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September/OctoberT 2012 • Community Voices Orchestrating Change • Issue 6 Volume 5 INSIDE • A Revitalized Pontchartrain Park • Commentary from Cynthia Hedge Morrell • ’s Only Cooperative Grocery • Trumpet Award Nominations • Food Security and Sustainability

NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT pontchartrain Park

Neighborhoods Partnership Network’s (NPN) mission is to improve our quality of life by engaging New Orleanians in neighborhood revitalization and civic process. THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 1 Letter From NEIGHBORHOODS PARTNERSHIP NETWORK The Executive Director The Trumpet Contents

Photo: Kevin Griffin/2Kphoto The Twins — Sustainability 5 News Survey and Democracy 7 NPN provides an inclusive and collaborative 7 NOLA Wise Makes New Orleans We’re It was the best of times, it was the worst of city-wide framework to empower Homes Energy Efficient NOLA Wise, times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of neighborhood groups in New Orleans. are you? foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the 9 Longue Vue’s Model of Sustainability epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it Find Out More at NPNnola.com was the season of darkness, it was the spring of 13 Pontchartrain Park Re-Born hope, it was the winter of despair... 19 A Commentary from Cynthia Hedge Morrell ---- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities English novelist (1812 - 1870) NPN Board Members 21 Nola Food Co-op: 100% Owned by the 99%

The end of summer in New Orleans is always the best and the worst of times for me. Victor Gordon, Board Chair, Pontilly Neighborhood Association 23 The New Orleans Fatherhood Consortium The end of sweltering summer heat and the beginnings of fall cool breezes, the end of Angela Daliet, Treasurer, Parkview Neighborhood Association 25 Food Sustainability in NOLA and Beyond snowballs, backyard barbecues and seafood boils and the beginning of Saints football Benjamin Diggins, Melia Subdivision NOLA Wise Makes New Orleans tailgating and the beginning of frequent, fierce, and consistent… you guessed it … 29 A Healthy Heart Column Homes Energy Efficient HURRICANES. Katherine Prevost, Upper Ninth Ward Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association Growing up in the Crescent City students would often be released from school and told to go directly home to prepare for “the storm.” You would often hear laughing and joking Leslie Ellison, Tunisburg Square Civic Homeowners around with the names of such great and powerful forces of nature. I would always wish Improvement Association 20 that my name would be thrown in the bunch with the other popular storms. My mother on Sylvia McKenzie, Rosedale Subdivision the other hand did not see the humor and fun in such games. She had experienced Betsy Tilman Hardy, Secretary, Leonidas/Pensiontown in the 60’s and was somehow always overly prepared. Flashlights, batteries, candles, fill Neighborhood Association up the gas tank, remove the pictures off the walls, pick everything up off the floor, board up Wendy Laker, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization the windows, and have a bag with three days of clothing packed and ready to leave if a Darryl Durham, St.Anna’s Church mandatory evacuation is ordered. My siblings and I would always make jokes about moms’ hurricane survival skills never realizing that one day we too would experience the BIG ONE. Rashida Ferdinand, Sankofa CDC Seven years ago and the break of our federal levee systems Sylvia Scineaux-Richard, ENONAC caused our nation’s worst man-made and natural disasters of all time. Katrina’s attack on New Orleans disrupted our city’s economic engine and dismantled the city’s largest job NEIGHBORHOOD employers --- medical and education industries therefore further enlarging the economical SPOTLIGHT Third Party Submission Issues gap between the have and have-nots. However, the disaster led to billions of dollars being pontchartrain Physical submissions on paper, CD, etc. cannot be returned unless an spent to rebuild communities. Post-Katrina tax incentives had a dramatic impact on the Park region. Federal money has transformed the schools and provided monies to invest in major arrangement is made. Submissions may be edited and may be published infrastructure -- sewer, water, public service buildings, police and fire departments. Yet I or otherwise reused in any medium. By submitting any notes, information The New Orleans Nola Food Co-op: 100% have also witnessed a surge of dramatic changes, from the loss of much needed affordable or material, or otherwise providing any material for publication in the 23 Fatherhood Consortium 16 Owned by the 99% housing in the area, to increased blight and vacancy, and ongoing speculative development newspaper, you are representing that you are the owner of the material, Community Spotlight in response to the medical complexes under construction. Public safety also remains a or are making your submission with the consent of the owner of the difficult issue. Crime is a major problem and the police department is under enormous strain. material, all information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete. The voice of residents are become more harmonized in developing unified voices to city wide problems. The lessons from the disaster that followed Katrina have not been lost Non-Liability Disclaimers Seemingly stubborn problems are still affecting the poorest residents still beset the The Trumpet may contain facts, views, opinions, statements and The Trumpet Editorial Board The Trumpet Editorial Staff region. Recently the region was greeted by Hurricane Isaac who showed up two days recommendations of third party individuals and organizations. Jim Belfon, Gulf South Photography Project Melissa Garber, Editor before Hurricane Katrina’s anniversary and decided to linger around causing damage to The Trumpet does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability Scott Bicking, Art Director not only New Orleans neighborhoods but those neighborhoods in low line parishes where Nora McGunnigle, Local History Editor of any advice, opinion, statement or other information in the publication former New Orleanians believed they could escape the broken infrastructure that exist in Christy Chapman and use of or reliance on such advice, opinion, statement or other Patricia A. Davis & Greg Lawson, Associate Neighborhoods Editors the urban city. Isaac, like Katrina reminded us that our region remains vulnerable to natural Rashida Ferdinand, Sankofa CDC information is at your own risk. and man-made forces of nature. It also revealed the need for residents to build sustainable Heidi Hickman communities, create democratic cooperatives; and strengthen community through shared Elton Jones, New Orleans Rising resources and education. I believe the residents of New Orleans neighborhoods have done Copyright that and are continuing to identify new approaches to build a better, safer and stronger city. Copyright 2012 Neighborhoods Partnership Network. All Rights Reserved. Naomi King This issue of the Trumpet speaks to how we the New Orleans community sees Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this Linedda McIver, AARP sustainability for the city of New Orleans. NPN continues to serve as a strong and diverse service without the express written consent of Neighborhoods Partnership Ray Nichols, Maple Area Residents Inc. network who envisions improvement and advancement of economic, social, cultural and Network is expressly prohibited. Brian Opert, Talk Show Host, WGSO 990AM political conditions. We invite you to join and enlarge this network to reflect the values that 4902 Canal Street • #301 Valerie Robinson, Old Algiers Main Street Corporation all of LOUISIANA can be great places to live. New Orleans, LA 70119 Melinda Shelton 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 Timolynn Sams [email protected] www.npnnola.com

