SUSLA kicks off Operation Kindness partnership
Shreveport, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Southern University Shreveport Louisiana (SUSLA) kicked off its partnership with the Nell Shehee Foundation's Operation Kindness by hosting a free luncheon and discussion on April 24, 2045. The 'Pizza with the Chancellors' event was a celebration of kindness and community service.
'There's a lot of chaos in the world today,' said Nell Shehee, Operation Kindness Founder. 'There's political divisiveness. There is racism. There is unrest. There is unwellness in the world. There's an easy antidote to chaos and negativity, and that's kindness.'
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SUSLA students and staff are injecting that antidote of kindness into the community through quarterly service projects, which include volunteering at local schools and soup kitchens. They will also conduct food drives and community clean-ups.
Some of the projects being planned include:
Providing lunch for faculty and staff at Green Oaks High School
Hosting a school supply give-away and reading to students at Pine Grove Elementary
Serving lunch to clients at Christian Service
Cleaning neighborhoods through an adopt-a-road program
'Those things that we're doing here on our campus, we spread kindness,' said Aubra Gantt, Chancellor of SUSLA. 'This partnership with Ms. Shehee will allow us to continue the efforts of spreading kindness not only here at Southern University Shreveport but throughout the city and throughout the state.'
C.E. Byrd students give back during Centennial Celebration Day of Service
As students and staff mingled during the kickoff, they also discussed simple ways of showing kindness in everyday interactions.
'As chancellor, it makes me feel good to see our students really being kind to one another, talking and communicating with one another in a kind way as well as showing appreciation to faculty and staff who have invested in their education,' shared Gantt.
'We're all different,' Shehee said. 'We're different colors, different religions, but we all have the same heart. If we just give from our heart, the world would be a much better place.'
In addition to quarterly projects, SUSLA will celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13, 2025, with small acts of kindness around campus.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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