Difference Maker: Lester Gillespie enaging a community to improve the Missouri Bootheel

When Lester Gillespie has a “down day,” he thinks back to the three years he spent as a 4-H summer camp director at Lake Wappapello during college. He thinks about making those kids smile, about pushing those kids to pursue their passions. This experience was where Gillespie got his start in working with the public and serving underprivileged youth.

After he graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in general studies, Gillespie worked as a clinical supervisor at Cottonwood Treatment Center in Cape Girardeau before moving on to serve as youth program director at the Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center.

In 2018, Gillespie felt called to “step out there on his own,” so he left his position to start Stella Consulting and the Fresh Start Self Improvement Center in Charleston, Missouri. Fresh Start’s mission is to enhance quality of life for Mississippi County residents through connecting them to individuals, resources, programs and services that lead to self-sufficiency.

“There are a lot of individuals who are doing great work [in the Bootheel], but they’re working in silos. I wanted to work on some community engagement,” Gillespie said.

Fresh Start helps by engaging with existing agencies in Mississippi County that have resources and connecting them to the people who need those resources. Fresh Start also offers their own programming, including tutoring, youth basketball, summer camps and food programs for youth, along with many other programs focused on empowering Bootheel residents.

“[People struggling] just need some tools to work with,” Gillespie said. “They get those tools, they help build themselves up. I’m glad to be a handyman to hand them those tools, so they can work through problems, work through situations to be empowered, to get involved, to be good parents. So, these are the things we have to really work on as we’re empowering folks.”

Gillespie believes it’s important to meet people where they are and use nontraditional methods to reach hard-to-serve locations. This is something Fresh Start has done in their Fresh Stable Start program, which is focused on combating the issue of infant mortality through education and “listening sessions” where those the program serves can have a voice.

Save Our Community is another Fresh Start program, but with a focus on reducing and stopping gun violence. Gillespie says they recently finished surveys and focus groups to gain a better understanding of gun violence in Mississippi County. They are now looking at how they can use this information to inform and educate citizens on gun safety, gun laws and mental health.

Although most of Fresh Start’s programming is focused on Mississippi County, their Fathers on the Move program is connected to community agencies across New Madrid, Scott, Pemiscot, Stoddard and Mississippi counties. Gillespie says this eight-week program focuses on meeting area fathers “where they’re at,” giving them a platform to form camaraderie between other fathers and connecting them with the tools they need to be engaged members of their families. Last year, according to Gillespie, 299 men graduated from the program.

Gillespie is quick to give credit to his many mentors and others doing good in Mississippi County: CEO of Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium Cynthia Dean, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension assistant area coordinator Sherry Maxwell and Charleston Housing Authority executive director Paul Page, among others.

Gillespie is also an active member and past president of the NAACP Charleston Branch, and an active member of the Freemasons, among other involvements.

Although he spends a lot of time coordinating and organizing activities, Gillespie’s favorite place to be is the gymnasium at 3 p.m., when Fresh Start hosts their after-school program. He wants to be where he can positively impact the lives of area children.

“I’m one person, but if I can motivate others to have that same mindset, it’s going to be a wonderful Bootheel,” Gillespie said. “I try to involve the ones who aren’t involved. Because once they get involved, you don’t have to worry about it.”