Silent Auction

Need another reason to come to our Golf Star tournament this March 1? Check out a few of the of the sweet things we'll be auctioning off at the Silent Auction during the tournament:

- $100 gift certificate to Atchafalaya Restaurant
- 8 guest passes to the Audubon Nature Institute
- Foursome (w/golf cart) to Chateau Golf & Country Club
- Wine Basket from Dorignac's
- Ultimate Rum & Martini Parties by Glazer (at your own house, for 14 of your friends & family!)
- 16 tickets to a New Orleans Zephyrs game
- Breakfast for 2 @ Shula's
- 1 night stay at the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street
- 1 enclosed minibus tour of New Orleans for 2

Sign up for the tournament today by calling Al Kohorst, 504.486.8670. All proceeds go directly to benefiting our Adoption & Maternity program, which creates loving families through adoption and serves birth parents and adoptive parents with counseling, support groups & community education.

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.

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.

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.