2 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 3 What are District Councils? New Orleans News Survey What do they do? What do they not do? How do they impact citizen participation? Where Do We Go From Here? Do we need them in New Orleans? In response to unprecedented changes sweeping the New Orleans journalism landscape, The New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance (NOCOG) is conducting a survey to gather residents’ opinions on local media. Information This fall, the will be voting on Text Amendment 19 to the Master Plan. gathered from the survey will lead to a report, providing the region’s news-gathering institutions with feedback If passed in its current form, Amendment 19 would remove District Councils, to help guide their coverage in ways that meet audience’s needs. The survey is also available online in English, currently a part of the proposed Community Participation Process, from the Master Plan. Spanish and Vietnamese. For more information, please visit www.NOCOG.org. There is a lot of confusion regarding District Councils, and what their role is within a formalized participation process. In the interest of making sure the community is informed about what a District Council is before any decisions are made, the Committee for a Better New Orleans is hosting a series of debates featuring proponents and opponents of District Councils. SURVEY DEADLINE – September 21, 2012 The two sides will debate the role of District Councils, and what they could mean for our city. 1. What is your preferred way to receive news? Please rate the choices WBOK 1230AM, WWNO 89.9FM, WYLD 98.5 FM, WQUE 93.3FM; Moderated by WDSU’s Norman Robinson, the debates will take place around the city in order to maximize accessibility. with (1) being most preferred and (5) being least preferred. WWL 105.3FM, WIST 690AM, Vuong Ky Son radio, La Mega 105.7 FM, KGLA107.5 FM, La Raza 830 AM, Other sources? (please list) The next dates and locations are: ( ) Radio ( ) Online ( ) Print ( ) TV ( ) Other

Tuesday, September 18th • 7:00pm – 8:30pm 2. What are the most important types of news you want to get on a daily basis (circle all that apply) Saint Stephens Missionary Baptist Church • 2701 Lawrence Street • New Orleans, LA 70114 Debate will be located in the cafeteria at St. Julian Eymard School Arts & Entertainment; TV listings Public Notices Government News Obituaries Thursday, September 20th • 7:00pm – 8:30pm Business/Financial news Opinion/Editorials Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center • 1618 OC Haley Boulevard • New Orleans, LA 70113 Investigations/In-Depth Reports Sales/Advertising Comics Society; Social/Civic Calendar 4. Please describe briefly what problems (if any) bother you most about For more information, please contact: Local News Sports the local news media. Crime Reports Other New Orleans Citizen Participation Project Program Manager Breonne DeDecker at [email protected], or 267-4696. National News None/Don’t need news on daily basis Employment Opportunities

3. In your opinion, which are the best local sources for timely and Come Worship With Us trustworthy news? (circle all that apply) Times Pic/Nola.com, City Business, Gambit Weekly, The Lens, Saint Gabriel The Archangel Louisiana Weekly, New Orleans Tribune, Data News Weekly, Catholic Church Jambalaya News, El Tiempo News, Ngoc Lan, Saigon Nho, Bayou Buzz, Uptown Messenger, Citizen journalist/Blogs (please list) 5. Please describe briefly what changes you would like to see in the local news media in the future.

