The Groves, a New Mixed-Income Housing Facility

The Groves, a new mixed-income housing facility in Covington, will consist of 94 rental housing units in a mix of one-, two-, and three- bedroom apartments. Groundbreaking will occur in the fall, with units available for lease beginning in the winter of 2011. 30 single-family homeownership opportunities will also be available. Rental housing units will be available to families and households at a variety of incomes with the market rate rents starting at $650 for a one-bedroom. Twenty of the 30 single family homes will be built by Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West. For more information, visit RNDC's website, http://www.rndcnola.org/.

Currently Accepting Food Donations for Thanksgiving & Christmas

Get an early start on your Thanksgiving and Christmas food donations. Our Single Room Occupancy facilities are in need of non-perishable food items to begin preparing their special holiday dinners. Call Sheryl LeBlanc at 504-482-2130 to find out more or drop off your donation today at our Canal Street headquarters (4152 Canal St., New Orleans LA 70119).

Summer Fun at Lighthouse

The Lighthouse After School Program has big plans in store for its summer program, running from 6/17 through 7/16. First on the agenda is improving students' LEAP (Louisiana Educational Assessment Program) test scores - The Lighthouse Program will be running a remedial LEAP course beginning June 2 for the June 28 re-test.

The main offerings of the program will be offered at Lighthouse's four schools - Thurgood Marshall High, Gentilly Terrace, Medard Nelson, and Pierre Capdau. This year, however, Capdau's program will be incorporated into Gentilly Terrace's as the school is currently seeking a new location. Each school will host 100-125 students (with the exception of Gentilly, which will host ~250 students after its integration with Capdau) and offer activities including, but not limited to: dance instruction, African drumming, karate lessons, swimming lessons, athletics (soccer and tennis are brand new as of this year) and a chess league.

Two featured programs for this year that the Lighthouse Program leaders are especially excited for are the Uptown Music Theater and Fresh Voices. The Uptown Music Theater, a collaboration with the Marsalis family, will work towards putting on a production of "The Wiz". Various artists will assist the Lighthouse kids in setting up and putting on the production, which will be presented at the La Petit Theater at the end of camp.

Fresh Voices, a collaboration with Century 21 and the American Theater Project, allows Lighthouse kids to write and produce their own plays based on personal experiences living in the inner city. The program will primarily focus on the work created by students from Thurgood Marshall High School, but will also incorporate other innercity children who want to express their experiences. The program is tuition-free and still accepting applications; if you or if you know of someone who is interested, call Ed Bishop at Thurgood Marshall High School, 504-361-4627 (or e-mail him @ ed-bishop@hotmail.com) to set up an appointment. Like the Uptown Music Theater, the program will culminate in a production at the end of camp at a to-be-named venue (stay tuned!).

Other Lighthouse projects in the works include setting up a community center, which, as Kevin Scott, Program Coordinator for Lighthouse, says: "It's all part of helping not only the children [in the program] but their families as well".

Stay tuned...it promises to be an interesting and productive summer for our Lighthouse program.

Women Experiencing Unplanned Pregnancies - Adoption is an Option.

Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans places infants in adoptive homes, offers counseling for birthparents and adoptive parents, and reaches out to both groups with a variety of helping services that range from crisis counseling for pregnant women to home studies for adoptive couples.

Adoption and Maternity is a full service agency. The program also places children in state custory with permanent families. We work with Wendy's Wonderful Kids, a national initiative that finds adoptive parents for youngsters in foster care.

In 2002-3, we served more than 1,523 persons - birthparents, adoptive parents, and their extended families. Services can continue for a minimum of five years after a child is placed for adoption. About 86 percent of expectant mothers who contact us choose to parent their child. Of these, approximately 50 percent have a gross annual household income below $10,000. 59 percent are unemployed, 53 percent reside in a female household with no husband, and 16 percent are ages 10-17.

For more information on our adoption and maternity programs, click here.

Seniors Living in Style

The Terraces at Tulane is a newly constructed 200 Unit Senior Housing Development with a 3,000 square-foot community center and health clinic located at 3615 Tulane Avenue in New Orleans. It is managed by the Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation, a partnership between Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans and Volunteers of America's national office to create 1,000 housing units in post-Katrina New Orleans. The Terraces replaces a development located in New Orleans East that was rendered inoperable by the storm.

All apartments at the Terraces are one-bedroom units and provide housing for senior residents aged 62 and older who have incomes at or below 50% of the area median income. The location offers excellent access to public transit, medical care services, and basic commercial services. Two other major tax credit developments are now under construction within six blocks east of the site.

For more info on the Terraces at Tulane, visit RNDC's website here, or call 504-482-2440 to reserve an apartment.

Donate Your Car...and Get Back So Much More

Donate your old used car to us! Proceeds from auto donation go directly to our programs to help children, families, people with disabilities and the elderly.

All you need are the keys and title to the car - we'll take care of the rest (towing, paperwork, etc.)!

Click here to donate online or call 504-525-2179/toll-free 1-800-427-6327.

Lighthouse Kids Learning 12 Months out of the Year

Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans' Lighthouse program helps more than 400 at-risk youth through a partnership with the University of New Orleans Charter School Network. The Lighthouse offers character-building, help with academics and enrichment at these UNO Charter Network schools: Pierre A. Capdau Charter School, Gentilly Terrace Elementary, Medard H. Nelson Charter School, and Thurgood Marshall Early College High School.

Our goals are to boost academic achievement, character building and social interaction with caring adults. The vision of the Lighthouse is clear - children will achieve when goals are set with high expectations, and the adults who care for them are committed to their academic and social development.

