07/26/2025
Making a Difference...
It doesn't take much to make a difference in the community where we live. The request can be small. It can start with a simple request from a parent asking you to spend time with their child, tutor, help with a school project, assist with college applications, or just being the adult in the child's life that exposes them to art and literature, hopefully stoking the fires of knowledge and teaching them that the ONLY limits we have are those we create ourselves.
I opened Cycles Life Solutions, LLC in August of 2014 and through the years have hosted teen workshops and for a brief moment in time had a teen book club exposing them to classic literature.
My first love was writing and I started my matriculation majoring in Mass Communications and English Literature. Mrs. Mallet, Mrs. Becton, and Mrs. Rodgers were to blame for my love of literature in AP English, along with being raised by Eunice Dent who didn't allow us to watch TV. We only got to watch TV when The Cosbys and A Different World were on. After that we had to read and study. But because of my upbringing, my nose was always in a book and I developed a desire to learn. Sometimes this thirst for knowledge gets contagious and when nurtured in the right environment, it can pass on to the young people around you.
This year was a major milestone for me. I had 3 of my young protégés graduate. One in Engineering from Grambling, one from SU Law School, and one from High School who was accepted into the Nursing Program at Southern University. Because of this young women's hard work and dedication she will start this fall with several scholarships and no impediments to her learning.
I first met Kennedy when she was ending her 8th grade year and starting highschool. She reached out to volunteer with me when I would go out and do community service or outreach. Through the years, if I had a project, she was pitching in. It didn't matter where I was or what I was doing, she was there. Through it all she learned that the world was bigger than she was and became a part of the St. Louis High School Leadership Committee. This year for their retreat she headed a team of her peers to provide hygiene kits and supplies for my organizations Community Partners Help the Homeless Initiative. She shared with them that this was a project that she'd helped me with through the years and it's importance to the unhoused. She thought about someone other than herself during a time when most Seniors are only thinking of graduation and prom. Because of Kennedy's Leadership qualities, work in the community and sense of purpose, I decided to start a Memorial Scholarship in honor of my parents who instilled in me the love of giving back to my community and community engagement. Kennedy Thibodeaux has worked with me for the last 5 years and is the recipient of the first ever, Cycles Life Solutions "Building a Better Community" Eunice and Frederick Dent II Memorial Community Service Award. Her books will be paid for every semester that she's enrolled full-time in school and maintains her GPA. 😊
Because of my time spent with Kennedy, her mom asked me to spend with her cousin. Since, meeting Jelissa two weeks ago she reaches out regularly and shared with me on Thursday that three of the books that I wanted her to read had just been delivered. 😊 She chose Death of a Salesman to read first. I'm looking forward to spending time with Jelissa and discussing these books as well as helping her to figure out her next. My goal is the expose every young person I encounter to the things that I was exposed to.
Being a mentor doesn't stop once the child graduates highschool. For me it continues after college graduation and often includes helping them with cover letters and resumes, or connecting them to someone in their field who can give them career advice. It means being there for their NEXT. It doesn't take a lot of money to make a difference in a young person's life. It takes time. This week CJ bought a new truck and made sure that he picked me up for a ride. 😊 Mentoring means being there to share the highs and lows of their stories while making sure they have support.
During this time period when our country is on fire, community matters. Our young people matter. The rollbacks are designed to ensure that not only we don't make it but, our kids don't as well. It's gonna take a Village to get our kids through this and survive. So invite them for coffee, allow them to speak and ask questions, help them figure things out!
All it takes is one person to make a difference in a young person's life! You'd be surprised by what that one interaction could do!🥰 No judgement!! Just results!!
Blessed Beyond Measure 🙏🏾 ✨️,
Tasha Guidry
