Johnny Leroy Dawkins Jr Scholarship Fund dba JLD Community Solutions

06/08/2026

🧡 Thank You, Community! 🧡

This past Saturday, JLD Community Solutions hosted our annual Gun Violence Awareness Month Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil, and our hearts are full.

Together, we remembered lives lost to gun violence, shared stories, learned about firearm safety and safe storage, connected with neighbors, and stood united in hope.

One of the most meaningful moments of the day was our candlelight vigil, where more than 40 community members gathered and committed to our pledge:

✨ See Something. Say Something. Do Something. ✨

We were reminded that meaningful impact is not measured by perfection, but by people. Throughout the day, we witnessed lives being honored, relationships being strengthened, and seeds of hope being planted throughout our community.

When we step back and reflect on the day, three things happened:

🧡 People were remembered.
🧡 People were educated.
🧡 People were connected.

Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, partnered, and supported this event. Over the coming days, we look forward to highlighting and thanking the many individuals, organizations, sponsors, vendors, and volunteers who helped make this day possible.

Together, we will continue to remember, reflect, unite, and take action.

06/05/2026

Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. 🧡

As we in remembrance of lives lost and in hope for safer communities, JLD Community Solutions invites you to tune in tonight at 7 PM ET for a crucial conversation on firearm safety, responsible ownership, safe storage, and personal accountability.

JLD's Co-Founder & Executive Director, Dia Dawkins Nyarko, sat down with her friend and colleague Ryan White, a firearm instructor at Calibers Indoor Gun Range, for an honest and thoughtful conversation about what responsibility looks like, why safe storage matters, and how we as a community can begin to prevent harm by choosing to:

See something.
Say something.
Do something.

This conversation is not about politics. It is about people. It is about awareness, safety, responsibility, and choosing to care enough to act.

Then tomorrow, we invite you to join us in person for our Gun Violence Awareness Month Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil.

We’ll have free food while supplies last, music, games, community resources, free gun locks while supplies last, our Memory Wall honoring loved ones impacted by gun violence, and a candlelight vigil at 2:30 PM.

🧡 YouTube Premiere: Tonight at 7 PM ET
🔗 Watch here: https://youtu.be/gHZkaOfK6wU

🧡 Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil
📅 Saturday, June 6 @ 1:00 - 4:00 PM
📍 900 Dixie St., Lexington, NC (Open field across from Files Chapel Baptist Church)
🔗 Event details: https://jldscholarshipfund.org/community-cookout-candlelight-vigil

Wear orange. Bring a friend. Come as you are.

In honor of Gun Violence Awareness Month and National Gun Violence ...

06/02/2026

Recent stories are reminding us why firearm safety and safe storage matter.

In Winston-Salem, two juveniles reportedly accessed their mother’s gun, and one was accidentally shot. In another incident, a loaded shotgun left in a vehicle was accidentally triggered by a dog, striking a woman nearby.

This is why awareness matters.
This is why safe storage matters.
This is why personal accountability matters.

As part of JLD Community Solutions’ Gun Violence Awareness Month Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil, we will have free gun locks available while supplies last, along with firearm safety resources for the community.

Join us Saturday, June 6 as we remember, reflect, unite, and take action.

📅 Saturday, June 6
📍 900 Dixie St, Lexington, NC (Open field across from Files Chapel Baptist Church)
⏰ 1:00 - 4:00 PM
🔗 Event details: https://jldscholarshipfund.org/community-cookout-candlelight-vigil

Come out. Bring a friend. Wear orange.

Let’s take responsible action together.

05/30/2026

Our Virtual Memory Wall is now live. 🧡

As part of JLD Community Solutions’ Gun Violence Awareness Month initiatives, we created this space to honor and remember loved ones whose lives were taken or forever changed by gun violence.

Behind every statistic is a name, a story, a family, and a legacy that deserves to be remembered.

If you have a loved one you would like to honor, we invite you to submit their name, photo, and/or a message to be included on the Virtual Memory Wall.

We also invite you to join us next Saturday, June 6, for our Gun Violence Awareness Month Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil as we gather in community to remember, reflect, unite, and take action.

The event will include free food, music, games, community resources, firearm safety information, a candlelight vigil, and a special display of the Memory Wall honoring submitted loved ones.

🧡 View and submit a loved one to the Virtual Memory Wall: https://jldscholarshipfund.org/virtual-memory-wall

📅 Join us Saturday, June 6: https://jldscholarshipfund.org/community-cookout-candlelight-vigil
Date: Saturday, June 6
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 PM (Candlelight Vigil @ 2:30 PM)
Location: 900 Dixie St, Lexington, NC 27292 (Open field across from Files Chapel Baptist Church)

Wear orange. Bring a friend. Volunteer if you can.

Volunteer Signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B44ADA629A4FEC07-63899059-gunviolence #/

05/25/2026

Today, we pause to honor and remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. 🇺🇸

Memorial Day is more than a long weekend — it is a reminder of sacrifice, courage, and the families forever impacted by loss.

