Changing, Shaping Lives

Story By Ann Cipperly Photos By InTown Imagery and Contributed by The Johnsons

The Lee County community needed mentoring for young men. Former Auburn Police Officer Gregory Johnson saw the need in 2014 and wanted to do something to help. He organized L.E.A.P.S. (Leadership, Education, Achievement, Partnership and Service), a proactive program that has the ability to curb potential crime, poor academic performance and other negative aspects of bad decision making.

“L.E.A.P.S. was formed to have a positive impact on the lives of young men in our community,” Johnson said. “This mentoring program provides young men with responsibility, respect, discipline, service, achievement and honesty to help them achieve their dreams and develop into leaders.”

Along with building character, the program assists young men with knowledge, such as how to dress, interview for a job and treat women with respect. One of the first events planned was an annual mother-son dance.

“It teaches young men how to treat the first woman they fall in love with, which is their mother,” Johnson

said. “I felt if they knew how to treat their mother and respect her, then they would be good husbands and fathers once they became adults.”

Officer Johnson’s wife, Shonda, helps with the project. They have three sons.

After serving as a lieutenant at the Auburn Police Department for 14 years, Johnson recently transferred to the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. He is a resource officer in schools where he mentors and helps students. He mentors students, teaches drug prevention and helps with any problems students present.

“Mentoring the youth has been an eye-opening experience and life changing for me because of what has been done to help young men up to the point,” he said. “I get to mentor kids at the school, and I can talk to their parents to get them involved in the program.”

Since L.E.A.P.S. began, different events and community service projects have been held. Every year they have a canned food drive to donate to the food bank around Christmas to help families in need.

The mother-son date night dance is an important part of the L.E.A.P.S. program, which has in the past been held at the Brown Recreation Center in Auburn. Last year, the Church of the Highlands donated items for the event that was changed to a picnic outdoors instead of a dance because of COVID. Other sponsors included Chick-fil-A, Initial Outfitters, Intown Imagery, DJ EST, Decorations by Nisa, Ballad party rentals, the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, the 2020 20 under 40 class, Kona Ice, the Auburn Police Department, Butcher Paper BBQ, Jay Jones and the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department.

COVID will determine if the event this year is a dance or picnic. It will be open to every mother and son in the community. Information on the event is on the L.E.A.P.S. Facebook page. Volunteers and funding are needed for the event.

When the program first started, the Chizik Foundation and the Hudson Family Foundation provided funding to get the program going and helped it through the first few years. With little assistance now, Johnson and his wife have been providing funding. This has been difficult for them to continue with income changes, he said.

Johnson has received a great deal of positive feedback about the program and would like to keep it going for as long as he can, he said.

“Any support from the community would be greatly appreciated,” Johnson said.

As part of the L.E.A.P. S. program, Johnson meets with various organizations to speak on different subjects that young men need to know, he said. He also speaks at the Dream Day Foundation’s event for young men and gives them a positive role model, which is the purpose of the program.

Johnson would like to expand the program to other areas in East Alabama, including Russell and Chambers

counties. He would like to reach other young men with the mentoring program, which has been designed as a proactive approach to combat and break down socioeconomic barriers that drastically affect a youth’s life.

“L.E.A.P.S. will help equip, empower, educate and develop young men into leaders of tomorrow who will know how to make a positive impact on society,” Johnson said. “L.E.A.P.S. is in the business of changing and shaping lives. Together we can and will change lives, statistics and families for the many generations to come.”

Anyone interested in volunteering or donating to the mother-son event can contact Johnson at leapsmentoring@gmail. com or 334-475-0016.