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WWL TV, WDSU, FoxWVUE, WGNO ABC, WTUL, WTIX, WLAE (PBS), WYES, Saigon Network, Telemundo KGLA 42, Local Cable Access (please list)

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Please return survey by September 21, 2012 to The New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance (NOCOG) Every Saturday 4:00 p m 4902 Canal St. Suite 300 New Orleans, La 70119. Survey is also available online in English, Spanish and a m Every Sunday 10:30 Vietnamese at www.nocog.org. Experience The Presence of Christ Welcoming You Home! Know The Wonderful Love, Forgiveness and Peace of God. The New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance is comprised out of eight local organizations: Neighborhoods Partnership Network, Committee For a Better New Orleans, Puentes New Orleans, Located In Gentilly Woods The Vietnamese American Young Leadership Council, Mary Queen of Vietnam CDC, The Public 5029 Louisa Drive • New Orleans, LA 70126 NCG Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, The Public Law Center, and The Lens. Our mission is to seek open, responsive, and accountable governance by promoting community engagement in civic ph: 504-282-0296 • fax: 504-288-8585 New Orleans Coalition discussions and decisions, increasing access to public data and information, supporting media www.stgabe.net • email: [email protected] and communications that inform and equip stakeholders, and seeking beneficial public policy and On Open Governance structural developments.

4 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 5 NOLA Wise Makes New Orleans Homes Energy Efficient and More Comfortable By Austin Lukes, Global Green USA Technical Assistant / AmeriCorps VISTA till suffering from sticker shock after getting your summer utility The nonprofit program provides quality oversight during the process and acts bills? While suffering through the hottest months of 2012, New as a third party between the client and contractor, to ensure that the job is Orleanians also suffered through high electricity bills, mostly done right the first time! due to air conditioning costs. Even with the AC running at full With older houses like those found in New Orleans, there is a great deal capacity, many homes do not get as cool as their occupants of savings to be found in all parts of the home. From insulation to air sealing, wouldS like. This costs homeowners energy, money and, most importantly, light bulb replacement to solar screens, NOLA Wise contractors apply a comfort. Thankfully, NOLA Wise can now connect homeowners to local whole-house approach in accordance with Building Performance Institute (BPI) contractors who have nationally-recognized green building certifications in standards – the national certification that helps create a more durable and order to improve a home’s efficiency. safer home. In partnership with the City of New Orleans, Global Green USA, and NOLA Wise also makes a home energy retrofit more affordable by the Department of Energy, the NOLA Wise program helps homeowners helping homeowners get rebates from Entergy’s Energy Smart program, and lower their energy use, making their homes healthier and more comfortable. by offering a low-interest loan through Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank.

With more and more satisfied NOLA Wise homeowners every day, now is the time to call to find out how you can make your home more efficient and affordable. Call 504-523-WISE for more information or visit the NOLA Wise website as www.nolawise.org. Also contact your neighborhood association about participating in the NOLA Wise Neighborhood Challenge – Find out how your neighborhood can become the most energy efficient and win $5000 towards a community project!

NPN needs bloggers Sign up at: [email protected]

6 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 7 All photo courtesy of Longue VueAll photo courtesy House and Gardens

Top Left: The Spanish Court at Longue Vue with its iconic fountain, which uses re-circulated water from underground reservoirs. Top Right: The Dome in the Main House was covered with microscopic mesh to lower the temperature and UV exposure inside the house. Longue Vue’s Model of Sustainability The History of Longue Vue and the Sterns Longue Vue Today dith and Edgar Stern, founders of Longue Vue House and The gardens at Longue Vue evolved over the years to include the Wild Gardens, were important figures in the civic and urban evolution Garden, an essential sanctuary for native plants species, migrating birds and of New Orleans from 1921, when they married, to Edith’s death beneficial insects, the Discovery Garden, an interactive children’s learning in 1980. The resources they committed were intended to build garden, and a beautiful collection of live oaks, Southern magnolias, bald an equitable and beautiful future for all of its citizens. The home cypress, and other native tree species. Food has been grown at Longue Ethey built between 1939 and 1942, Longue Vue, was always intended to be Vue since the 1920s in the Walled Garden, which also served as a Victory a public showplace for the ideals of beauty, civic responsibility, and cultural Garden during World War II. The garden staff is committed to using investment. environmentally friendly sprays and amendments, including horticultural oils as insecticides and simple vinegar as an herbicide. While staying true to Left: Scene from Freedom Ride opera. the historical nature of the planting plans designed for the Sterns by their The fictional main character, Sylvie landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, the garden staff is also keeping an Davenport, is from Pontchartrain Park. eye on sustainability by choosing climate-appropriate plantings and native species. Their contributions include building Upon Edith’s death in 1980, the house was turned into a public museum. Pontchartrain Park, the nation’s first single-family One of the most beautiful features of the house is the skylight dome over the housing development for middle-class African- staircase in the Upper Hall. The construction of this dome, with wire mesh Americans. To this day, Longue Vue continues over a steel frame on the outer layer and glass on the inner layer, creates a to work in this area through its Department of heat chamber that requires a great deal of air conditioning. In early 2012, Community Initiatives. The Sterns were also Longue Vue installed a microscopic mesh in the chamber between the domes among the founders of Dillard University and that blocks 98% of UV light and drops the temperature in the house by more Flint-Goodridge Hospital, Newcomb College than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Eventually, this mesh will be used to screen Nursery School, and Metairie Park Country Day every window in the house, protecting the valuable objects inside from UV School. This legacy lives on in Longue Vue’s exposure for the pleasure of future generations. programming for children of all ages and socio- The property is resource-intensive due to its large size (eight acres), economic status, on the site as well as at other places in New Orleans. and the staff implements creative and cost-effective solutions to various The Sterns were very generous in supporting arts and culture, including maintenance concerns. The filters in the water coolers are flushed with the patronage of Annabelle Bernard, an opera student at Xavier University of organic de-calcifiers for more efficient water flow. The fountains, a source of Louisiana in the mid-1950s. Xavier was the first African-American college in calm and tranquil beauty in the gardens, are run on re-circulated water from the United States to produce full-scale operatic productions. In 2011, Longue underground reservoirs rather than drawing on the municipal system. Every Vue continued this tradition by commissioning an opera called Freedom Ride, possible piece of equipment is recycled, from machine parts to the bricks in celebrating the historic Freedom Rides of the Civil Rights Movement. the pathways. This practice enables Longue Vue to stay both environmentally

