Groves Groundbreaking A Great Success

On Thursday, September 23, our Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Volunteers of America hosted its groundbreaking ceremony for the Groves, a new housing initiative in Covington. Upon completion, The Groves will provide 94 mixed-income rental apartment homes and 35 single-family homes for purchase by first-time home buyers. It is located near the West 30's neighborhood in Covington.

Pictured, from left, Pastor Gerard Ramsey, Jeff St. Romain, Habitat, Rep. John Schroder, Jim LeBlanc, President/CEO, Volunteers of America, Senator Jack Donahue, Greg Hettrick, VP/Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, Milton Bailey, President/LHFA, Victor Smeltz, Volunteers of America/RNDC, Robin Keegan, State of Louisiana, Office of Community Development, Covington Mayor Candace Watkins, Maureen Clary and Councilwoman Francis Dunn.

Thank you to our financial partners: Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, Louisiana Office of Community Development, First NBC Bank, First NBC Community Development LLC, St. Tammany Parish, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Living Cities, Major League Baseball Players Trust, and Entergy Charitable Foundation.

Special thanks to: Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West, Concordia LLC, MSH Architects LLC, Scalfano Engineering Inc., Villere Town Planning Associates LLC, Donahue Favret Contractors Inc., Larry Loyd Construction Inc., Latter & Blum Property Management Inc., & Maureen Clary.

Click here to watch WWL-TV's coverage of the groundbreaking. Click here to read a Times-Picayune article about the event.

Volunteer Spotlight

Meet Leslie Mitchell, a volunteer in our Training program. Leslie has been volunteering for Lorraine Pitts, head of the Training department, since December when the program was re-started for the first time following Hurricane Katrina.

“I don’t like sitting at home-that’s why I’m a volunteer” she says, and she’s certainly kept very busy in the past. Leslie was an employee of Bell South for 35 years, where she was one of the first African-American women to achieve a high-ranking position in the company. Following her retirement in 2002, she cared for her granddaughter; when her granddaughter was ready to go to school, she decided to seek out volunteer opportunities. She learned about Volunteers of America through our voagno.org website, where she was matched to the Training department based on her abilities and interests.

She reports that the work she does for Volunteers of America is “thoroughly different” than her work at Bell South – “more relaxing”. Her duties include, but aren’t limited to, preparing training materials and grading tests for employees undergoing training.

“Leslie helps me to free up time to develop new classes”, says Lorraine Pitts. Prior to Katrina, her department comprised 3 people; now, with Leslie’s help, she’s working towards rebuilding capacity. Lorraine’s current programs include defensive driving, CPR, Crisis Intervention, and Health & Safety. Trainees’ curriculum is based on their position.

Of her volunteer experiences at Volunteers of America, Leslie says, “I enjoy being able to give back & keep my mind going…I like the people I work with”. How long does she plan on sticking with us? “Until Lorraine throws me out!”

Duvernay Resident on the Right Path

Meet Donald Latuso (pictured), who lives at our Duvernay Residence, part of our Single Room Occupancy program. SRO offers permanent affordable housing, case management & employment services for formerly homeless people in recovery. Donald struggled with drug usage and homelessness for many years - in his words, "whenever I'm ...addicted, I'm homeless".


After receiving treatment, it was Donald's goal to live at the Duvernay Residence, a goal he has now realized for the past 10 months. He's made great positive changes in his life - now clean for 13 months, he's enjoying the company of his formerly estranged son and wife again and has big plans to earn his G.E.D. and open a business someday. We're proud of Donald's recovery...he's another example of the success stories created every day at Volunteers of America.

Gayoso Community Home's Summer Road Trip

Gayoso Community Home, part of our Community Living Services program, which provides community homes for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, recently traveled to Atlanta, GA for their summer vacation (pictured). Six consumers: Walter Files, Gary Malone, John Ray, Earl Tribble, Jacoby Walker & Kenneth Williams, attended, along with three staff members: Lisa Jordan, Lionel Harrison, and Breiontay Jackson.

The group visited the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. exhibit, the house where he was born, the King family burial site, the Georgia Aquarium, Coca-Cola World, Six Flags, and several malls for shopping. The consumers had a great time, learned a lot, and really enjoyed the trip!

Direct Support Professionals Honored

Recently, three of our Direct Support Professionals, Burnell Jenkins, Ty Flemings, & Denise Lee (pictured) were honored for their service to the Jefferson Parish community. Each nominee received a certificate, a copy of a declaration from Governor Jindal, and their choice of fleur-de-lis pendant or tie tac. Direct Supp...ort Professionals are part of our Supported Living Services program and provide support to individuals with disabilities so they may live independently.

Congratulations, Burnell, Ty, & Denise!

Conquer & Succeed....A Duvernay Resident's Success Story

"Volunteers of America put the life back in me" says Louis Brown (pictured), an Uptown New Orleans native who lives at our Duvernay Residence, part of our Single Room Occupancy program. SRO offers permanent affordable housing, case management, & employment services for formerly homeless people in recovery.

Louis struggled with homelessness and addiction after returning home in 2008. Turned away by other agencies, he began attending meetings at Duvernay, and, inspired by what he observed, decided to get clean so he could move in. The Volunteers of America family opened their hearts and doors to Louis, and he's been a resident of Duvernay for over a year.

Louis is now gainfully employed and working towards his engineer's license. He recommends anyone to Volunteers of America if they're serious about recovery. "Volunteers of America helped me to grow into being a man....I've learned independence and I live the lessons Volunteers of America teaches".

Louis is an inspiration to anyone and everyone with the desire to conquer their addictions and live a healthy, positive life.