Lynn Amber Nelson Stevens

Bossier City LA – Celebration of Life Services for Lynn Amber Nelson Stevens will be held on Saturday November 30, at 10:00 am at First Baptist Church in Shreveport, with Minister Al Dyer and Pastor Lee A. Jeter, Sr. officiating.

Lynn is survived by her husband of 33 years, Aaron Stevens, her children, Kaitlyn Stevens and Colin Stevens, her mother, Marge Nelson, her loving sisters, Sue, Kelli and Lori, her faithful service dog Leisel, dog Chewy, rescue cat Panda, and numerous nieces and nephews. Too many friends to count.

Lynn was a extraordinarily loving person, with a heart for taking care of the community and others in need. She had a way of finding people who needed love and friends in their life and bringing those people together. When Lynn moved to the Shreveport/Bossier area in 2007, she immersed herself into the communities like she had always lived here. Lynn was always found volunteering, advocating or organizing events. She never said “No”, when someone asked for help, she helped. She became heavily involved in Norwela Boy Scout Troop 64, she was an advisory board member of the SUSLA Roy Griggs School of Business, City of Shreveport Mayor’s ADA advisory council, past Renesting Project Board Member, Bossier Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Committee Member, Caddo Parish School Board Family and Community Advisory Council, Step Forward North LA, Christus Health Advisory Board member, Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat, Hope for the Homeless board member, Muscular Dystrophy Women’s Support Group, Quota Club of Shreveport, Rotary Club of Bossier City, and she was involved with multiple PTAs and band booster clubs.

As a community leader, she spoke several times to the Caddo Parish Commission and the Shreveport and Bossier Councils on the ALICE Report, which sheds powerful insight into racial injustices and the issues of the “working poor” families that our area faces still today.

With her tireless efforts working for three non-profits agencies, she was always an advocate for community change and the underdog. For example, as the Chief Administrator at Providence House in 2010, when the YWCA domestic violence shelter closed, she helped ensure these services would not cease in the community and spearheaded the fundraising drive to help initiate a new shelter and expand services. In 2018, while Chief Operating Officer at United Way of Northwest Louisiana, Lynn was instrumental in helping bring back 2-1-1 services to Northwest Louisiana, which had been unanswered locally since 2013. When Lynn joined Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana as the director of Workforce Development, she researched and wrote three separate Louisiana of Correction Community Incentive Grants, all of which partner with several nonprofit organizations, probation and parole officers to help high-risk, high-need individuals reenter the community successfully.

In Lynn’s career, she raised over $55 million dollars to assist with nonprofit operations. She was recognized and awarded Minority Business Opportunity Executive Nonprofit award winner in 2022, KTAL Remarkable Woman finalist 2022, Goodwill Industries of North LA manager of the year, 2020, Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat team of the year (2015-2016), AFP Fundraising Executive of the Year (2015), Bossier Chamber Scott Croft Spirit award (2014-2015), Quota International District 21 All Star Award, Quota of Shreveport Volunteer of the Year (2013), Heart of Gold Award (2007), North Webster Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year (2005), Kosciusko County Environmental Enhancement of the Year Award (2003), North Webster Lion’s Club Person of the Year (2003), Pendleton Chamber of Commerce Persona of the Year (1999), She was nominated twice for the Athena Award for her support of and empowering of women in the area.

Lynn did all of these wonderful things with passion and a smile on her face in spite of her having FSH Muscular Dystrophy and being permanently in a wheelchair. This made her a strong advocate for disability rights, wanting to overcome prejudices and bringing equality to all. In 2022 Lynn was honored by John Bel Edwards with a Gold Award as the Patsy Barrett Memorial Award winner for her outstanding leadership as an advocate for people with disabilities. Lynn was often found talking to public officials regarding issues she encountered or saw.

She was appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards to the Louisiana Rehabilitation Council and this year Governor Jeff Landry appointed her as president of the board.

Lynn was instrumental in getting grant money and securing community funds to in North Webster Community Center established to preserve the North Webster Elementary School building.

Lynn loved life, she loved people and she believed in good in all of us. She would say yes to almost every opportunity, as she was up for an adventure at all times. She loved hockey, often catching hockey games in any town she traveled to for conferences. She went to the NHL All Star game in Nashville, NHL Draft in Dallas and the Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl.

Lynn did all these things even though she had to have help to get out of bed every morning. Showering and getting ready for work used more energy for her than most of us use in a day. Then she would go to work, come home and take care of her family, work some more, then sleep so that she could start again.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Bossier City Rotary Club or donations may be made in Lynn’s honor to LSUS’s Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research’s capacity-building cohort, where she was a mentor. Contributions will support a partnership between LSUS INAR and AFP North Louisiana to co-offer a capacity-building cohort for fundraising professionals, fulfilling Lynn’s vision of supporting the next generation of fundraisers and nonprofit leaders: https://bit.ly/3Z4o3S2