Mr. B's story

The following is a story about an individual who receives services from our Mental Health Services program, which serves people with chronic mental illness and who are homeless by helping them live independently in the community.

Mr. B started receiving services from Volunteers of America in August of 2006. He sought stability; he'd lost his home and all of his possessions after Hurricane Katrina hit. The relative with whom he was living at the time could no longer able accommodate Mr. B, his spouse, and their four sons.

Compounding this was a history of mental health illness. Mr. B suffered from depression, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder.

Despite this, Mr. B expressed his desire to become stable again and to be a healthy and caring father to his family. The road to recovery was difficult, however - Mr. B was hospitalized after not taking his medications properly, which affected his relationship with his family. Mr. B's wife made several calls expressing her frustration at her husband's behavior.

Mr. B realized that the only way to achieve the stability he sought was to comply with proper medication intake. Since then, he has been receiving injections once a month. This has had a dramatic effect on his behavior - he has returned to taking courses at school daily and will soon be testing for his GED.

After obtaining his GED, Mr. B plans to further his education by enrolling in college to study business. He would like to open a convenience store with his wife.

Mr. B has moved into new housing and reports that his relationship with his family has improved.

Veterans' graduation ceremony

The Veterans' Transitional Program recently held a graduation commencement which marked the end of an eight-week program of instruction and individual coaching for homeless veterans. The purpose of the program was to assist veterans with returning to the workforce. Curriculum included training in resume construction and writing, job applications, interviewing techniques and skills, and practice interviewing.

Left to right in photo:

Jim Leblanc/President/CEO Volunteers of America

Lenny Simmons, Board Member

Paul Graff, Board Member

Tom Grace, Board Member

Martha Huie, HR Consultant (volunteers for this program)

Ashley Gremillion, HR Director with Phelps Dunbar (volunteers for this program)

David Garic, Garic Consulting, Volunteer Team Leader for this program

Randolph A. Macabitas, Program Director, Veterans Services

Ms. Huie, Ms. Gremillion and Mr. Garic are dedicated volunteers to the Job Readiness program and are instrumental in its success. (Not pictured is Bob Billings, another volunteer with this project).

To view WGNO TV coverage of the event, please visit our Facebook page.

Volunteers of America's Holiday Food Drive

Click here to see WGNO's coverage of Dorian Rawles, our Assistant Vice President of Programming, talking about Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans's holiday food drive! Call Evie Simmons at our Veterans' Transitional Housing facility - 504.899.1116 - for more information.

Spirit of Giving PSA

Famed New Orleans singer Charmaine Neville stirred up excitement by appearing in our Spirit of Giving commercial. The Spirit of Giving is Volunteers of America’s holiday campaign to support our Adoption, Mentoring Children of Promise, Lighthouse After School, Community Homes, and Family Resource Center programs. Pictured is Charmaine with President/CEO Jim LeBlanc and children from our programs.

Watch for Charmaine on TV spots throughout the season on WWL-TV, our sponsor.

Veterans' Transitional Housing Honors Veterans

On Veterans' Day, our Veterans' Transitional Housing program showed their support for our veterans with a celebration at our Napoleon Avenue facility. Vets were treated to a lunch and a ceremony featuring membersof the United States Marines Band. Gifts were given out to residents ofthe facility. Pictured is Veterans' Program Director Randolph Macabitas briefing WWL-TV's Jill Hezeau on the many services provided to veterans by Volunteers of America.

Our Veterans' Transitional Housing program helps homeless veterans rebuild their lives by providing housing, job training, support services, and more.

ADOPT A CONSUMER IN NEED FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!

Would you like to adopt a person in need for Christmas and provide a wrapped gift to them? Perhaps you, your friends, family or co-workers would like to get together and each adopt someone rather than exchange gifts yourselves. If so, contact Dan Darbandi at Volunteers of America, ddarbandi@voagno.org. Dan can provide all needed information on each individual hoping to receive a gift this Christmas.

Help to make the holidays more meaningful and enjoyable --and give back to people in need in your community.

Pictured above is Kelia, a resident of our Olympia Community Home - she was thrilled to receive pajamas last year for Christmas!

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!”

Commemorating Katrina: Five Years Later

Read Volunteers of America's report of our remarkable recovery from the losses of the storm. We have thousands of helpful friends to thank and much gratitude for our progress.

You can also watch Higher Ground, a video about the dedication of Direct Support Professionals during and after the storm, and a video detailing the destruction the storm caused to our facilities and city.

Repairs on Wheels Consumer Gets Mobile

Meet Mr. Fred Harper (pictured), who recently received services from our Repairs on Wheels program. Mr. Harper is a 75 year old New Orleans native confined to a wheelchair and has scant left his Mid-City home in the past twelve years. During Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Harper was evacuated to Alexandria, where he spent three months living in a hospital. Mr. Harper enjoys art, music & books, but had no way to leave his house to enjoy them. He sought help and was referred to Volunteers of America. Our Repairs on Wheels program, which provides minor home repairs to senior home owners in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany and St. Charles, was able to fit his house with a ramp. Now, Mr. Harper can scoot safely out of his home with his new motorized wheelchair. “I now have the mobility to get outta here”, he says. Thanks to contributions from Home Depot, Lowe’s, & the Easter Seal Foundation, the cost of the ramp was only $265, a small price to pay for freedom.

Lighthouse Play Featured on WGNO!

Volunteers of America’s Lighthouse Program was recently showcased on WGNO. Some of the students participated in a performance of “The Wiz”, which ran from 7/31-8/1 at Dillard University. WGNO’s Chriss Knight covered the event for her morning news segment. Check out this video to see our Lighthouse kids talk about putting together the play.

The Lighthouse After School program provides after school and summer programs for pre-adolescent children and their families to promote academic achievement and good moral character.

Special Supporters & Fox 8 Film PSA for Mentoring Children of Promise Program

Watch our new Mentoring Children of Promise commercial starring Mandy and Zach Strief (Black and Gold #64), pictured! Our Mentoring Children of Promise program provides adult mentors who offer young people with incarcerated parents support, friendship, reinforcement, and a constructive example. We're currently seeking mentors...for more information, contact Sherlyn Hughes, Program Coordinator, at 504-836-8700, or shughes@voagno.org.

Entergy Creates A Dream Come True - Part 2

Check out the video below of Robert Spencer (pictured with our Supported Living Services consumer Willie Martin), Director of Talent Management and Inclusion for Entergy, talking about Entergy's partnership with Volunteers of America to make improvements to the home of Willie Martin (see story below, "Entergy Creates A Dream Come True").

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.