Have you met Ron Anderson? Well, you’re off your rocker if you don’t make that effort.
Ron is the head of Project Reclaim, a leadership academy headquartered in our home town that targets elementary, middle, junior and high school youth here and throughout the state. He’s shooting for the stars and is focused on taking others with him. He believes anything can be achieved.
Project Reclaim’s stated goal is to help its participants “…become the best leaders they can be by learning about leadership, performing well academically and learning to respect relationships with others.”
Through leadership training, life and social skills development, as well as parental involvement activities, Ron Anderson puts his heart and soul into working with young people and, when possible, parents. It’s his way of keeping the word “troubled” out of their lives and reclaiming a generation.
Your obedient observer recently attended a meeting of Project Reclaim supporters where a video presentation provided an insight into the fuel that ignited the fire of service in Ron Anderson.
Even a nationally prominent non-profit organization recognizes the value of Ron Anderson’s work.
The Woodson Center’s mission is to “empower community-based leaders to promote solutions that reduce crime and violence, restore families, revitalize underserved communities, and assist in the creation of economic enterprise.” It’s this organization that funded and filmed the story of this local man’s dream and determination, and you, too, can You Tube it.
What Ron Anderson is doing is being done from our hometown. Some of his programs are finding their way into schools, which should be the fertile fields of problem solving. Several parishes, including Bossier Parish, have opened their school doors to his reclamation projects. But those several do not include Webster.
And with the record of Project Reclaim achievements, we wonder why not. The project has elevated kids to academic and personal excellence. Classroom and societal leadership is the challenge accepted by his kids and parents. Since proof and pudding are partners, it might be worthwhile for our local education leaders to give it a glance. Can’t hurt.
Heck. It might give someone something positive for which to claim credit.
– Pat Culverhouse
