parish from playground and exercise equipment to farmer’s markets.
In 2019, The Rapides Foundation released a funding announcement for a Substance and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program Grant and although not formerly trained as a grant writer, Cockerham wrote The Strand Village Project #thrive grant which was ultimately funded for $325,000.
“I honestly had no idea how to create an opportunity for youth under the grant labeled ‘Substance and Alcohol Prevention Program’,” she told the large crowd gathered at the celebratory luncheon at Jena’s Historic Strand Theater Jan. 12. “What I did know was that I was seeing some lack of resiliency when dealing with the stress of everyday life. I was seeing addiction in a lot of places, even in the parish I called home. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco negatively affect personal health, quality of life and can ruin lives and families.”
Cockerham noted while doing research for the grant proposal, she came across an article entitled, “Iceland Knows How to Stop Teen Substance Abuse But the Rest of the World isn’t Listening.”
“I found The Search Institute who says kids that find a spark do better in school and that the more of their 40 developmental assets a teen possesses, the better equipped they are for real life,” she said. “Wow! I was on to something. Both inspired me to dream about bringing an art and technology after- school program to our youth in LaSalle Parish. I was particularly passionate about bringing art classes and youth theater.”
On September 19, 2019, Cockerham was informedherproposed was approved and was invited to write a full grant for her idea. The grant’s approval notice was received on March 2, 2020, and she was ready to get started setting up the after-school programs for LaSalle’s youth.
Then came that fateful day, March 13, 2020. Covid-19 was in full force and schools were closed for the rest of the year. It would also delay the #thrive program from its intended start date.
It would be approximately two years before the first camp could be held, but in January 2022, the first #thrive camps were held after school hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at both ends of the parish.
The first four instructors for the initial camps were Kim Aldrich, Angela Smith, Ale Lachance and Ikey Ray. They were assisted by site coaches Amanda Mason, Sara Gifford, Sharla McCarty and Alica Andrews.
The following year, the camps expanded, offered a variety of arts, technology and theater options and more and more of La-Salle’s youth began attending.
By the fall of 2023, when the LaSalle Parish School System implemented their fourday school week, the program adapted to offer the camps on the Mondays school was not in session.
Since that first camp in 2022, they have sponsored 43 camps where 743 youth have participated. Remarkably, 85% of the youth attended 80% or more days of the camps with 45% having perfect attendance.
Most of the camps involved youth in grades 5-8, however, several of the camps had high school students participate, including the most popular theater camps.
“At this celebration event, let us not forget how this project was born and the staff and youth that actually made it successful,” she said. “Also, #thrive could not have been successful without some great partnerships from the school system, the towns of Jena and Urania, LaSalle Recreational District #22 and the Rod Brady Campus of CLTCC.”
While the students learned a variety of arts, technology and theater, each camp included the special foundational component to help equip them to resist the temptations of alcohol, drugs and other substance abuse issues.
The Natural High curriculum, which is the heartbeat of the camps, helps the students discover their “natural high” which studies have demonstrated helps keep youth off harmful substances.
“By embracing their natural high, it inspires and empowers youth to find their natural high and develop the skills and courage to live life well,” Cockerham said. “All of these camps exposed our youth to things they hadn’t before and in that, many found new interests and even career ambitions,” she said. “We are so thankful for the number of testimonies from youth who have attended who are now actively involved in pursuing degrees or careers after experiencing that particular art or technology at one of the #thrive camps.”
At the luncheon, most of the 40 trained staff members who have led the camps during the last three years were present. The 19 staff members were also presented with special door prizes. Several of the #thrive camp youth participants were also present and performed various talents for the crowd.
With another round of funding recently approved, Cockerham is excited about what 2026 will bring and they continue to expand the after-school programs.
“I also want to thank The Rapides Foundation and LEDD for allowing me to ‘think outside the box’ and invest in our youth – our future business leaders and elected officials,” she concluded. “I have great enthusiasm for the seven remaining camps that I know will leave their own footprints on our youth and staff. I continue to be hopeful for sustainability for this program.”
(The program is a component of The Strand Village Project #thrive and is funded in part by a Substance and Alcohol Prevention Program Grant and a Healthy Behaviors Mini Grant from The Rapides Foundation. For more information, contact info@agreaterlasalle. com.)