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8 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 9 Left: Members of the Adams Family: the Walled Garden, sell their produce to markets and restaurants, and Paula, Chris, Lintz, and Margaret donate the profits to a non-profit organization of their own choosing. The with their Gentilly Rainwater Department of Community Initiatives has launched a variety of projects over the years, including the Annual Louisiana Iris Day, celebrating the legacy GENTILLY FEST! October 6 – 7 Harvesting Program rain barrel of naturalist Caroline Dormon (who also received financial support from the he Gentilly Fest is a 501c3 organization that is committed Sterns for the completion of her book Wild Flowers of Louisiana in 1934), to raising money through sponsorships, raffles, galas, sound and historically accurate. Longue the Catherine Brown Memorial Lecture series, garden builds at Mary Dora silent auctions, and other fundraisers. Admission to the Vue has a composting system and rain Coghill Elementary School, the Gentilly Rainwater Harvesting Program, festival is free and open to the general public. Gentilly barrels on site. The Gift Shop recycles and the nativeNOW Native Plants Program. For more information on these Fest celebrates all things “Gentilly,” including continuous its boxes, packing materials, and paper, projects, contact Hilairie Schackai, Director of Community Initiatives at liveT music on the main stage and gospel tent. Local restaurants and which is given to the garden staff for 504.293.4726. caterers sell sumptuous food and an Arts and Crafts area feature mulching. original works from a variety of craft merchants. The festival also Perhaps the most far-reaching The Future offers free children’s activities including pony rides, a kid’s village, element of Longue Vue’s sustainability and a variety of practical recovery information offered by local model is its investment in the community. Longue Vue continues to strive to invest in creative place-making in business and non-profit organizations. The Gentilly Fest is governed Programs include Cultivating Communities, New Orleans and beyond, as part of the civic and urban evolution that the by an elected Board of Directors and the event is administered and a youth philanthropy project run in Sterns envisioned. The house and gardens are a showplace as well as a planned by an Executive Committee of community volunteers. collaboration with Waldo Burton Boys’ demonstration of the qualities of sustainability that affect our everyday lives, The Gentilly Fest began three years ago as a way to help our Home. Students from Waldo Burton who participate in this year-long and the programs and community initiatives contribute on a daily basis to community help ourselves. We realized that our first responders did program learn techniques of sustainable horticulture by growing food in the character of New Orleans and beyond. not have funds to adequately equip their facilities with furniture, office supplies and other general small office equipment. The goal of our 1st Gentilly Festival, Inc. was to raise funds to help support our First Responders and promote small business economic awareness and growth in the rebuilding of the Gentilly area. In the past three years that we have been established, Gentilly Festival, Inc. has raised over $30,000 for police stations and firehouses in Gentilly and other needy organizations. The Gentilly Festival also provides an opportunity for neighbors to come together and celebrate the community’s rich and resilient culture. Many residents look forward to the event as a way of reconnecting with returning neighbors, relatives and friends. Gentilly Fest is Saturday, October 6th • 11am–8pm & Sunday, October 7th • 12–5pm at the Pontchartrain Park Playground For details go to GentillyFest.com

