Decades later Lakesha is still surrounded by the disparities and inequities that hinder communities from improving their quality of life. Because of her personal experiences and recognizing the harsh realities of her community, she created a non-profit organization, Building Our Lives Together As One in 2019 with the primary project being FocusOnEmpathy - a program for today’s under-served young people.

After researching the Greater Boston area; primarily the inner-city (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan), she saw an enormous void of programs where empathy is the primary focus within the arts, that implemented a focus on mentors and counselors. It is Lakesha’s belief that teaching empathy and applying art can help manage the social and mental issues that young people encounter in an urban environment. She intentionally developed the FocusOnEmpathy Project a trauma-informed program for underserved young people, an intentional plan to be an alternative to violence, drugs, crime, gangs, bullying, and suicide for young people in her community. Lakesha believes by teaching our children forms of empathy they will have a deeper understanding of self and others. Exploring their talents, coupled with a safe place to confront their fears and harsh realities via counseling, group therapy, and advocacy, young people will stand a better chance to become critical thinkers and functioning citizens. FocusOnEmpathy is created to empower youth, to equip them with the tools to assure them that their well-being is important, their peers are important too, that they are not alone, and that their dreams can come true.