Meet DITR

Our mission is to identify educational, social, mental health and financial stigmas in minority communities and provide support and solutions through multiple avenues of community outreach. We focus on making the maximum positive effort for our community. Our members and volunteers provide the momentum that helps us affect change. Using data driven models, we provide solutions that make a long-lasting difference.

I was born the second of 7 children in Tuscaloosa County, Al. Taking care of others became a duty of mine early on in life and has been my nature since adolescence. As a child and young adult, I experienced poverty, sexual, mental, physical and emotional abuse. Going through these traumatic events did not leave me unscathed. I became burdened with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, and even identity crisis. It wasn’t until a total stranger entered my life and sparked a flame in me that I began to see things from an empowered perspective. In fact, it was total strangers who taught me valuable lessons throughout my journey that helped me to beat the odds against me. I am now the founder of this amazing organization. Helping others has always been a passion of mine, so going through my battles made me want to help others who have faced similar struggles. Diamonds In The Rough Foundation is about neighbors lending a hand to pull up their fellow neighbor in need. I look forward to igniting the flame in those whose light has been dimmed by circumstances and trauma. 

I am a Demopolis, Alabama native, but Tuscaloosa County has been my home most of my life. Coming from a small city in West Alabama, I was raised in a tight knit family that stood on the foundation of love, unity, and helping those in need. Serving my loved ones and my community has always been embedded in my heart. Upon graduating from high school, I enlisted in the US ARMY and served my country for 9 years which included me serving in Afghanistan for 10 months and Korea for 7 months. I have a few hats that I wear along with being a director on DITRs board. I am Owner/Operator of P2 Transportation LLC, a Licensed Insurance Adjuster, and a mother of two beautiful children. I also possess a BS in Criminal Justice and a MA in Human Resources Management. Serving on this board allows me to take all that I am and have learned to enrich the lives of others and I will do just that! 

I am a wife, mother of 3 children and 4 bonus children. I have been employed at the Plasma Donation Center in Tuscaloosa AL for 13 years but for the last three years I have held the title as the Center Manager. My passion is Healthcare. I would like to continue giving back to my community by educating on Preventative Healthcare processes, procedures, and resources. May 2023, I will be a graduate from the University of Alabama obtaining a master's degree in public health. My passion for serving continues on in my life through serving at my church New Harvest Church of God as a praise team leader and through helping supply needs and pass deeds as a REALTOR brokered by eXp Realty. 

HI, I'm Wendell Lawson Jr. I attended school at the University of West Alabama. I have a 13 year background in logistics, I am a logistics coordinator, freight broker, and trucking company owner. I am the president of Lawson Xpress. A trucking company that specializes in the transportation of store bought goods between Mexico, USA, and Canada. 

My hobbies include cooking, traveling, studying new tech inventions, and teaching students about logistics, and being an entrepreneur. When I want to unwind from work I travel to new places I have not been before. 

I am obsessed with entrepreneurship and helping others.