The Green Project Sustainability at Work in New Orleans By Elizabeth Ramoni

t some point, we could all use a little help fixing, patching, or and keeping it in use locally. They keep more than 30,000 gallons of paint sprucing up our home, right? The Green Project is a one-stop- out of local waterways each year. It is all put back to use in the community shop for donating the stuff that’s taking up too much space, and where these materials are sorely needed, sold for a fraction of the cost for for finding the perfect piece to replace it! The Green Project is new materials at big commercial building supply stores. a non-profit salvage store located in the St. Roch neighborhood The Green Project realizes that offering these materials for sale is only Athat sells used building materials and paint recycled on site. It started in 1994 part of the process; education is essential to achieve their mission, which is to as a place for New Orleanians to bring their unwanted paint – a response develop a culture of creative reuse by building a marketplace for reclaimed to an absence of responsible options in the area at the time. Eighteen years materials and cultivating a respect for their value. To achieve these goals, they later, they are still the only paint recycling facility in the Greater New Orleans offer Saturday workshops twice a month at the store, as well as a program for area; they run a successful resale warehouse, as well as an environmental children of all ages available at the warehouse or in schools and camps. education program. The Green Project was founded by and run by locals, who are always The organization has affected the neighborhood in many ways. Besides looking for more ways to develop New Orleans’ unique culture of creative being a smart and practical solution for people to reuse leftover materials, reuse. Recently the warehouse has gone through major renovations utilizing The Green Project has always been a community-building endeavor that their own materials. Stop by the warehouse to see the brand new trellis brings people together and benefits New Orleanians of all ages. Through fashioned from lumber yard finds and the swanky bike rack forged from their salvage operation and their warehouse, they divert an average of 6 tons wrought iron stair railings. There are plenty more changes and happenings in of materials from the landfill every day, preserving New Orleans architecture store. To find out more, check out their website at www.thegreenproject.org.

10 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 11 The Staff & Board members of Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association with First Lady Michelle Obama Pontchartrain Park Re-Born By Gretchen Bradford, President, Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Assn.

ontchartrain Park, rich in history, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Families were torn apart, and it was a time of great sorrow. It appeared as though there was no hope. The City of New Orleans was contemplating whether Pontchartrain Park should be rebuilt. The citizens Pof Pontchartrain Park took a stand and began to advocate for the return. The battle was uphill, but we knew we could not give up. Pontchartrain Park had a very slow start on the rebuilding process. In 2009, less than 50% of the residents had returned. Because of the advocacy and the resilience of the citizens of Pontchartrain Park the Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association was established. The Association was led by HBO’s Treme Actor, Wendell Pierce. He was born and raised in Pontchartrain Park. He became our voice and was able to communicate the history and the need to rebuild Pontchartrain Park. Pontchartrain Park has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Times Picayune, USA Today, WWLTV, CBS, ABC, Fox and countless other news broadcasts, all due to Wendell Pierce’s effort to bring attention to the needs of Pontchartrain Park. Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association’s goal is the protection and restoration of the neighborhood. We value the input of our residents. We are advocates for restoring the community prior to the disaster. We strive for excellence. Currently, the light is shining on Pontchartrain Park, and although there is still a lot of work to be done, including major street repairs, rebuilding of homes and blighted lots, we are very pleased with how the city has restored our assets: Joseph Bartholomew golf course, Wesley Barrow Stadium, Pontchartrain Park Community Center, the Playground, Tennis Courts, and Basketball Courts. In addition, many exciting activities are in held in Pontchartrain Park; the Annual 4th of July Festivities, Gentilly Fest, Golf Tournaments, NORD Sports Events and Wesley Barrow Stadium, which will Host NORDC New Orleans Major League Urban Youth Academy. Pontchartrain Park is continuing to make progress. Pontchartrain Park has been re-born! The neighborhood of Pontchartrain Park set the foundation that birthed entrepreneurs, lawyers, teachers, doctors, actors, musicians, artist, Mayors, professional athletes and many other success stories. I am so grateful I had the experience of growing up as a Pontchartrain Park resident. More information: www.pontchartrainpark.org or visit Facebook: Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association.

