The LEAD Coalition of Bay County continues to show resiliency

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A local non-profit has been showing its dedication to Bay County’s minority communities for nearly a decade by working to build safer and stronger neighborhoods. The LEAD Coalition continues to showcase its resiliency to this day with plans to host a handful of events and programs in the upcoming weeks.

The LEAD Coalition of Bay County is a diverse organization originally created to fight against violence in minority communities. The goal is to increase safety, build trust and restore neighborhoods.

“Everything that it will take to create a thriving, resilient community. We’re involved and that’s LEAD,” Beverly Wall, Social Media Marketing Representative for the LEAD Coalition of Bay County, said.

The coalition has been a helping hand for the area’s minority communities since 2014.

“I wasn’t here when LEAD first was formulated, but I understand that it came from the violence that had happened in the community, a number of shootings,” Wall said.

Since then, the nonprofit has become something much bigger.

“We work on a national level with other communities similar as ours, coming up with initiatives to help the community solve some of the sponsors, you know, and mainly helping people who are in need,” Wall said.

While LEAD primarily represents the local African American community, it’s also grown to represent the community’s melting pot of nationalities.

“That is a step because we need to know one another’s cultures, history, that’s how we grow. I mean this community is diverse,” Wall said.

As Bay County continues to grow, the group is working to make a difference in all age groups. Over the next few weeks, they’ll be hosting a variety of events including an e-sports camp for kids, a small business workshop, and a construction basic skills course.

“And we will continue to be a part of this community. So we’re always getting involved with various activities that we think it’s important, like Martin Luther King Festival, or like Black History Month. We will continue to do those programs,” Wall said.

For more information on LEAD Coalition and its upcoming events and programs, you can go to https://www.leadabetterlife.org/