Positive Impact NOLA was founded by Alan Delery and the late Paul Dix in 1993. The goal remains unchanged – to make a positive impact in our communities by connecting people with resources and building teams, led by the next generation of youth leaders, to address the needs of the community in a coordinated fashion.

According to founder and president Alan Delery, ”So many of the problems we face today from drug abuse to general apathy could be turned around if we built stronger caring communities. When we started Positive Impact our initial focus was helping the youth learn to be competent and compassionate members of their communities; however, as we grew, and built families of our own, we soon realized that the entire family unit and the entire community would need to be on board if we are ever going to make any type of positive impact.“

Despite what you may see on TV or read in newspapers, young people want to be involved in positively impacting their neighborhoods, but they need guidance and a connection to resources throughout their community.

So how do we do it? We create youth-led groups called S.T.I.N.G.s – Striving to Impact Neighborhood Groups. Through these STINGs and Positive Impact’s network of community resources, we help the youth members implement well-designed service projects of their choice. Areas like:

• Animal care and protection
• Elder care
• Emergency readiness
• Environmental stewardship
• Community pride
• Health and wellness
• Hunger, homelessness and poverty
• Immigrant needs
• Literacy
• Safe and strong communities
• Assisting those with special needs or disabilities
• Social issues and community action