12 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 13 era as the physical line of demarcation between historically African-American Pontchartrain Park and white Gentilly Woods. In the original planning that took place right after Katrina, residents believed that rather than remaining a painful remnant from the past, this long-neglected drainage ditch could instead be transformed into something beautiful. Now, after years spent in a community-driven design process, it is clear that the Dwyer Canal has the potential to be much more. A report called Dwyer Canal Revitalization demonstrates the many benefits that can come from a new design, including the ability to manage stormwater runoff, an increase in neighborhood connectivity and safety, the adding of value to adjacent homes, a memorializing of the history of these neighborhoods and the creation an elegant linear park. Working alongside the Pontilly and Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Associations, devoted community leaders and the progressive landscape architecture firm Spackman Mossop and Michaels, Longue Vue is a proud player in the shaping of this endeavor. Press Drive is the most recent landscape rejuvenation project to be Members of the Press Drive design steering committee (Audrey Woods, realized, having been completed in August 2012. Also designed by Spackman Norma Hedrick, Hilairie Schackai, Clara Carey, and Alana Miller) review preliminary plans at the office of landscape architecture firm Spackman Mossop and Michaels, planted with more than 250 trees—including live oak, Mossop and Michaels. Allee elm, Japanese magnolia, fringetree and sweetbay (the last two both natives)—and studded with 450 Indian hawthorn shrubs, this major boulevard Led by a team of internationally renowned landscape architects and is designed to be a springtime destination. A unique public-private partnership urban planners, advised by horticulturalists and engineers and guided by with funding from the Community Support Foundation ensured that the design neighborhood residents themselves, the weekend was devoted to developing was developed with community involvement. Prominent in this makeover are small and large-scale landscape design proposals. Third-year graduate three new neighborhood signs. Reminiscent of the ones originally placed on landscape architecture students from four universities who participated in the each neighborhood’s southern entrance, two supplementary Pontchartrain Landscape architecture firm Spackman Mossop Michaels’ workshop then intensively elaborated these proposals over the course of a Park and Gentilly Woods signs welcome residents and visitors entering from design rendering of how the preliminary plan proposal semester. The entire process has been documented in a booklet published by the north. Located between Chef Menteur and Stephen Girard, a third sign re-imagines the Dwyer Canal. Longue Vue titled Pontchartrain Park + Gentilly Woods Landscape Manual. of scripted steel mounted on a cement wall (soon to be covered with fig ivy) Based on ideas contained in the manual, the PDC pursued two important announces a reinvigorated Press Drive. landscape revitalization projects meant to serve both Pontchartrain Park and As part of a field trip to Pontilly, design teams from the Catherine Brown Memorial Pontchartrain Park + Gentilly Woods Gentilly Woods equally. For copies of the Press Drive Preliminary Plan, the Design Weekend gather at the Dwyer Canal site to learn about the site’s history and discuss the community’s vision. Arguably the most compelling landscape in the Pontilly area is the Dwyer Pontchartrain Park + Gentilly Woods Landscape Manual Canal. Known as “The Ditch” by those familiar with it, the three-quarter- and the Dwyer Canal Revitalization Report, visit the Longue Vue Connects with its Legacy mile Dwyer Canal drainage waterway, featuring scalped grass banks and Community Initiatives page at www.longuevue.com Through Landscape Revitalization clumps of cattail interspersed along its bottom, served during the Jim Crow By Hilairie Schackai Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood History By Nora McGunnigle NEIGHBORHOOD Built to provide a slice of better life around the third-largest civic park in New Orleans, pontchartrainSPOTLIGHT Pontchartrain Park, and its immediate neighbor Gentilly Woods, are well-kept secrets from ontchartrain Park was designed and developed specifically to be American golfer in the early- to mid- 20th century who was one of the first areas to provide suburban-style home ownership barred from playing any of the courses in the New Orleans Park many in New Orleans, mainly because of their geographical isolation. to middle and upper income in New Orleans, area that he taught white golfers on, caddied for, designed, or built. hese two neighborhoods—together called Pontilly—are nestled New Orleans, Tulane Universtiy and citizen representatives from the various and was also one of the last Gentilly neighborhoods to be Mary Dora Coghill elementary school was built in the late1950s between the lakefront at Seabrook, the Industrial Canal, elevated committees formed during the early planning phase. As one of the only developed. Its Boundaries are Leon C. Simon Drive to the north, as the neighborhood public school, and St. Gabriel the Archangel also theP Industrial Canal to the east, Dreux Avenue/Dwyer Canal to the south and provided a Catholic-school education for the local children. The Southern railroad tracks and a commercial strip on Chef Menteur that was organizations from outside the immediate area, but with historical ties to it, once the first shopping center outside downtown New Orleans. Its Longue Vue House and Gardens became part of the PDC to contribute to the Peoples Avenue/Canal to the west. University at New Orleans (SUNO) was founded in 1959 after the Louisiana landscapes—historic, contrived and natural—are varied, comprising community’s restoration