LSUS's INAR awards Christian Service the inaugural Lynn Stevens Nonprofit of the Year honor

LSUS's INAR awards Christian Service the inaugural Lynn Stevens Nonprofit of the Year honor

SHREVEPORT - For those who knew local nonprofit legend Lynn Stevens, they knew that her muscular dystrophy may have limited her mobility but not her determination to make a difference.

Stevens passed away in November of 2024 after an impactful two decades of nonprofit service in Shreveport-Bossier as a high-level administrator with Providence House, United Way of Northwest Louisiana and Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana, Inc., as well as a member on various nonprofit boards.

For the first time, LSU Shreveport's Institute of Nonprofit Administration and Research (INAR) awarded a Nonprofit of the Year honor bearing her name Thursday at a breakfast ceremony.

Christian Service is the winner of the first annual award as a religious nonprofit who meets the urgent needs of their communities by serving two hot meals 364 days per year in addition to a clothing closet and utility and rent assistance programs.

The nonprofit served more than 100,000 meals this past year and more than 3 million since its founding in 1970.

"We couldn't do it without community support and the groups of volunteers who serve our clients in an atmosphere of dignity and respect," said executive director Al Moore. "We think (founder) Sister Margaret McCaffrey is looking down on us and would approve of what we're doing 55 years after she started this organization.

"We live by Matthew 25:35, which says, 'For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave drink … I was naked and you clothed me."

Christian Service was one of four finalists chosen by a panel of INAR advisory board members.

INAR awarded runner-up status to The Arc Caddo-Bossier, which offers lifelong support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through programs like its Goldman Schools, Conly Day Program and community homes.

Two other finalists include The Fuller Center and United Way of Northwest Louisiana.

The Fuller Center builds and repairs affordable homes for low- and moderate-income families with 64 new homes and 192 repairs and rehabilitations since its founding in 2005.

The United Way, which connects residents to educational access, financial stability resources and other essential needs, assisted 26,000 people get the resources they needed this past year.

"We tried to identify organizations that best embodied who Lynn Stevens was," said Jeff Brasher, an INAR advisory board member who chairs the internship and awards committees. "Lynn was a friend, a mentor, an advisor, and so much more to many of us.

"Lynn wasn't blessed with length of days nor great health, but what she was blessed with was a determined spirit, a passion for service, an unmatched tenacity, and a heart for people. Because of who she was and what she did, we're a better community."

The nonprofit sector both locally and across Louisiana helps fill gaps in a state with above average poverty levels.

Dr. Heather Carpenter, INAR's executive director, highlighted how the Louisiana nonprofit sector is performing as part of the breakfast ceremony.

Carpenter, whose team puts together the annual "State of the Nonprofit Sector in Louisiana" report, said that nonprofits remain a "robust economic engine" despite government funding cuts.

"It's important now more than ever to highlight the economic impact that all of your organizations are making in the community," Carpenter said. "We're happy to be part of the messaging that you can bring back to others and legislators as we continue to fight for the pivotal work that we're doing.

"On the whole, the revenues and assets of nonprofits offset expenses and liabilities while meeting critical needs in the community."

Louisiana's 23,000 nonprofit organizations are responsible for $31 billion in revenue in the past year.

"The impact goes beyond just revenue as that revenue is circulated anywhere between two and seven times in the state's economy because of the jobs created by the nonprofit sector, which accounts for 9.4% of the state's workforce," Carpenter said.

Shreveport-Bossier features 2,000 nonprofit organizations who on average pay higher wages than their for-profit counterparts in the area, according to the report.

Communities tend to trust nonprofits at higher levels (57 percent in a recent Independent Sector study) compared to for-profit or governmental entities, allowing greater access to form relationships and meet community needs.

LSUS Chancellor Dr. Robert Smith said INAR is a unique vehicle for the university to interact with such an important sector of the community.

"INAR is an unusual feature on a college campus, but it's a wonderful model for how a university can partner with a community," Smith said. "I can think of no better way to do that than to partner with nonprofits.

"I want to thank you all for what you're doing in the community."