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kindness keepers

children changing the world

  • Reading Restorations
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About

Home » About

Making the World a Better Place

Kindness Keepers is a Denham Springs non-profit for children formerly known as Psalm 37:3.

Our mission is to offer affordable and free opportunities for children and youth:

  • to experience enrichment activities through after-school programs, 
  • training in the arts, 
  • structured literacy tutoring, and
  • kindness camps with Christian adventures.

Our goal is to provide a loving and safe place for ALL children.

Learn more about how each of the four programs of Kindness Keepers began.

We hope you’ll join and support us!

Beginnings of our Non-Profit For Children

Let’s Trust in the Lord and Do Good

THE LANDERS AFFORDABLE AFTER-SCHOOL CARE

LANDers After School Kids Masterpiece
Cutouts of hands make beautiful art
Children in the LANDers After-School Program on the Playground
Children on the playground
Children in the LANDers After-School Program Jump Rope
Jumping rope on the playground
The Landers children have so much fun after school.

In 2013 a single father who could not afford after-school care for his two elementary school children asked his church family at Luke 10:27 to pray for his family.

This father felt worried about leaving his children at home alone, with locked doors, and a cell phone. He struggled to get home as fast as he could.

Through prayer, we found a solution: an after-school program for all children needing a safe place to go.

After three thriving years, another need became apparent. 

We asked the former mayor of Denham Springs Jimmy Durbin, “What is one problem in Denham Springs that if it was solved would significantly improve the city?” 

“Racism,”  he answered.

We recognized we were addressing the issue of racism through The LANDers after-school program. But, more needed to be done. So, we created the Young Artists’ Academy.

The LANDers after-school program provides for underserved children in Denham Springs. But, more needed to be done. 

So, we created the Young Artists’ Academy.

The Landers After-School Program
“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people” ~ Van Gogh

Young Artists’ Academy Training in the Arts

Two Children of Young Artists Academy Choir Sing at Christmas
Singing in the choir
Pottery Teacher and a Young Artists' Academy Student Stand in front of City Hall
Learning to make pottery
Young Girl Plays the Piano at the Young Artists' Academy
Taking piano lessons
Children take lessons in the arts on Saturday mornings.

The Young Artists’ Academy (YAA) began in 2015.

Roughly fifty children of financially disadvantaged families take lessons in the arts on Saturday mornings.

They receive free art classes from qualified teachers in subjects such as drum, voice, guitar, keyboard, pottery, and French.

They also learn choir from the First Community Gospel Choir of Denham Springs.

Young Artists’ Academy kids also perform at events in the community and at their annual end of the year Spring Gala.

If you know of a child that would like to learn to sing, play an instrument, dance, learn pottery, or more, please get in touch with us.

Young Artists’ Academy Classes in The Arts

Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Psalm 37:3
Overcoming Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Reading Restorations Literacy Instruction

Our literacy tutor with a happy student
Our literacy tutor with a happy student
Ellen tutors Hank in the literacy program
Ellen and Hank with his literacy certificate
Two Children in the LANDers After-School Program Read a Book
Children reading together after school
Literacy lessons can be fun. Let us show you!

Reading Restorations is a structured literacy program that began in 2019.

We noticed that some of the children in the LANDers and YAA programs were struggling with reading and writing.

Ellen DiMaria suggested we add to our non-profit for children and address the need for literacy training.

Children receive one-on-one sessions twice weekly from three trained tutors.

Reading Restorations is open to the entire community, not just our kids in the Kindness Keepers programs.

And in 2020, we began offering virtual sessions for those who cannot join us on-site.

Reading Restorations Literacy Program
Bring Your Imagination

Camp Kindness Adventures

A World of Kindness
Teaching kindness
Virtual Camp for Children Imaginary Canoe
Campers share their artwork
Camp Canoe-Be-Kind Camper with his red bag
Each virtual camper gets a red bag of courage
In 2020, camp was 100% virtual and 100% fun!

Kids also need fun activities in the summer, so in 2014, we began a summer camp in Denham Springs.

Camp Kindness (aka Camp CanoeBeKind) was five-day camp where kids learned manners and etiquette.

We met from Monday through Friday from 5:30 – 8:00 PM.

At the end of the five-day week, the kids put on a banquet for their parents.

Throughout the week, the kids worked on a project that they gifted to the community.

One year, they built a bench that still rests under a gorgeous oak tree at the entrance of Spring Park.

Another year, they planted a beautiful flower bed under a prominent statue in Denham Springs.

This was a super fun way for them to learn that they are an important part of our Denham Springs community.

Then 2020 came along and Camp Kindness became a year-long virtual adventure.

Our virtual camp is still available and campers can start the virtual adventures at any time.

In 2022 we went back to our face-to-face camps.

We offer 2-3 camps per year and the adventures keep growing.

The adventures are focused on kindness, something this hurting world is in great need of.

It would be a great privilege to have your child or one you know join us.

Camp Kindness
Ms. Leslie Akin is the founder of Kindness Keepers

Leslie Nichols Akin

Founder and Director of Operations

Leslie Nichols Akin is the Founder of Kindness Keepers. She earned her Doctor of Ministry with emphasis on the Spiritual Formation of Children from the Fuller Theological Seminary and her Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Leslie is a wife, a mother of two, and a grandmother of nine amazing grandchildren. In addition to being the Founder of Kindness Keepers, she is a tutor in Reading Restorations and the Director of Camp Kindness.

It is because of Leslie’s undeterred call to help the community that our non-profit for children exists.

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Ellen Di Maria of Reading Restorations

Ellen DiMaria

Director of Programming

Ellen DiMaria is the Director of Programming for Kindness Keepers. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education for Elementary and Early Childhood, taught 1st-grade for 11 years, and home educated her own three children. Ellen established and trained a community of classical educators in the Classical Conversations Community for 10 years and has been a trained dyslexia instructor since 2016.

Ellen is a wife, a mother of three, and a grandmother. In addition to being the Director of Programming for Kindness Keepers, she is the Director of Reading Restorations.

Ellen’s faith, leadership, knowledge, and experience are true gifts to all of the children that our community has the privilege to serve.

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Our Amazing Board Members

Bill Boutte, Chair, Insurance, Co-Owner Capital City Crawfish Restaurant

Rene Delahoussaye, former City Council Member

Bart Kennedy, 

Kathryn Martin, Educator, mother of five children

Lonnie Shupe, Manager for Thyssenkrump, Lead Pastor at Luke 10:27 Church

Sheryl Phipps, co-owner Sport n’Center

Jackie Reed, Accountant

Sarah Scott, Public School Teacher for 50 years

Butch Wax, former Principal and Football Coach, Denham Springs High School

Interested in helping?

Kindness Keepers is a community non-profit organization based out of Denham Springs, Louisiana.

Would you like to help make the world a better place?

Your generous gift to Kindness Keepers will help us help children make the world a better place.

Thank you!

Kindness Keepers Logo. Children Choosing Kindness.
The Kindness Keepers, where children are choosing kindness.

Copyright © 2023 · kindness keepers · All Rights Reserved · Designed by Angela McCallum

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