Leaders By Choice: Celebrating 30 Years of Transforming Young Lives

We urgently need your help to keep our mission alive by funding our three core initiatives: operational support, transformational enrichment opportunities, and student scholarships.

For three decades, Leaders By Choice (LBC), a nonprofit youth leadership and performing arts organization, has been more than a program; it has been a lifeline, a refuge, and a family for young people. Founded in the Hudson Valley area of NY by 8th grade English teacher Fonda

Muhammad, LBC was created to give youth a safe space to discover who they are and who they can become.

What started in one middle-school classroom has grown into a legacy that now reaches students in the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Raleigh, NC. No matter the city, the message is the same: your voice matters, your story matters, and you deserve a place to shine.

Over the years, LBC students have stepped onto stages, both in person and virtually, with confidence and pride. They have brought beloved productions to life, including The Wiz, Grease, The Outsiders, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Annie Jr., The Lion King Jr., The Little Mermaid, The Lightning Thief, and an array of original productions, centered around community service and activism. Each performance represents more than a show; it represents growth, discipline, teamwork, courage, and the discovery of each child’s unique talents. Additionally, many students have performed in showcases connected to LBC's summer STAR Performing Arts Camps & LBC's ongoing arts classes.

LBC also offers opportunities that prepare students for leadership beyond the stage. Through our Youth Teaching Assistant Program, older students learn to lead warm-ups, assist in instruction, support younger peers, and build real leadership experience. And through our Apprenticeship Program, passionate teens are mentored by theater professionals, develop industry skills, and gain hands-on experience that nurtures their love for the arts.

For 30 years, students have come to us carrying challenges we often cannot see; struggles with confidence, communication, peer pressure, and navigating a world that doesn’t always make space for them. At LBC, they find a place where their voices matter, their creativity is celebrated, and their potential is nurtured. Many alumni credit LBC with helping them find their voice and step into leadership roles in school, at home, and within their communities. Some have pursued careers in the arts, while others now serve as teachers and board members; a testament to the program’s long-term impact.

As we celebrate 30 years of impact, we want every student who needs us to have the chance to be a part of this community. LBC is a home where students feel seen, valued, and supported. Your gift helps keep that home open.

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Thank you for believing in our youth for the last 30 years, and for the next 30 to come!