through assistance with landscape revitalization. This area, to be named Pontchartrain Park in honor of the park around State Legislature passed Act 28 of the Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Trecreational areas, public rights of way, a golf course (with lagoons), a The founders of Longue Vue, Edith and Edgar Stern, were deeply which the development was built around, between and Legislature of September 4, 1956, creating SUNO as a branch unit of municipal drainage canal (perhaps the only natural-bottom canal in New committed to civic progress in New Orleans during their lifetimes. With roots Lakeview was acquired in 1950 by the City of New Orleans from the New Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (Southern Orleans), a naturalized northern edge and a rookery with nesting heron, in the civil rights movement, Edgar Stern—founder of Dillard University and Orleans Lakeshore Land Company. After the swampland contained in the University.) Designated as a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), egret and ibis. Individual home lots should also be considered part of Pontilly’s the Flint-Goodridge teaching hospital—was the primary developer of the parcel was drained and dredged from the lake, it was developed in the it opened its doors to students of all individuals regardless of race or color in landscape, as the large lots and front lawns (and many secret backyard Pontchartrain Park subdivision built for African-American homeownership. 1950s by Pontchartrain Park Homes, which advertised the plans for the 1964 following a federal lawsuit brought against the Louisiana State Board vegetable gardens) are very much a part of its neighborhood identity. Longue Vue, following in the Sterns’ footsteps, with a solid pool of development in the Times Picayune in 1954, featuring 200 acres of open of Education. Having grown from one building in 1959 to eleven in 2005, Mobilizing more than 500 residents at a time when few New Orleanians horticultural expertise on hand and having experience in creating its own space with curvilinear streets, parks, playgrounds, and lagoons. The streets SUNO saw all its buildings flooded terribly in 2005 after Katrina and Rita. were back in town, Pontilly was the first neighborhood to create a rebuilding post-Katrina landscape recovery plan, was well poised to partner as a and sidewalks were constructed in a way that ensured resident privacy and However, in 2008 they opened their Pontchartrain Park campus once again, plan after Katrina. Residents able to participate formed action and oversight collaborative member. pedestrian safety. Crawford Homes, the same contractors that constructed although more than 20 academic programs had been slashed in order to committees, including the Committee on Recreation and Open Space (CROS), As its first order of business, the PDC (funded by a grant from the the Gentilly Woods development right next to this new neighborhood, bring the school back. which was charged with landscape revitalization. Signaling green recovery state) established a community recovery center and sponsored a “Front constructed the homes in Pontchartrain Park in a similar architectural style. Pontchartrain Park flooded badly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in at a time when so much of the landscape was devastated and brown, CROS Lawn Lottery.” Around one hundred residents of Pontchartrain Park and The development and building of Pontchartrain Park was completed in 1955. 2005, taking on water first from the overtopping of a section of floodwall of planted sago palms and Knock Out roses at the neighborhood entrance signs Gentilly Woods who were back in their homes and over the age of sixty In 1979, the City of New Orleans’ Neighborhoods Profiles Project the Industrial Canal caused by storm surge channeled into the city from the on the neutral ground. recieved $450 worth of sod to reestablish their front lawns. With so much stated, “ the neighborhood retains an attractiveness... which is rooted in its MRGO Canal, then from major breaches sustained by floodwalls along the In mid-2006, the Pontilly Neighborhood Association formed a nonprofit neighborhood green space to tend to, the front lawn—the semblance of conduciveness to family life and a community atmosphere. This is reinforced London Avenue Canal. The 2010 U.S. Census indicates that the population organization called the Pontilly Disaster Collaborative (PDC) in order to seek routine at a time of shared chaos—was the perfect stepping stone to tackle by the neighborhood’s convenience, safety, recreational facilities, and of Pontchartrain Park decreased 44% between 2000 and 2010. But the grants and to coordinate rebuilding efforts aligned with its neighborhood the larger landscape recovery efforts ahead. schools.” Pontchartrain Park itself contained an eighteen hole golf course, a neighborhood is well served by the Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood rebuilding plan. Joining the Collaborative were St. Gabriel the Archangel In 2007, with the intention of further developing landscape possibilities club house, Wesley Barrow Stadium, playgrounds, and tennis courts. The golf Association, the Pontchartrain Park CDC, and the NPN member Catholic Church, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, the Baptist Theological for the Pontilly area, Longue Vue hosted the Catherine Brown Memorial course, opened in 1956 and “unofficially” open to African Americans to use, organization, Pontilly Neighborhood Association (which serves Pontchartrain Seminary, Bethel Colony Transformation Ministries, Southern University at Pontchartrain Park + Gentilly Woods Neighborhood Design Weekend. was renamed in 1979 for Joe M. Bartholomew Sr., an accomplished African Park as well as neighboring Gentilly Woods.) 14 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 15 NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT pontchartrain Park

