Baldwin Mayor Donna Lanceslin, right, listens Wednesday at a wastewater and sanitation compliance meeting. Ken Terry, left, is a state certified wastewater technician from Kinder. Lanceslin will be the grand marshal for the Head Start Parade.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord,” 1 Corinthians 15:58 – King James Version.

Lanceslin is grand marshal for Head Start Parade

BALDWIN — Almetra J. Franklin, St. Mary Community Action Agency chief executive officer, announced this week that Baldwin Mayor Donna Lanceslin will serve as the grand marshal for the 2018 Krewe of Head Start Parade scheduled for Saturday.

“St. Mary CAA, led by Mrs. Franklin and her staff, has done so much for the communities and people they serve,” Lanceslin said. “It is a privilege and an honor to be this year’s Grand Marshal.”

Lanceslin constantly seeks out ways to help and give back so others can benefit. She is an active member of Macedonia Baptist Church in Ashton, a charter member of the Ladies of Essence Civic and Social Club, a lifetime member of Southern University alumni, a member of the National Education Association and numerous other organizations. A longtime resident of Baldwin and graduate of Park Avenue High School in 1968, she is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge. After graduation, the future mayor returned home to begin her career as a lifelong educator.

“I grew up in a home that always had faith. In grade school it was mandatory,” Lanceslin said. “We learned to read in the Bible, taking turns every night. After the passage we had to give interpretation. It was the only book in our home except school books.”

Lanceslin said they weren’t rich with money, but were rich in love. Her father was the spiritual leader of the home and taught more than reading.

“We had a garden and put food on the table. If you were hungry, you ate. If you didn’t eat you went hungry,” Lanceslin said. “That’s the different between want and need. Man can’t make it unless he tills the soil, you take care of yourself. My father taught us tough times don’t last, only tough people do.”

After retirement from teaching in 2011, Lanceslin maintained a love and passion for nurturing, educating and being a positive role model in the lives of children. Her faith in God, deep love for her community and its residents and longtime involvement in community organizations, prompted her to run for mayor of Baldwin. She was elected the first female and first black mayor Nov. 4, 2014. She honors God for His favor in allowing her to continue using her life to actively minister to His people.

Lanceslin is married to Joseph E. Lanceslin, an ordained minister, and they are blessed with three children, Kim, Kwan and Keona. She also is a grandmother and a great-grandmother. Lanceslin is the daughter of the late Lawrence “Mamou” and Alberta Colbert Lewis of Ashton. She has three sisters and is a member of Macedonia Baptist Church.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with her grandchildren, family and friend, taking road trips to anywhere and “talking” by any means necessary, whether by phone or in person. Her motto is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Her favorite scripture, 1 Corinthians 15:58, is a creed. However, since becoming mayor, Lanceslin said the hectic times have taught her to “be still and know who is in charge.”

As grand marshal for the annual Krewe of Head Start Recruitment Parade, Lanceslin will be in the front of the parade as it rolls through the streets of Franklin on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. This year’s parade theme is “Soaring into the Future.” Line up begins at 10 a.m. at the Franklin Senior High School parking lot. The parade route leaves the high school, proceeds onto Main Street and travels through downtown Franklin.

Since the early 1990s, the Krewe of Head Start Parade has served as St. Mary CAA’s major recruitment tool for Head Start’s preschool children ages 3 to 5, and also allows the agency to market other services available to Head Start families and individuals.

Also, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, the St. Mary Parish Early Childhood Network will play host to a Coordinated Enrollment Event in the Franklin Senior High School parking lot. Parents of preschool-aged children are invited to enroll their child early for the following schools in St. Mary Parish: A Child’s Place Learning Center, Barney & Baby Bop #2, Chitimacha Tribal School, Glencoe Charter School, Joslyn’s Fun Learning Center, Pam’s Personal Touch Child Care, St. Mary CAA Head Start, St. Mary Parish School Board (all schools serving Pre-K), Verdunville Outreach Daycare and Yaamahana Child Development Center.

For more information on the Coordinated Enrollment Event, call Mary Grimm Howard at 828-5703.