LaShundra Williams knows first-hand what it is to experience hardship. Her own story included experiences with family struggling with mental health and substance use issues, the foster care system, and overcoming her struggles with trauma, abuse, and neglect. She saw both sides of the child welfare system, the good and the bad, and knew what it was like to be dismissed as just another child to fall through the cracks.

“Growing up in foster care isn’t the prettiest story. When you are forced to live with one person after another, you never know what life has in store for you,” LaShundra shared. “But I wanted more in life. I wanted to be the first of my mother’s children to graduate college. I was purpose-driven to break the poverty cycle in my family.”

In her late teens, she was placed with a very supportive foster family that helped her process through her own emotional and behavioral issues so she could better focus on her extracurricular activities and life goals. She also began to have visitations with her mother, eventually moving in with her for her senior year of high school.

In her twenties, LaShundra was searching for the right trajectory for her life. One long-term goal continued to stick with her, to be a social worker. She was intrigued by the social work profession and the opportunities it provided to do what she enjoyed the most, including assisting others to overcome life challenges and advocating for people of all backgrounds in need. Grounded in her determination to succeed, LaShundra pursued her passion and completed her bachelor’s degree in social work at Thomas University in 2010. 

She dove into her work with Georgia Family and Children’s Services as a foster care case manager and child protection investigator. Her past with its pain and challenges were a source of strength and often a tool she utilized to encourage her clients when they felt defeated or broken down. Her personal and professional experiences in child welfare led to an opportunity in 2015 to work at the Florida Department of Children and Families. She jumped at the opportunity, relocating from Albany, Georgia to Tallahassee, Florida to work in the Florida child welfare system.

Throughout this time, LaShundra was always looking for ways to improve herself and to make a greater impact on the people she served. This included the completion of her Master of Social Work degree from the FSU College of Social Work in 2018.

“I learned how to both better organize my life and my time, but my coursework allowed me to better able to manage the affairs of other people,” she explained about her experience in the MSW program. “This degree helped to enhance my professional work experience to influence the lives of children and adults.”

She recalls being inspired by a speaker while at the College of Social Work that graduated and went on to open her own non-profit agency to mentor girls. LaShundra also shared a similar interest in women and girls and helping them work through abuse and neglect to achieve their full potential. In Adjunct Professor Carol Berkowitz’s Finance and Budget Class, a group assignment to form a fictional non-profit and operating budget would be the seed from which her organization, Uplift Community Outreach would grow. LaShundra shared with her group members that she wanted to make forming a non-profit a reality. In August 2018, LaShundra made that dream a reality.

“My vision is to reach out and help people, especially women in less fortunate positions to rise above their circumstances, break down barriers, and disprove statistics,” explained LaShundra about the mission of Uplift Community Outreach. “With my organization, I want to continue to fight against the social ills that have bedeviled our community, including homelessness, poverty, human trafficking, abuse, and neglect.”

This year, LaShundra returned to the FSU College of Social Work to visit Carol Berkowitz’s class and talk about her experiences building a non-profit. Berkowitz emphasized how important guest speakers are to providing real-life scenarios that augment the lectures and text learned in the classroom.

“I was especially impressed with LaShundra. She shared how she learned from the class and what helped her translate her vision into a start-up non-profit,” stated Berkowitz. “Community presentations complement classroom lessons, providing insight into the operation and funding of organizations for which they [students] will work.”

Every step has been a learning process, LaShundra noted, when describing the establishment of her organization. The process has had both its successes and challenges. Among her recent successes were the securing of grant funds from Walmart and recurrent donations from a local church community, along with her inaugural Uplift Back to School Outfit giveaway. Already they are serving more than 100 families each weekend, providing them with food and other necessities like cleaning, hygiene, and baby items.

In its first year, Uplift Community Outreach’s biggest challenges have been to establish its volunteer base and to secure a facility to serve as a central point of operations. She is on the lookout for community partnerships, dedicated volunteers (including board members) along with retailers and wholesalers to contribute donations.

She remembers that it was with the help of non-profit organizations that her own family was able to acquire food and other basic needs. Uplift Community Outreach provides food assistance, support, and resources to underprivileged and struggling families in the Tallahassee and Leon County region, including mobile food services for those with limited or no transportation. 

LaShundra has the vision to continue to grow the organization and work within the Tallahassee community to alleviate hunger and to offer families in need with practical support. To get involved, contact Uplift Community Outreach at uplifttally@outlook.com.