About
In February 2009, the Department of Human Services afforded Shaneka the opportunity to learn the importance of what it takes to address the needs of the families she longed to serve. As a case manager, it was evident that most of these families needed more than supportive services, such as food stamps and Medicaid, they were also in need of guidance on how to maintain healthy relationships, finances and budgeting, and home and personal health care. Her experience made her realize what real case management entailed, and how important it was for her to reach people where they are.
For the next eight years, Shaneka served at-risk youths and their families at United Family Services, (UFS) Inc. During her tenure at UFS, she saw the great need for services to assist the homeless and youth populations. Mentoring and monitoring delinquent juveniles led her to join Ambassadors for Christ (AFC) as an Outreach Case Manager. Here, she witnessed firsthand the dire need of the homeless in her community. Her compassion propelled her to action. Hence, her God-given passion to end homelessness, one individual/family at a time, was birthed.
Shaneka is the Founder and CEO of Lula Mae’s Day Center, a non-profit organization that addresses the causes and strives to promote resolutions to the issues of homelessness. Its mission is to assist individuals who are experiencing homelessness or near homelessness by providing resources and supportive services to create independence. Lula Mae’s Day Center provides a safe haven for the most vulnerable and at-risk segment of the homeless population in Pine Bluff, AR. It serves as a ‘home away from home’ that offers education on the importance of health and academics, provides good nutritional meals and, of course, compassion. She believes and avidly proclaims these are the essential elements needed to overcome life’s challenges, which leads to successful living.
Shaneka’s ultimate goal is to develop a partnership with faith-based and other organizations that have a similar passion for the homeless in order to create a cohesive body of resources to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes in this endeavor.
Shaneka is a proud, member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. Lula Mae’s Day Center’s (LMDC) mission is to assist individuals who are experiencing homelessness or near
Shaneka has always been passionate about family development and community enrichment, especially when it comes to the underprivileged. That passion is what led her to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and complete the requirements to receive a Master’s Degree in Addiction Studies from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a Master's in Social Work from Walden University. Upon completion of her studies, Shaneka immediately embarked on her quest to strengthen family values and improve economic opportunities through education. She believes that education is the best venue to address undesirable behaviors such as truancy, fighting, and others not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Many of these behaviors may trigger the misconception of the inability to survive, and thrive, in an impoverished society.
Executive Summary
Formed in December 2018, Lula Mae’s Day Center’s (LMDC) located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in Jefferson County is a 501(c) 3. Striving to serve as a positive force in the development of the neighboring community. One of its missions is to promote outreach programs and services to empower individuals and families, with the objective to physically, financially, socially, and psychologically develop the neighboring area and serve as an educational/recreational resource in the community. Lula Mae’s Day Center’s (LMDC) located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (Jefferson County), is striving to be a well-known community organization.
Lula Mae’s Day Center’s (LMDC) offers a wide-range of programs such as nutritious hot breakfast & lunch, Crisis Intervention, Resource Linkage/Supportive Services, Adult Literacy Education, Recreational Activities that targets welfare-to-work families, at-risk youth, ex-offenders and substance abusers for the purpose of empowering them to become self-sufficient.
LMDC’s goals are (1) to sustain a secure, educational/recreational resource center through after-school and cultural enrichment, mentoring and development activities, (2) to develop personal efficacy skills, self-control strategies and future orientation knowledge in order to reduce homeless, and incarnation rate (3) to offer life and job skills training and seminars to reduce the reliance of disadvantaged families on government benefits and (4) to provide family conferences and workshops to strengthen family units and preserve and encourage healthy lifestyles. LMDC currently embarks on these goals through: (1) Self-Care, literacy and job training classes, workshops and that promote heathy living, wellness and good self-esteem as keys for success, (2) financial seminars on checkbook maintenance, debt and credit repair, stocks and investments, mortgage comprehension for self-sufficiency, (3) interviewing and resume workshops to develop job readiness in order to reduce governmental dependencies, (4) community service outreach efforts to build esteem and community value, (5) leadership-mentoring development programs to increase accountability and personal efficacy and (7) job, college and health fairs to provide networking and opportunities for future career stability.
Participants in the LMDC programs gain knowledge of the importance of good Life Skills while benefiting from becoming skilled at demonstrating a positive Mindset and being trained to seek opportunities that Develop and lead to strategies that change economic disadvantage patterns that enables a Consistent quality of life as well as a self-sufficient life style.
