(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) Mental Illness Awareness Week begins this Sunday and runs through Saturday, October 12. Each year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, along with participants across the United States, works to raise awareness of mental illness […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO of LEAP Foundation DC, recently signed up to run for Smile Train Team EMPOWER (read more here: https://www.smiletrain.org/stories/team-empower-spotlight-dr-clayton-lawrence). The endurance athlete discovered that the benefits of marathon running not […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) Fear. A powerful four-letter word that, ironically, can cause its own definition to occur: a feeling induced by perceived danger or threat … which causes a change in behavior, such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) They don’t call breakfast “the most important meal of the day” for nothing. The morning meal can either make or break your day. Don’t eat anything before you start your day and you’ll be feeling […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) Youth. Our mission at LEAP Foundation DC makes these young, growing leaders a priority by providing educational and training opportunities to meet the aspirations of the underserved citizens of the District of Columbia. Since 2009, […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) As parents, caregivers and mentors, we are constantly under the watchful eye of young learners. It doesn’t take long before our habits become the habits of younger people who learn from our examples. This includes […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) With every first day of school comes an opportunity to change the direction of a student’s educational pathway. From the youth’s perspective, it serves as a fresh start to maintain good grades, get involved and […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) Back-to-school can be both an exciting and a nerve-wracking time. Meeting new teachers, getting to know expectations and starting a new routine can cause a lot of anxiety. But there is a much bigger problem. […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) Far too often when working with youth, we hear the words “I can’t.” We’ve all been there – that feeling that giving up would be easier than pushing through a challenge is all too familiar. […]

(Dr. Clayton Lawrence, founder and CEO, shares his thoughts in a weekly column focused on community wellness and inspiring others.) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Literally a part of every aspect of our everyday lives, STEM is a critical component of education. Many school curriculums now stress the importance of helping children not only learn […]