As an organization rooted in community, healing, and hope, we also hold space today for all who are grieving loved ones whose lives ended too soon.

May we never take freedom, life, or one another for granted.

With gratitude and remembrance,

JLD Community Solutions ❤️🤍💙

05/23/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 🎓

As we celebrate this season of achievement, we’re also preparing for a meaningful weekend of remembrance, reflection, unity, and action during Gun Violence Awareness Month.

This year, JLD Community Solutions invites you to join us for our Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil on Saturday, June 6.

We’ll have free food, music, games, community resources, firearm safety information, free gun locks while supplies last, our Memory Wall honoring loved ones impacted by gun violence, and a candlelight vigil.

We are also encouraging everyone to as a visible sign of remembrance, unity, and hope.

Before we gather in person, we invite you to tune in Friday, June 5 at 7 PM for a crucial conversation with my friend Ryan, a firearm instructor, about firearm safety, personal accountability, and what it means to “see something, say something, and do something.”

We still need volunteers to help make this event welcoming and meaningful. Vendors and community organizations are also welcome to join us this year at no cost.

📅 YouTube Premiere: Friday, June 5 at 7 PM (more details to come)
Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil
📅 Saturday, June 6 @ 1:00 - 4:00 PM (Candlelight vigil @ 2:30 PM)
📍 900 Dixie St, Lexington, NC 27292 (Open field across from Files Chapel Baptist Church)
Cost: Free and open to the community
🔗 Volunteer Signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B44ADA629A4FEC07-63899059-gunviolence #/
🔗 Vendor Signup: https://form.jotform.com/JLD_support/gun-violence-awareness-month-commun
🔗 Memory Wall Submission: https://form.jotform.com/JLD_support/vigil-honoree-submission-form

Learn more: https://jldscholarshipfund.org/community-cookout-candlelight-vigil

Come out. Wear orange. Bring a friend. Volunteer if you can.
Let’s remember, reflect, unite, and take action together.

05/16/2026

We are so proud of Johnny Leroy “Lee-Lee” Dawkins, Jr’s daughter, Leeleean, for making it to the Regionals… one of only two females from the entire team to make it! She competed in the long jump and triple jump! 🏃🏽‍♀️

She’s definitely following in her father’s footsteps in the sport of track and field… and we know he would be so proud! ♥️

05/09/2026

💙🧡 Join us Saturday, June 6 for our Gun Violence Awareness Month Community Cookout & Candlelight Vigil.

This free community gathering will include food, music, games, community resources, gun safety information, and a special vigil honoring lives lost to gun violence.

We’re also calling all vendors, community organizations, and volunteers to be part of this meaningful day.

✅ Vendors & community organizations: No vendor fee this year — just come connect, serve, and help make the event special. RSVP by May 31st.

✅ Volunteers: We need helping hands for check-in, setup, food service, games, resource tables, breakdown, and general support.

📅 Saturday, June 6
⏰ 1:00 - 4:00 PM
📍 900 Dixie St, Lexington, NC (open field across the street from Files Chapel Baptist Church)

Vendor RSVP: https://form.jotform.com/JLD_support/gun-violence-awareness-month-commun
Volunteer Signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B44ADA629A4FEC07-63899059-gunviolence
Virtual Memory Wall: https://form.jotform.com/JLD_support/vigil-honoree-submission-form

Bring a friend. Come as you are. Let’s remember, reflect, unite, and take action together.

05/01/2026

This is why we do the work. 💙

We are honored to announce our 2026–2027 JLD Scholarship recipients—three young men who embody strength, determination, and purpose:

🎓 Jaylen Jones
🎓 Elijah Grant
🎓 Malik De Pina

Through the Johnny Leroy Dawkins Jr. Scholarship, each recipient has been awarded $1,500 to support their educational journey.

We are honored to invest in your journey—and we can’t wait to see the impact you will make.

We believe in you. We’re rooting for you. And we are proud to be part of your story. 💙🧡

04/13/2026

REMINDER! Scholarship applications are now open.

Deadline: Friday, April 24th @ 11:59pm ET

🎓 Now Open: 2026–2027 JLD Scholarship Applications

We’re excited to announce that applications are officially open for graduating young men of color at Lexington Senior High School!

📅 Deadline: May 4, 2026

💙 And here’s the impact YOU made possible…
Thanks to your support at our recent Fish Fry Fundraiser, we’ve already raised $2,000 toward scholarships!

That’s real impact. Real opportunity. Real futures being shaped.

💡 Did you know? Nearly 60% of our applicants are first-generation college students. Your continued support helps remove financial barriers and opens doors that can change the trajectory of a young man’s life.

👉🏽 Apply today or share with a student who should:
https://jldscholarshipfund.org/scholarship_details

Let’s continue working together to remove barriers and invest in the next generation.