Local company makes donation for Youth Leadership Initiative

At a recent meeting of the Northeast Texas Coalition Against Substance Abuse, director Susan Anderson announced an exciting opportunity that had been made possible by a the donation from a local business. Lone Star Specialties, out of Lone Star, has made a $1,500 donation to the coalition for the purpose of implementing a Youth Leadership Initiative at Daingerfield High School.

The Youth Leadership Initiative will equip youth with leadership skills to reach their full potential, both on and off the coalition, and give students an opportunity to use their skills to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies for preventing substance abuse among their peers. The initiative will also help keep students engaged in positive extracurricular activities, and build self-confidence for the students involved. Mentorship skills will also be taught, that those students involved can then turn around and mentor incoming freshmen, helping ease that difficult transition time.

The funds provided by Lone Star Specialties will mostly be used for efforts at Daingerfield High School, although $500 have been designated for a half-day Youth Leadership Summit, open to Daingerfield, Hughes Springs, and Pewitt students. That summit will include leadership workshops, and students in attendance will receive a certificate and letter of recommendation. There will also be a $500 scholarship awarded to a Daingerfield High School senior to assist with post-secondary education. The remaining $500 of the donation will be used for student coalition projects at Daingerfield High School throughout the year.

Anderson has begun forming a committee to plan the Youth Leadership Summit. The committee will be responsible for organizing the date, time and location for the event, as well as workshops topics and speakers. The group will also be looking for donations from the community for a venue, lunch for those in attendance, and incentives for attendees. More details will be available as details is finalized.