Kokomo woman kicks off new motivational non-profit
Jul. 23—Earlier this year, Kokomo resident Latasha Owensby said she felt an itch to help other people in the community be the best versions of themselves.
That itch eventually turned into a calling and then finally a mission, she said, which culminated recently into Owensby's new non-profit program aptly called "L.I.F.E."
L.I.F.E. — which stands for Living Is For Everybody — is a motivational and charity organization, Owensby noted, and it offers participants life coaching advice in areas such as mental health, domestic violence, health and wellness and family dynamics.
"I believe something like this is needed all over the world," Owensby said, "but I moved to Kokomo two years ago and noticed there was a lot of mental health stuff going on here like drug problems and such. So as a life coach, I just want to motivate people to show them that their lives are worth living for. I just think people in Kokomo need to know that somebody is paying attention to the things that are happening here and that there are people that can help."
A main part of L.I.F.E.'s mission, she added, is also about getting the right resources to people when they need it the most.
This comes in the form of what Owensby refers to as a "L.I.F.E. Box."
"The L.I.F.E. Box is basically how it sounds," Owensby said. "Inside of it contains food or essentials that someone might need. And in the L.I.F.E. Box is also a folder that gives people resources like [homeless or domestic violence] shelters in the area and also has a sheet in there of how to get a hold of somebody or just how to stay motivated."
Along with Owensby — who serves as the program's domestic violence life coach — L.I.F.E. also has several other individuals ready to help whenever and wherever needed, she said.
One of those is Owensby's aunt Renee Owensby, who focuses on health and wellness.
And although the program is still relatively new, Renee said she was sold on L.I.F.E. from the very beginning.
"There are a lot of issues that come up in life," Renee said, "and we just want to come together to let people know that living really is for everyone. We're here if you need to talk. ... I just hope that people can see through us that somebody cares. Sometimes people don't think people care for them, but that's not true."
Latasha and Renee said they hope the public will come out to Jackson Morrow Park — via the Park Road entrance — at 4 p.m. Sunday for a balloon release and seminar, as well as a chance to personally meet the life coaches and hear more about the program's vision.
"We want people to come out that might have something on their chests that has been bothering them or something that they've been holding on to," Latasha said, "and then we're going to let them write all of those things down on a balloon and release it into the air. Hopefully that will be like a first step for them in helping them let that hurt or pain go."
Along with the balloon release, Sunday's event will have L.I.F.E. Box giveaways for the first 20 people, food, music and more.
For more information about L.I.F.E., contact Latasha Owensby at lifeprogram101@yahoo.com.
