Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Hanford.
Lori, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story begins after my divorce. I was married for twelve years and had two kids. During my divorce I was laid off from my job as a Project Manager for a Telecommunications company and was now a single parent raising two kids alone! With kids to feed, I started substitute teaching with a local school district here in Atlanta. I found out that I really liked kids and they liked me! We vibed! We talked! We played! They talked and I listened! I found out along the way that they called me the “Teen Whisperer”, how cool is that?
After substituting for almost a year, I got promoted into a position called a Parent Liaison, where I was partnering families and students with resources in the community. I became the “go to person” for linking people, places and things! During this time, I noticed that my students were needing a mother figure at school; someone to talk to and walk them through difficult times. I became their life coach and mentor-a position that I was preparing my whole life for. My passion for my students and my desire to provide much needed resources to the families that I supported opened up a door for me to become a Student Engagement Coach: a job that I absolutely love. In this position I coach kids into greatness! From monitoring their attendance, helping them with academics and giving them strategies to cope with their emotions; my mentee are learning valuable life skills and coping techniques that they are lacking at home and at school. It’s a job that is both fulfilling and rewarding!
Due to the limited time that can be spent with each student in a school setting, parents were requesting my services beyond what I could deliver in the schools. Hence, Links Family Engagement Services, LLC was created to meet the needs of students, young adults and families who are in need of crisis intervention.Through one on one coaching with students and parents, I am able to bridge the gap between parents and their students which creates a more stable family unit in which children can thrive!
My training as the Founder of Links Family Engagement Services, LLC ties directly into me being a mother of two amazing children, Kennede; a recent college honor graduate and Sean (iamseantheofficial) whom you did an article on recently and my training within the school district. As a Student Engagement Coach and Mentor, I am certified in the following areas: Student Engagement and Mentoring, Crisis Intervention, Mental Health First Aid in Young Adults, Restorative Practices Circles and Conferences and I am a Trainer in Restorative Practices Conferences. My studies in Boys in Crisis has also helped me connect with an underserved segment of our society who are in desperate need of social and emotional support.
During this Covid 19 crisis, my business has gotten a boost as parents are now having to deal with the underlying issues of their rebellious children! Family units are struggling to coexist as families are having to learn each other and the behaviors that they have been ignoring for a long time. For this reason alone, Links Family Engagement Services, LLC is in place to heal broken children and families and to link them to services that will enable them to get the resources that they need to have a healy family dynamic; one student, one child, one parent and one family at a time.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road to get my business up and running. After my divorce, I really doubted myself and the abilities that I possessed. It took a while for me to figure me out because I was always ensuring that my kids were being the BEST versions of themselves. I lost myself in them. It wasn’t until I got into education, that I was the “go to” person for all of my kid’s friends and their moms too! I was good at what I was doing; coaching and developing kids and empowering their families at the same time.
Once I decided that this was my passion, my purpose and my why, I decided to launch my LLC, Links Family Engagement Services. It is a work in progress as I am still working on the minor details such as a website and social media platforms. However, I know that my services cannot wait for my business to be perfect because kids are hurting, parents are hurting and families are being destroyed due to the heaviness that is happening all around us.
My struggle now is getting a grant so that I can offer my services to more students and families who need coaching in negative behavior, academics, attendance and family engagement; especially now that schools are virtual and the mental health of our students are not being met in a timely manner. Families are struggling and I want to be that missing “LINK” to link them to other people, places and services.
Please tell us about Links Family Engagement Services.
Links Family Engagement Services, LLC is Family Engagement Service that seeks to enrich the lives of children, young adults and their families through strategically aligned interventions. My company seeks to create safe spaces for children to heal from the weight of “their” world and to get to the root cause of their behavior and emotional issues. Through personalized sessions with my clients, I offer them coaching and support in the areas of academics, behavior, social and emotional health, life skills, self awareness and goal setting; all while bridging the dysfunctional family dynamics through restorative practices which is the root cause of all negative behavior.
While I am not a licenced therapist, I am highly trained in the areas of Student Engagement, Mentoring, Mental Health First Aid in Young Adults, Crisis Intervention, Restorative Practices and Family Engagement. With over ten years of experience consulting with students and families in the school system, I have become a mom to many and a fierce ally, liaison and valuable resource to my parents and families that I service. Most parents and students call me the “Mama Lori” because of my ability to truly understand the needs of my young clients and to build individual and specific programs that will build confidence, improve behavior and create attainable life goals.
Links Family Engagement Services, LLC believes that all children and young adults can succeed at anything in life if they are affirmed, loved and supported!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I believe Atlanta is one of the best places to open any business because it is the city of dreams and opportunities. A business like mine, especially during this time can thrive if more people knew that the overall well being of students would reduce negative behavior, inspire creativity, increase academic achievements and increase awareness of mental health in young adults. Depending on the demographics of the consumer that you are trying to reach, Atlanta is a melting pot of possibilities for any business because of it’s dope vibe and easy access to consumers through its highway connectors.
If you are just starting out, I would say, believe in yourself, bet on you! Your dream of starting YOUR business is just that, YOUR dream! Stay away from dream killers and move yourself and that dream here to Atlanta. Do not underestimate yourself, what you have to offer their is someone who is willing to invest in it. Trust me, I never thought that people would pay me to hang out with young adults and coach them into their destiny!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 678-636-9286
- Email: education5036@gmail.com
- Instagram: @greydimples
Image Credit:
Disney Dreamers Academy
The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation
Myles Lindsey Photography
Curlanistas
OfficallyDaiTime
DaCarree Scott
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