MENTAL HEALTH is an issue for people all across the United States, especially for children — but Lebanon has a champion fighting back. Francis Garcia has lived in Middle Tennessee for over 21 years and in Lebanon for five, and his work changes lives across the state.
Garcia began his professional career in children’s health care, working as an interpreter and translator at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. That work shaped him, Garcia said, and drove him to pursue an education in public health — but he was shaped even more by the work of his godmother, Precious Bradshaw Colebrook. As a correctional officer, she dealt with mental health daily, and she was pivotal in helping him navigate tough times as a child.
“She was a powerhouse in our community in terms of serving and making sure that children were protected, especially a child like myself that was what was categorized an ‘at-risk youth,’” Garcia said. “Those things are important to me because of that reason and many others that helped shepherd a young man like me, and I know how pivotal those people were in my life, so that’s my way of living my life of service.”
For a time Garcia worked for the Tennessee Department of Health, creating access and providing education for minority populations across the state. This past May, he also received his master’s degree in public health.
“I think public health provides a platform for you to really dive into how to help communities from the perspective of not just a job but also a Christ-like living type of life,” Garcia said. “Having my master’s in public health, I can go in any different direction, and I’ve selected mental health because I see how vulnerable our children are.”
Currently, Garcia works for TN Voices, an organization founded in the early ‘90s to ensure those vulnerable children are protected. As a part of TN Voices, Garcia does mental health workshops in schools, as well as a lot of partnering with nonprofits and city or county governments. In Lebanon, Garcia has championed several community initiatives like the mental health fair. Perhaps one of the biggest projects he has, however, is bringing the Boys and Girls Club to Wilson County.
Garcia realized the community needed the club after a program he put on along with Coach Stokes from Walter J. Baird Middle School. Through that program he brought in members of the community to tell their stories and to listen to the young men, providing a way for them to advocate for themselves.
Some of the needs identified were food insecurity, mentorship, access to additional education, and access to friendly and safe spaces. Garcia and a few other community members visited the Rutherford County club, saw the impact that organization was having on the community, and resolved to bring the club to Wilson County. They brought the idea back to the students and had a dinner to discuss the opportunity.
“We invited several key different individuals, but more importantly, what I invited was the kids to come and tell the adults what they needed,” Garcia said. “They talked about why this project specifically was important to them, and when I say that — a lot of us in the room were teary-eyed, to say the least.”
The Lebanon community has come around the project. Garcia said the district attorney is a part of it, and Cumberland University is at the table, alongside support from the county mayor, city mayor, and quite a few nonprofits.
“For the first time I’ve been able to reflect on what it really looks like when you have a real pivotal issue and you get everybody to play together,” Garcia said. “I’m getting to witness that this time around, and you don’t see any divide or conflict.”
While the club is not ready to open yet, it has formed all of the committees necessary to function, as well as the advisory board. They will begin fundraising soon, Garcia said, and they are currently looking for a building.
“We’re looking at a timeline of being operational by the start of this next school year — that is the goal,” Garcia said.
As the Boys and Girls Club gets underway in Lebanon, it is important to remember that it isn’t a one-person job. A system that can provide after-school programs, child care, and additional education, Garcia said, needs the community to run. While Garcia is championing the care and mental health of Lebanon’s children, Lebanon itself will be stepping up the fight.
“It’s going to take a community to get behind this and support it both advocating for it and also donating to it,” Garcia said. “My hope is that a few years from now, we will all be looking back, and the impact that this will have [on] our kids is something that we can celebrate.” GN
