Meet LeTeisha Gordon of A Better Day Than Yesterday Initiative Program

Today we’d like to introduce you to LeTeisha Gordon

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I arrived here today by being obedient and walking by faith. I was angry about my childhood and the expectations I had for my father returning home from incarceration. Even though at the time when I was beyond angry with him, he had been home 16 years. At the beginning I just wanted to share my story from how I felt and maybe reach a father to change how they handled being in their child life after incarceration. I didn’t have a clue it would turn into programs, certifications, housing, transportation, and being a vital role in so many people lives 9 years later. I didn’t have a plan or a degree to get started. I had pain.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This was not a smooth ride for me. I struggled at getting started. I didn’t get started because I seen a need. I didn’t plan on getting started. It was more emotional for me. I cried everytime I had to speak, and I was called on a lot during the beginning. Those speaking engagements were counseling sessions. They were preparing me for now. I didn’t know what I was called to do and how I was suppose to do it. I struggled with the terminology and functions on how everything operated in the non-profit world. I was for profit doing nonprofit work. I had to add definitions to what I was unknowingly doing. I was unaware that I had PTSD. I didn’t know what it actually meant prior to working in the community, and in the correctional facilities. I was traumatized and didn’t know it. How I felt and handled problems were normal to me to keep them to myself. You don’t discuss problems, you solve them and keep going. I suppressed so much that I became numb to so much. Sharing my story helped me to heal and grow in so many ways.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
A Better Day Than Yesterday Initiative Program Is located in South Side Richmond, Va. A Better Day is a 501 c3 Charitable organization that provides trauma informed services to individuals and families impacted by the justice system. A Better Day Than Yesterday specialize in Family Reunification, Re-Entry, and Youth Development.
We have serviced over 200 youth and over 5500 adults within 9 years.

We provide programming and services to East Atlanta, Richmond, Va. Charlottesville, Va., Louisa, Va., and Henderson, NC.
I have been directly impacted since the age of 5 years old. All of my programs were started from a story, pain and no knowledge or funding. My innovation come from observing emotions and actions to provide support. We provide clothing, free haircuts, financial literacy workshops, smartphone training, computer literacy, substance housing for women, and transportation for our re-entry population that qualifies for the services.
I am mostly proud of the Family Bonding Box. The Family Bonding Box is all of our programs in one. Its intervention and interactions in a box. The Family Bonding Box is to strengthen the bond, and communication between the parent and kids after separation due to adversity. My brand is me. Its strong, its weak, Innovated, its resilient and determined. We have made it to our 9th year by just doing the work and for the most part with no funding, We made it by building healthy relationships and leveraging partnerships. July 10th 2024 marked 1 year in the community center with all of our programs under one roof, and providing food to the community and returned citizens with workshops and training, and youth with summer, fall programs in the community and in the schools. A Better Day provides programming to 3 different correctional facilities.
A Better Day Than Yesterday has built a pathway for families to be provide with the skills to overcome adversity.

What’s next?
I’m looking forward to the future of A Better Day. We look forward to Accumulating more properties to house returned citizens to support them on their sobriety journey and help them with family reunification.

Pricing:

• Donate to our housing program $9
• Donate to our youth programs $9
• Donate to our adult programs $9
• Donate to our food distribution program$9
• Donate to our transportation programs $9

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.abetterdaythanyesterday.org
• Instagram: Instagram..com/Abetterdaythanyesterday
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Abetterdaythanyesterday
• Youtube: https://Youtube.com/Abetterdaythanyesterday

Image Credits
Thomas Mundy
Tarsha Morton
Charde Crockket