Lighthouse leaders expose the kids to a multitude of cultural enrichment and academic activities. We don't stop there. Our ambition is to serve the needs of the entire family through academic enrichment, cultural, social, health, and nutritional services - making learning essential to their lives.

The Lighthouse believes that if we teach our children the skills they need to make positive choices and acquire good academic skills, they will grow into responsible, self-supporting adults.

Since the story destroyed its Ninth Ward headquarters, the Lighthouse, one of Volunteers of America's most popular and effective programs, has been rebuilding through partnerships with local charter schools. Here are the qualities the program instills in students:

- Trustworthiness

- Honesty

- Citizenship

- Caring
- Responsibility

- Respect

- Discipline

Lighthouse Kids' After-School, Summer Program Outcomes

- 90% showed an improvement in their grades

- 100% matriculated to the next level

- 70% improved on the LEAP test's language arts and math components

- 100% had no interaction with the juvenile justice or school disciplinary systems.

Click here to read a Lighthouse success story.

For more info on the program, or to to get involved, visit our website at:

http://www.voagno.org.

Volunteers of America in the News

WGNO TV 26 (Lailo Marcos) recently interviewed Voris Vigee, Executive Vice President of Programs, regarding our plans to respond to the oil spill disaster. Volunteers of America along with several other non-profit organizations are currently working collaboratively to develop a plan of disaster related resources to deploy to the areas affected by the oil spill.

Homeless with Addictions Finding Their Way

Thousands of persons who are homeless walk the streets of New Orleans. It’s hard to know how to help. Understanding that about 40 percent of homeless struggle with substance abuse can make things seem more complex.

Volunteers of America has a permanent solution with our two SROs (Single Room Occupancy). We put our 100-plus years of experience in helping persons with these problems to work in a contemporary state-of-the-art program that provides permanent, affordable housing for men and women in recovery.

The SROs are modeled on Volunteers of America facilities in other cities which have proven to give these persons the best chance of recovering, getting off the streets and living productive lives. They save lives and change lives.

The Duvernay Residence, 1801 Canal St., reopened in 2006 after suffering extensive hurricane damage. It houses 70 and originally opened in 2002. Also damaged was the Tulane Avenue SRO, 3901 Tulane Ave., which has housed 80 since 1997 and reopened in March 2007.
Both SROs are part of Volunteers of America's Coming Back Home initiative to supply affordable housing and boost the recovery of New Orleans.

SROs provide:

• A safe place to recover. Skilled staff and facilities provide a stable environment to support continued recovery. Persons who have been in recovery for six months may apply to live in the SROs.

• A permanent place to live. Residents may stay as long as it takes to turn their lives around. The SRO has affordable, furnished, private rooms, with bathrooms and kitchens nearby. Residents prepare their own meals. Communal living areas are place to visit and enjoy group activities.

• Life-changing support. A variety of support services — family reunification to case management — supports independence. The staff helps residents stay in recovery while boosting self-confidence. All acquire job skills or needed education.

• A way to rejoin the community. Homelessness and substance abuse isolates persons in despair. The SROs provide an opportunity to live — perhaps for the first time — in a supportive, caring community. As residents gain confidence, the staff helps them become part of the larger community.

To learn more about applying for residence in the SROs or volunteering to help, email us or call 504.299.1260. Volunteers can share their life skills or hobbies or help with other duties.

Housing And Resources For Homeless Veterans

Volunteers of America is addressing the issues homeless veterans face. Our facility is headquartered in a rebuilt, renovated 50-bed facility in Uptown New Orleans.This project provides more than shelter. The 24-month program offers veterans intensive case management, support services and treatment. The staff work with veterans individually to help develop a plan to help them put their lives back together. After residents are stabilized, they will contribute a portion of their income as rent. They will also save a percentage to have a reserve for expenses when they complete and move out of the program. For more information call 504.899.1116.

We Truly Value Our Volunteers!

And they get back much more! Many of our volunteers say that personal fulfillment from helping those in need is the greatest reward. Other volunteers enjoy friendships they share with fellow volunteers and employees. Any way you look at it, volunteering is an invaluable and rewarding experience. We encourage you to join our team!

To find out about volunteer opportunities, call Woody Hosler, 504-483-3557.

Be a mentor for a child in need.

Mentoring Children of Promise (MCP), a program of Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans in collaboration with local churches in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, was created in response to the need of children with incarcerated parents to have stable, caring adults in their lives. Children are matched with a positive adult volunteer.

Louisiana is second in the nation in the number of people incarcerated. Almost a third (31.5%) of Louisiana's adult inmate population and almost half (41.3%) of the juvenile inmate population come from Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Unfortunately, records show that half of Louisiana's former inmates return to prison within four to six years after they are released. An ominous prediction for the future is the national estimate that 70% of the children with a parent in prison will one day find themselves behind bars.

We need you to help make a difference in the life of a youth in your community. MCP has boys and girls between 4-18 years of age residing in Orleans and Jefferson Parish.

What can you do to become a mentor? It's quite simple. Here are our mentor requirements:

- You must be at least 18 years old.
- A person with a sincere desire to be involved with a young person
- Be a caring and consistent adult in the life of a young person.
- Meet with your mentee for at least 8 hours a month for a minimum of one year
- Adherence to background checks for the safety of children
- Have fun!

Studies show that children in mentoring programs feel better about themselves, do a better job at resisting peer pressure and make better grades in school.

If you're ready to make a difference in the life of a mentee in need, call Sherilyn Hughes, Program Coordinator, at 504-836-8700 or 504-239-0234 or e-mail shughes@voagno.org.