A local nonprofit is helping children grow with confidence by providing everyday essentials
Shelita Smith has a deep understanding of the importance of feeling confident in childhood. Growing up, her single mother worked hard but struggled to make ends meet. And tragically, later, Smith lost her mother to domestic violence, shaping her life forever.
After volunteering for the Capital Area CASA Association as an advocate for neglected and abused children, she saw an overwhelming need to provide essentials to children facing crises, like losing a primary caregiver or experiencing financial hardship.
“During the COVID-19 lockdown, all I could do was sit around and think about the children who were like me growing up,” Smith says. “Those who have little to no access to resources like teachers, counselors and even basic domestic needs. I knew it was time for me to do something.”
Smith pulled out a pen and paper and created what is now Blossom, a nonprofit officially founded in 2020 that provides necessities like hygiene items, clothing, school uniforms and more through school counselors, first responders and direct requests.
Unique within Baton Rouge, the organization frequently fulfills requests from local schools, teachers, the Baton Rouge Fire Department, families and more. Whether the kids in need are in temporary foster homes, have lost everything in a fire or have parents who are struggling to make it to the next paycheck, Blossom steps in and provides the small things that make a world of difference.
“We will have the Baton Rouge Fire Department send a family to us two hours after a fire has destroyed their home,” she explains. “And I’m left in awe seeing how we’re making a difference in people’s lives.”
With the belief that everyone needs and deserves access to the same resources to grow and flourish—or blossom—Smith says that through the nonprofit’s work, she has seen firsthand the impact that access to items like toothpaste, soap and feminine hygiene products have on children throughout the community. “When children blossom, they become more confident and stable,” Smith explains. “They have a reason to feel good about themselves.”
Smith says it means a lot—not just to herself and the volunteers who put in the work behind the scenes, but for everyone to see that the mission is being lived out exactly how she had envisioned it.
“When I think about how much Blossom has grown since its inception, I know it wouldn’t be possible without the huge community effort,” she says. “I had no idea how fast the foundation would grow when it began, but it’s so unique in what it provides.”
Along with providing essential items, Blossom also equips children and families with skills that help them build confidence and a stronger future through forums, which offer opportunities to explore topics such as self-care, healthy hygiene and habits, social media etiquette, and through a partnership with Brooks Thompson Consulting, financial literacy.
While Smith is the founder and executive director of Blossom, she credits community partnerships like this one with allowing her foundation to thrive. “We’ve gotten so much support through fundraisers, individual givers, local churches, community partners and more,” she says. “They all play a major role in helping us tremendously to grow so we can continue giving back.”
And along with community support, Smith says it is her faith that has kept her going. “You don’t realize how much it takes to build a nonprofit,” she explains. “It’s through my faith that I was able to begin Blossom and continue growing it since then.”
