Our mission is to inspire HOPE in tomorrow’s Leaders, Believers and Achievers. We exist to partner with our community in making our mission a reality. So many teens in our community – both rich and poor – have no purpose, no goals for life. Our first step with every individual is to help them develop a Statement of Purpose. Many teens can’t see beyond what they have always known. We inspire them to dream. Each teen is responsible to themselves. We will give them the tools they need to succeed if they are willing to dedicate themselves to achieving their purpose.

We also recognize that the civic development of our residents is critical. In addition to the quality community offerings available to residents, we’ve identified the need for additional facets to more fully develop community members.

Our team understands the essential element necessary to establish the core values of Leaders, Believers and Achievers is Leadership. Many views on leadership exist, ranging from leadership as “born,” to leadership as possessing certain personality traits, to leadership expressed in personal/situational interactions. In LBA, Leadership is considered a quality that is developed over time, and that is deeply individual. In that sense, each student can be a leader, although each student’s leadership will vary in reflection of his or her personality, circumstances, and developmental stage.

Our Leadership

Executive Director Al O’Bannon is a Certified School Counseling Leadership Specialist, recognized by the American School Counseling Association.  Al has over 20 years of experience with non-profit organizations. As an active member of Iowa communities for two decades, Al has established working relationships with several foundations at the local, state, and national levels. Al’s non-profit organizational and fundraising portfolio is vast. His work includes everything from fundraising campaigns with a local Bad Boys Basketball program, to consultation on national annual giving campaigns with different colleges and universities across the country.  He looks forward to utilizing the knowledge he has gained during this time to further support the youth of Iowa by serving with the LBA Foundation.