Ashby Family LEAD & Engagement Services

Ashby Family LEAD & Engagement Services 

Building stronger futures through inclusion and connection

Building Stronger Futures Through Disability Justice, Culture & Connection

At Ashby Family LEAD & Engagement Services (AFLES), we believe every person deserves the opportunity to live a full life with dignity, connection, choice, and independence. We support individuals and families of all backgrounds living with visible and invisible disabilities, while centering the lived experiences, voices, culture, and leadership of people who have historically been furthest from support, resources, opportunity, and independence.

Our approach to disability justice recognizes the whole person. Disability intersects with culture, race, age, income, family, and community. Our work is designed to reduce barriers and create opportunities for people to experience belonging, build relationships, access resources, develop their strengths, and participate more fully in community life.

A Snapshot of Our Impact

Culturally Inclusive & Affirming Spaces
 We foster wellness, belonging, storytelling, leadership, and joy through culturally affirming spaces. Over the past two years, we hosted 55+ gatherings and activities, including storytelling, a men’s retreat a Barbershop Panel & Beauty Shop Panel, Wellness workshops, African American heritage cooking, recreation, community celebrations, and support of BIPOC-owned businesses—creating meaningful opportunities for connection, healing, shared experiences, and community.

Food Access, Culture & Community
Through Ashby Family's People's Market & Indigenous Roots Collective, we connect food access with culturally significant foodways, gardening, environmental stewardship, and community. These efforts create opportunities to share traditions, strengthen relationships, grow together, and connect people to the land and one another. As of June 2026, this work had reached 2,507 individuals and 936 households and distributed 30,278 pounds of food.

Melanated & Mature on the Move | Inclusive Wellness & Connection

Melanated & Mature on the Move creates an inclusive and welcoming space for BIPOC adults ages 50+ to stay active, build meaningful relationships, share wisdom, and celebrate life together. Through exercise and movement, nutrition and healthy food education, gardening, outdoor recreation, wellness workshops, community outings, and social activities, the program promotes healthy aging while reducing isolation and strengthening connection. At its heart, the program is about wellness, joy, belonging, and creating community while on the move.

Our commitment extends across generations. Through the We Are One Youth Luncheon, we celebrate Black and Brown young people, elevate their voices and leadership, and recognize the meaningful contributions they are making in our community. In August 2026, we honored 8 exceptional Clark County youth making a difference in social justice, disability justice, and food access, surrounded by 75 community members, families, and supporters. We also documented 10 youth stories and biographies, helping preserve and amplify the voices, experiences, and impact of the next generation of community leaders.

We are also building the next chapter of our work through the redesign of our LEAD & Mentorship Program into the Rooted to Rise Educational Pathway Program. Rooted to Rise will create intentional pathways that connect young people with education, cultural identity, leadership development, mentorship, life-readiness skills, and postsecondary opportunities—helping them build confidence, strengthen their sense of belonging, and envision what is possible for their futures.

Support Ashby Family this Give More 24 and help us build a community where people with visible and invisible disabilities—and the families who support them—are seen, heard, valued, connected, and empowered to thrive.

Whether you’re here to get support, give back, or join the movement, we’re glad you found us.