By Tiffany Flournoy
HOMER, La. (DWCC) — At David Wade Correctional Center, inmates aren’t just serving time—they’re building hope and transformation. Behind barbed wire, cyclone fences, and cinderblock walls, they are turning their skills into service, crafting a life-sized play fort and furniture that benefits children while helping them discover purpose and redemption.
The woodlands-themed fort, labeled “Fort Warrior,” includes shelves a sitting area with chairs and a sportsman-themed table, bunk beds with wood-burned designs, a full-size bookshelf with a hidden compartment, and a short stairwell — all handcrafted by inmates. A hand-painted backdrop completes the interior, while the exterior displays the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital logo.
It will be donated to the Minden St. Jude fundraiser and auctioned during its annual event Feb. 5–8 at the Minden Civic Center, which is open to the public.
“When an inmate gives specifically to St. Jude, they see that their work is for the greater good,” Warden Michele Dauzat said. “It gives them a sense of purpose and helps develop empathy—for their victims and for people going through difficult times—showing how actions, positive or negative, can affect the community.”
Assistant Warden Ryan Kimball said inmates with skills in carpentry, leatherwork, and art were assigned projects for the auction, including Fort Warrior. He noted that the offender population is contributing in a variety of ways—from rocking chairs to portraits and leatherwork. Kimball said the fort honors young cancer patients as real warriors and that this is the first year the program has fully taken shape.
“We don’t minimize the severity of the crimes these individuals have committed,” Kimball said. “But we do try to create opportunities for them to give back. Doing something positive—even something small—brings a sense of purpose. This program allows them to contribute to their community, even from inside a prison.”
Inmates described the project as a rare chance to give back, reclaim purpose, and support one another through collaborative work.
Dauzat said she has seen inmates grow more aware of how they can contribute to society.
“They don’t have many ways to give back and kind of make up for the wrongdoings that they did to their victims,” she said.
Projects like the St. Jude fundraiser give inmates a way to serve the community while incarcerated, preparing them for productive roles and benefiting both themselves and the community when they return home.
Built entirely by inmates, Fort Warrior rises as a bridge from confinement to compassion, with auction proceeds delivering hope and care to sick children.
