Youth and Family Support: From Prevention to Restoration
COMING JANUARY 2027 🧭
Beola’s Compass Youth Leadership & Life Skills Academy
Youth and Family Support
Beola’s Compass — A Center for Hope was created from a simple belief: Everyone deserves guidance when they are trying to find their way. We serve youth, individuals, and families who may be facing challenges involving the criminal justice system, behavioral health, family instability, reentry, adolescence, education, or other difficult life circumstances. Rather than focusing only on the immediate problem, Beola’s Compass looks at the whole person and the family surrounding them by walking alongside them and connecting them with appropriate resources.
Our Mission
Our Vision
To empower youth, strengthen families, and support individuals impacted by criminal justice and behavioral health systems through guidance, education, mentoring, advocacy, and resource navigation.
We envision communities where young people thrive and families have access to meaningful support.
FOUNDER’S STORY
Beola’s Compass was founded by Keshia Perry in honor of her mother, Beola, whose life and legacy continue to inspire the organization’s commitment to helping others find their way.
After more than 20 years working across the legal, forensic, criminal justice, and behavioral health systems, Keshia saw firsthand how overwhelming these systems can become for individuals and families—especially when they don’t know where to turn.
Beola’s Compass grew from a simple idea: people shouldn’t have to navigate life’s hardest moments alone.
Today, that belief guides our work with youth, caregivers, individuals, and families as we provide direction, connection, education, and hope.
Jan 2027 Leadership Academy
Beola’s Compass Youth Leadership & Life Skills Academy
A 12-week small-group experience designed to help young people ages 10–18 build the skills, confidence, and mindset they need to navigate life with purpose.
Participants will develop:
✨ Confidence & self-awareness
🗣️ Communication skills
🧠 Critical thinking & problem-solving
🎯 Decision-making skills
🌟 Leadership development
💡 Essential life skills
But we know young people don’t navigate life alone.
Beola’s Compass will also provide support, guidance, and valuable resources for caregivers—because empowering youth means strengthening the village around them.
🧭 Founding Cohort
Limited Enrollment
More details coming soon.
January 2027 — Let’s help the next generation find their direction.
It Takes a Village
Community Partners
We welcome relationships with schools, churches, businesses, nonprofit organizations, behavioral-health providers, justice-system partners, community agencies, and individuals who share our commitment to youth and families.
WHAT WE DO
Youth Mentoring & Leadership
We provide youth with positive guidance, mentoring, leadership development, and opportunities to discover their strengths and build toward their future.
Caregiver Support & Education
We work alongside caregivers by providing guidance, resource connections, advocacy, and support as they navigate challenges affecting their families.
Community Guidance & Navigation
Helping individuals better understand complex systems, identify resources, and connect with community services to assist them along the way.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors provides strategic governance and leadership, steering Beola’s Compass toward its mission of restorative hope for youth and families.
Lance Butler
Lance Butler is a professional wellness trainer/Coach. Dedicated to mentorship and wellness, he helps young people build confidence through positive life experiences.
Director, Leadership & Life Skills Academy
Aijah Perry
Secretary
Aijah Perry is a graduate student in Forensic Psychology with a passion for advocacy, mental health, and emotional wellness. She is passionate about working with at-risk youth and helping them build the skills, confidence, and support systems needed to navigate life’s challenges. Her interests include psychoeducation, behavioral intervention, and life-skills development, with a focus on empowering young people to make positive choices and reach their full potential. Aijah hopes to use her education and passion to advocate for youth, promote healthier communities, and create meaningful change at the intersection of mental health and the justice system.
Sherard A. Johnson
Director of Operations
Entrepreneur and award-winning philanthropist, Sherard serves as President of RNS Sports. He is dedicated to seeing people Changed, Empowered, and Serving.
Book a Compass Consultation
Need Help Finding Your Way? Start With a Compass Consultation.
A free, one-on-one conversation for a parent, caregiver, young person, or family trying to figure out what comes next
Consultation Options
Compass Consultations provide guidance, education, resource navigation, and referrals. They do not replace legal advice, therapy, medical care, emergency services, or other licensed professional services.
📞 (949) 697-3624 | 📧 info@beolascompass.org
Leadership Staff
Guided by experience and dedicated to restorative hope, our leadership team supports young people and families in navigating life's challenges toward a purposeful future.
Judge Kevin Jones
Justice, Rights & Civil Leadership Instructor
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Judge Jones joined Teach for America in 1997, teaching 5th grade in Rocky Mount. After earning his law degree from NCCU, he served as a Durham Public Defender and founded his own firm. With over twenty years as an advocate and teacher, he was elected in 2022 as a District Court Judge in Durham, where he presides with a focus on justice and dignity for all.
Deshondre "Dre" Day
Health, Discipleship & Service Instructor
A 31-year-old husband and father of two from Aulander, NC, now living in Durham. He has served as a pediatric intensive care nurse at UNC Children’s Hospital for 5 years and is a 1LT and critical care nurse in the NC Army National Guard with 10 years of service. A professional natural bodybuilder, he loves running, football (Go Broncos), and spending time at his daughter’s cheer events.
Rev. Shirlene "Faith" Holman
Teaching Purpose, Character & Compassion
Rev. Shirlene “Faith” Holman is a retired registered nurse, ordained minister, and Minister of Congregational Care at Union Baptist Church in Durham, NC. With decades of experience caring for others in hospitals, schools, and churches, she now mentors and supports those facing life’s hardest moments. Rev. Faith teaches young people to live with purpose, Christlike character, and compassion, drawing on her training in psychology, chaplaincy, and ministry to offer wise, steady, and loving guidance.
Rev. Dr. Angela Taylor
Faith, Identity & Purpose Instructor
A key part of Beola’s Compass, Dr. Taylor teaches faith, identity, and purpose, helping students recognize their gifts and build a relationship with God through prayer and purpose-driven decisions. An ordained Associate Minister at Union Baptist Church and Duke Divinity Teaching Assistant, she holds an MDiv (’10) and DMIN (’26) from Duke. With experience as a certified teacher, principal, and mentor, she finds strength in her family and her life verse, Psalm 34:1-3.
Johnny Hawkins
Board Member – Leadership & Public Safety
Johnny Hawkins is a retired Correctional Warden and public safety leader with nearly four decades of experience in corrections, law enforcement, and community safety. A U.S. Army veteran and former Director of Security Services for the NC Department of Public Safety, he now focuses on mentoring youth, teaching leadership, gang prevention, and public safety so young people can make positive choices and build safer futures.