As I sat working from my mother’s backyard — surrounded by towering oaks, the whir of insects and birdsong — I came face to face with another force of nature via Zoom: Kandee Lewis, CEO of the award-winning nonprofit Positive Results Center (PRC). With faith, vision and tireless dedication, Lewis has built life-changing programs for youth, women and families across Los Angeles.

The seeds of PRC were first planted in 1992 by her brother, Tony Newsom, an LAPD officer who founded the organization to mentor young people affected by the government’s “war on drugs.” Since 2008, Lewis has grown that legacy into a vibrant force for community empowerment. From hosting free prom dress giveaways to leading trauma-informed workshops, she and her team continually find creative ways to uplift those they serve.

I recently witnessed PRC’s mission in action during its SoulCare Retreat in a lush West Athens garden, where an afternoon of self-care — from free valet parking to massage therapy and reiki, live harp music, yoga, arts and crafts and horticulture therapy — offered survivors of domestic and sexual abuse a moment to rest, heal and be celebrated.

Please tell us more about PRC.

Positive Results Center is an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that has won 19 awards in the last 12 years. Our mission is to create culturally specific awareness programs to prevent and end trauma as a result of domestic violence/intimate partner violence and sexual assault by helping people develop healthy relationships.

Our goal is to improve health equity for historically marginalized underserved communities. We do so by providing prevention education, healing strategies and culturally specific and sensitive training to providers and educators who serve African American/Black and mixed-race people, our primary target audience.

The Positive Results Center’s team consists of certified domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide awareness prevention advocates, addressing trauma from a cultural and age perspective. PRC’s team provides tools and strategies to form, enhance and maintain healthy, safe and productive relationships through training, facilitating events, speaking engagements and creating youth peer advocacy programs.Our work extends nationally and has created a broader support system across the nation for wellness and relationship success through partnerships with K-12 schools, colleges, health care, law enforcement, judicial, government, community, nonprofit and faith-based organizations.

How did you approach reviving PRC after its hiatus?

By 2004, [my brother] Tony had to make the tough decision to pause PRC. [In 2008], he approached me with the idea of bringing PRC back to life. He didn’t realize he was actually giving me life and helping me to find my purpose! I spent two years volunteering in the community to understand the needs, meet the people and see what felt real and true.

A group of 26 youth, aged 12-16, told me they could not be leaders if they were tired and could not sleep at night. Some were often going to bed with a fork or knife to protect themselves from someone attempting to abuse them in their sleep.

I did some research and found out there were no organizations in L.A. solely focused on dating, domestic and intimate partner violence and sexual assaults affecting Black and Brown youth. There were organizations focused on gang violence, substance use, reading literacy and other things, but not on [this type of] violence. A need had been identified, and we decided to address and fulfill the need.

You and your team are so intentional in the way you curate events for the community. How do you plan?

I am a visionary! I speak to God, close my eyes and envision possibilities. I believe in and operate from a place of abundance, not lack.

When creating our healing retreats, I always think about what a person needs to heal. I speak with and listen to my team, community partners and those we serve. Because the needs are so diverse, I look for things that we can create or secure that are comforting, healing and most needed. We engage our partners and trusted referrals to determine who we will invite into the space to serve people who have experienced harm, then we think of the event’s name, and it creates the feeling we are looking for.

[For our retreat], we selected the name “SoulCare Oasis” because we were healing our souls in a garden oasis. My team is phenomenal. I give a special and sincere thank you to my team, our community partners and all the volunteers.

Tell us about PRC’s annual Prom Dress Gift Away.

We have been hosting the Prom Dress Gift Away since 2014. This free event usually happens in late March of every year. We started off with 200 gowns, 200 pairs of shoes and 50 pieces of makeup. We now average 1,500 gowns — sizes 0 to 28 — 300 tuxedos, 2,000 pairs of shoes, 800 purses, 1,400 full sets of makeup, 1,200 pieces of jewelry, 200 pieces of hair and 800 hygiene packs. Plus, we serve a continental breakfast, water, snacks and hot lunch, have a resource fair, and our Youth Mental Health Ambassador Team hosts wellness and healing workshops. The best part is that everything is free!

We accept new and clean, gently used clothing, shoes, purses and jewelry. Hair, hygiene and all food items must be new and unopened. We accept, need and appreciate volunteers, in-kind and financial donations and sponsorships from November to March.

We serve all youth regardless of where they live, their financial status, ethnicity, gender or affiliation. We only ask people to register with their name, age, size and home zip code.

More than 100 volunteers from many organizations, corporate partners, sororities and fraternities help us collect, examine, sort and prep for the event.

What’s on the horizon for PRC?

Everyone who knows me knows that I believe in miracles, abundance and blessings! I am also a realist, in that I know we are living in and facing difficult days ahead. That said, we are growing in 2026 because the need is going to be great. We will host more community listening sessions to better understand and support the current and burgeoning needs of the people and communities we serve.

We will be engaging and supporting the needs of more men and fathers. We will expand and merge our Mental Health Ambassador and Youth Leadership programs, giving young people the skills, tools and strategies to heal and become employed wage earners, to take ownership of their lives. We will continue supporting community-based businesses and hiring them to work with those we serve.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Positive Results Center would love to support youth groups, communities and organizations anywhere the need is great. We can provide support, guidance, education and assistance virtually, electronically or in-person — anywhere in the world.

Contact us at info@prc123.org to learn about opportunities to collaborate, sponsor, volunteer or donate for our Prom Dress Gift Away.

To learn about the Positive Results Center’s upcoming events, make a financial donation or sign up for its newsletter, visit: prc123.org.