Today we’d like to introduce you to Leana Martinez.
Leana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a 22 year old Grady Baby, who was raised in Gwinnett County, and am the creator of Lele’s Project. I’m currently in my junior year of Georgia Gwinnett College and working on my Bachelor’s in Human Development and Aging Services with a minor in business. I am a homebody who likes to workout, cook, binge watch The Office, and plan community-building events.
Since I was a young girl, I had a feeling that I was meant to inspire and lift people up. Growing up, I would take trips to my home country of Honduras often. Honduras is beautiful and I’ve always loved traveling there, however the poverty and hardships of my family and the communities around them were hard to turn a blind eye to. Prior to any trip we took, my father would make it a point to pack extra gifts to disperse to the kids in the neighborhood. I remember one trip we passed out toys to kids playing in front of my grandfather’s house and one little boy was left without a gift. My dad and I ran inside to see if we could find anything for the boy and found nothing, except a brand-new Hanes Men’s three pack of T-shirts. Reluctantly, we brought it out to the boy and his reaction inspired me. He was ecstatic! He immediately tore the pack open, threw on a shirt, which fit him like a dress, and thanked us profusely. I realized in that moment that if we could impact all of those kids’ day with something so minuscule then imagine how I could impact people’s lives with a plan.
After graduating from Duluth High School in 2015, I felt so much pressure to figure out my next steps in life. Christmas was approaching and I came up with the idea to do my first give back for families who were struggling to get food on the table, much less gifts under the tree. Six struggling families were suggested to me by friends and I made personal care packages full of clothes, food, and toys for them. On Christmas morning I knocked on their doors and, to their surprise, dropped off their goodies. At the time, I didn’t know I would be starting an organization. I simply felt I was doing my part to impact people around me who were in need. I went on to do homeless outreach in downtown Atlanta for the following two years. I promoted my missions through social media to get the word out to family and friends who might be interested in helping. Both years I received countless clothing, canned food donations, some generous monetary donations, and so many inquiries on how people could volunteer and be a part of the movement. Lele’s Project could not have thrived without everyone’s support!
In 2018, I became passionate about mental health issues and decided I wanted my organization to be more education and resource focused for our communities. Partly because I was dealing with my own mental health challenges and realized through conversations with my peers, that I was not the only one. Last year I hosted a charity basketball game to raise awareness on mental health stigmas. I teamed up with Mental Health America of Georgia too bring information and resources to the attendees and the ticket proceeds went to their organization as a donation. I believe that it’s important to have conversations about mental health with our children, siblings, parents, co-workers, and friends. Especially in this age of social media where bullying becomes easier behind a screen and false realities are portrayed everywhere you scroll. We all need a better understanding of our own mental health!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the biggest initial struggles was resources. I funded my first mission in 2015 out of pocket and I did all the labor by myself. I was so stressed and honestly wanted to call it quits, but I knew I had to continue what I started. Once the first give-back was complete I realized what I was capable of doing alone and I knew I needed a team to carry on more missions. My good friend, Jenni Contreras, became my right-hand woman and has helped support me for the past three years. I created a Go Fund Me, began taking donations, and started welcoming more volunteers. I realized that Lele’s Project was bigger than myself and I was going to need help to impact more people. Another one of my struggles was my mental health.
The past two years were some of my toughest times. There were days where I did not want to be awake because I couldn’t handle my reality. I wouldn’t get out of bed, I wasn’t eating, and I isolated myself. I tried not to let it show by wearing a fake smile all the time. It took a toll on me, my family, relationships, school, and even on my progression with Lele’s Project. At the
time, I felt so alone in my own mind but I know now that so many other people deal with the same, if not worse, things. I share my story and encourage others to do the same because I want people who feel alone to know that there is hope out there. It took a lot of soul searching, self-reflection, and support to pick myself up, but I’m still healing. There are days even now where I feel myself slipping back, but I have to reel myself back in and keep going because I know there are more people to impact. My story has just begun.
Please tell us about Lele’s Project.
Lele’s Project is a small organization best known for its fundraisers and events. I like to host events in the community that are fun, educational, and benefit the greater good. In the organization’s early stages, it’s jumped from a few causes to another, but for now Lele’s Project is passionate about mental health awareness. I am no expert in mental health, but as the leader of this organization I wanted to make sure I was informed on what I would be sharing with the community. I recently became Youth Mental Health First Aid Certified by the National Council for Behavioral Health. I was taught how to provide initial help to young people experiencing a crisis situation with their mental health. Lele’s Project has been trying to connect mental health with physical health as well. This past June I hosted a mental health boot camp with certified trainer, Storm Cuthbert, to show the importance of the mind-body connection and how working out can help improve your mood and aid in self-care.
Lele’s Project is a huge supporter of local entrepreneurs, businesses, and creatives. Almost every event incorporates work from other upcoming individuals in order to showcase their talents. From performances, photographers, DJ’s, and artists, Lele’s Project loves to elevate others as we grow our movement. It’s a win win for all of us and definitely something I pride myself on.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could go back to beginning, I would have taken more risks with Lele’s Project. I never thought I was going to have my own organization or business. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the idea of growing Lele’s Project into anything bigger than just
a once a year give-back during Thanksgiving or Christmas. I underestimated myself and placed limits on what I could do because I was afraid to fail. I would have invested more time, effort, really went for it 150%. I simply didn’t have the vision I do today, but it’s all a learning process. At the time, I wasn’t mentally or emotionally mature enough to see the bigger picture. I had to help myself before I could help anyone else, and that is what that time gave me; a chance to discover myself and what I was capable of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lelesproject1.wixsite.com/lp2015
- Phone: 978-410-9133
- Email: Lelesproject1@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lelesproject/
Image Credit:
Xavier Shorthouse and Yarashua Webb.
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