Programs
Thriving communities are created when all neighbors can reach their full potential.
Education
Early Childhood Education
The Arc Caddo-Bossier's Goldman School at the Highland Center is the second campus of their high-quality Child Development Center, serving children ages 8 weeks to 4 years old.
Youth Success
Girls Empowered for More Society (GEMS) offer platforms and programming for girls to excel in S.T.E.M, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Life-Long Learning
Project I/O is a non-profit dedicated to providing digital literacy programs and advocating for broadband access for everyone.
Highland Community Library circulates donated books, and the computer lab with a printer is open 5 days per week.
Shreveport Writers Club is a discussion group that shares a love of writing. Meetups are on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in Conference Room 1.
Financial
Business and Workforce
Project Ayuda is a training program that helps senior citizens re-enter the workforce with part-time, paid work experience. This is the regional office of the National Association for Hispanic Elderly.
Cohab is a co-working space and educational hub providing entrepreneurs at all levels the traction to achieve success. Office space for small businesses is now available.
Artist Studios are used by over 12 local artists. Artist Hans Geler also hosts exhibitions in the Basement Art Gallery.
Community Kitchen hosts a Food Truck Commissary as well as lunchtime meals and catering by Lashon.
Housing & Financial Services
First-Time Homebuyers Classes are 6-hour, HUD-certified courses offered monthly for $20 per person.
Housing Counseling is free one-on-one sessions with our HUD-certified Director to make progress towards your housing goals.
VITA Free Tax Preparation is offered seasonally to households earning under roughly $70,000 per year and returns over $500,000 into our community.
Hand-Up Loans are an alternative to Pay Day lending for emergencies. Call (318) 673-8440 or make a Credit Management appointment.
Wills & Succession Education is led regularly by the Highland Center for assistance with legacy planning.
Low-Fee ATM is onsite with an at-cost withdrawal fee of $0.75 near the front door.
Essentials
Highland Blessing Dinner is a free community meal held each Thursday at 5:30 p.m. by the Highland Center Ministries. All are welcome.
Tuesday Fellowship Lunch is a $5 sit-down meal held each Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. for adults with a rotating menu.
Clothing Closets for adults and children are open Monday - Thursday from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Maggie Lee’s Closet, established in honor of Maggie Lee Henson, is the children’s closet open Monday - Thursday from 112:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. The Maggie Lee’s Closet team hosts an annual Khaki Fair for School Uniforms and Maggie Lee for Good Day.
Basic Necessities provides diapers, period products, and incontinence supplies at no cost to people in the ArkLaTex who are experiencing financial challenges. Distribution is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ID required to register.
Highland Thrift Store sells affordable home goods, and all proceeds support programs at the Highland Center and St. Francis Episcopal Church for the Highlands. Open all Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Out of the Closet provides clothes to members of the LGBTQIA+ community and other marginalized individuals in need.
Neighbor Wellness
Health
The Bridge Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center's Adult Day Center offers vital respite for caregivers while providing individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias with engaging social opportunities.
Counselor: Valencia MHP is a professional mental health service that helps clients heal mentally, physically, and spiritually. Valencia also leads the Social Therapy Project.
Counselor: Walton Services, led by Anquitra Walton, LPC-S, helps adults experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, race-related stress, relationships and life issues.
Lotus Studios SB offers belly-dance, yoga, and drumming classes for movement and fun.
Senior Exercise is held on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. It’s a free exercise class designed for seniors (and seniors at heart) focused on strength, balance, and heart health.
Basketball Practice Space is available to book in our basketball gym at hourly rates.
Community Lighthouse is our neighborhood-based hub for disaster response with backup power and water.
Community and Culture
St. Francis Episcopal Church for the Highlands works to build the Beloved Community, where all people are welcomed to learn, heal, grow, and serve together. Services are held on Sundays at 10: 45 a.m.
Highland Neighborhood Association is a volunteer organization working to keep Highland a vibrant, creative, and historic neighborhood.
Highland Jazz & Blues Festival, hosted by Highland Area Partnership, is a free annual neighborhood musical festival.
LA-AID is a volunteer-based organization that assists immigrants in detention.
Highland Center Ministries is a mosaic of congregations and organizations that have served together since 2013 to develop resources, tools, and existing neighborhood assets for the people of Highland.
Special Programs
Visiting Partners
St. Luke's Episcopal Mobile Medical Ministry visits on the 2nd Thursdays at 5:00 pm for free health screenings.
WIC Louisiana registers women, infants, and children for supplemental nutrition on the 3rd and 4th Tuesdays at 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
Shreve Memorial Library’s Book Mobile visits the 3rd Tuesdays at 12:45 p.m. with books, audio books, DVDs, and more.
Shreveport Green’s Mobile Market is available on the 3rd Tuesdays at 12:00 p.m. with very affordable fresh produce.
Community Projects
Olive Street Mural is a block-wide community public art project to improve street safety while beautifying our neighborhood. It was developed by a coalition including local artists, Noel Community Art Program, Centenary College representatives, and the Highland Neighborhood Association and painted by over 75 volunteers.
Put A Poem On It is an initiative to create a public art piece inspired by Caddo Parish Poet Laureate Poetic X. Paige Powell created a mural inspired by Poetic X’s poem “Keep Hope Alive.”
Community Impact Study was conducted by LSU-Shreveport’s Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research to review the well-being of people served at the Highland Center within the Social Determinants of Health framework.
Annual Events
Khaki Fair for School Uniforms is an annual event providing new school uniforms for students and is led by volunteers from Maggie Lee's Closet.
Trunk or Treat Fall Festival is held every year on the Thursday before Halloween by the Highland Center Ministries’ Highland Blessing Dinner team.
Highland Christmas Shoppe is a holiday shopping event where new gifts are priced at $5 or less, made possible by Noel Memorial UMC, First Presbyterian Church, and St. Francis Episcopal Church for the Highlands.