16 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 17 New Orleans Council Member District D A Commentary from Cynthia Hedge Morrell For twenty years, two communities existed, separate but equal. Gentilly Woods near Chef Menteur Highway was a subdivision built for whites. Pontchartrain Park, bounded by the Dwyer Canal, the Pontchartrain Golf Course and Southern University at New Orleans, was the first subdivision built exclusively for black homeowners in the country. In the 1970’s, the two communities recognized their shared goals and formed the Pontilly Community Association. And it was that shared strength and resolve that was vital to the recovery of their communities. There was never any doubt about their community coming back – never!

n 2005 New Orleans was hit by a horrific natural disaster, Hurricane The issue of returning to a city whose levee system had been destroyed Katrina and the failures of the levees and floodwalls protecting the City and compromised was very daunting. Many residents were still afraid to of New Orleans. The levees and floodwalls collapsed due to design and come back because of inadequate flood protection. In an effort to understand construction flaw, erosion of earth and overtopping by storm surge. As why the levees breached and how to build stronger levees, so that this a result of the failures, over 1600 people were killed, one million were catastrophe would never happen again, a delegation was sent from New Idisplaced and thousands of citizens lost their homes and possessions. In the Orleans to the Netherlands to learn firsthand about the technology of levee aftermath of the hurricane, the city and the spirit of its people were devastated, protection. From this experience, we brought back newfound knowledge and yet it was vital to empower the citizens to rise up and give voice to the understanding about the technical aspects of the levee breaches and what rebuilding of their city and their lives. The constituents of District D rose to the is needed to secure the city, and also about the importance of empowering occasion and pioneered the first neighborhood planning process that set out a individuals to collectively take the destiny of their communities into their blue print for recovery and community rebuilding in the City of New Orleans own hands. The trip to the Netherlands and its findings were the impetus in post-Hurricane Katrina. bringing together people impacted by the breached levees and the Army While the city was still under water the residents of Pontchartrain Park met Corps of Engineers. to prepare the groundwork of rebuilding this fifty year-old subdivision. At that While on an educational trip in China many years ago, I came across initial meeting in Baton Rouge, a phone tree was established, email contacts a Chinese saying, “The ox is slow, but the earth is patient”. It speaks to were recorded and an internet search was done to locate other members of the perseverance and endurance. It reminds me of the constant struggles to community scattered across other states. With similar concerns, several other recover from catastrophic systematic failures associated with Hurricane neighborhood associations contacted the City Council seeking information Katrina and the failed levees. It also brings to mind the Pontilly Community regarding regrouping and rebuilding, such as Gentilly After Katrina Group Association. Their growth has been deliberate and steady, and the benefits of which became the Gentilly Civil Improvement Association (GCIA). Today GCIA their patience and fortitude have been rewarded. 75% of the residents have serves as an umbrella organization to neighborhood associations in District D. to return to Gentilly Woods and 70% to Pontchartrain Park. In 2008, twenty- I was told by constituents that developer Donald Trump was interested in two neighborhood associations came together to create the Gentilly Festival, the area because of the world class Joseph Bartholomew Golf Course and its annually held at the Pontchartrain Park playground. Many families returned proximity to the Lakefront Airport. We did not know if the rumors were true, but home to take part in this community festival. the leadership, vision and determination of people such as Concepcion “Connie” As a New Orleanian who experienced loss during Hurricane Katrina; Tregre, King Wells, Victor Gordon, Alaina Miller and Father Douglas Doussan, and as the City Council representative, I feel privileged to have experienced Pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church and many, many others in the highs and lows of rebuilding our city. While there has been much growth the Pontilly community guided this precious neighborhood through the storm’s and progress in Gentilly Woods and Pontchartrain Park, there is much more aftermath. They held treasured memories and fostered pride in their families and to do. Seven years later, houses sit vacant and blighted because families community and would not be deterred from rebuilding their communities. opted not to return. However there is a concerted effort to address the Families and members of the neighborhood clergy met in early September elimination of blight, beautify neighborhoods and attract young families. 2005 at St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church in Baton Rouge to strategize Today the Joseph M. Bartholomew, Sr. Golf Course is in full operation, and create a plan of action. They met regularly to ensure that everyone was as is the Pontchartrain Park Senior Center. In addition, the campus expansion thoroughly informed. In December 2005, they traveled from Atlanta, Houston, of Southern University at New Orleans, an anchor in the community, Memphis and various locations to attend the Pontilly Community Association encourages revitalization in the university’s enrollment and provides housing Charrette Planning Meeting held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral Greek Church for out-of-state students for the first time. Adjacent to the University, Major in New Orleans. Support and funding for the “Charrette” came from the League Baseball, in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Department business sector, private industry and neighborhood communities, including has a state-of-the-art baseball facility in Wesley Barrow Stadium. This project nationally known facilitator Burt Stitt. He enabled Pontchartrain Park residents includes baseball, softball and T-Ball fields and indoor batting cages. The to organize themselves and decide what issues were pertinent to rebuilding partnership establishes the Urban Youth Academy, the first of its kind in a their communities. Finally he took residents through a step by step exercise non-major league baseball city. Next year, the Wal-Mart Neighborhood to formulate a plan that was arrived at by consensus and goal driven. He Market will open at the location of the former Gentilly Shopping Mall. facilitated spirited discussions on quality of life issues that allowed residents to I congratulate Gentilly Woods, Pontchartrain Park and members of the vent their frustrations and then focus on moving forward with plans to rebuild Pontilly Association who truly exemplify the spirit of citizen participation. their neighborhood. Their exhibition of collaboration, cooperation and creativity in the rebuilding The final Charrette facilitated by world renowned Andres’ Duany, architect of their neighborhoods is a model for the history books. and urban planner, was held at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church and Also I acknowledge the diligent work and collaboration of the Baptist filled to capacity. That was the first step toward a rebuilding plan based on Theological Seminary and GCIA, representing surrounding neighborhoods. identified needs of their communities; and this was the beginning of the citizen Through my experiences, I believe that the sustainability of every participation process. neighborhood, every community, rests with the people within. 18 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 19 case discounts; the ability to apply for our Food For All program which grants • Our community understands the cooperative model and experiences a 5% discount to folks who receive SNAP, WIC, and Section 8; the ability its economic and social value. The New Orleans Food Cooperative to participate in our Hands On Owner volunteer program which rewards • Community members, staff, and owners have a sense of pride, volunteers with up to a 15% discount on groceries; the right to vote and run belonging, and fellowship in their cooperative. for the NOFC Board of Directors; and Patronage Refund checks in years that • Our community is knowledgeable about healthy eating and how we turn a profit (based on one’s grocery shopping during that fiscal year). their food is produced. 100% Owned by The 99% Remember that you don’t have to be an Owner to shop here: everyone is welcome. When you do visit us and consider becoming an Owner, In under a year of operations, the NOFC employs 19 locals in jobs that remember that we provide more for our community than just groceries. The offer education and advancement, provides local vendors with an outlet for By Elizabeth Underwood, NOFC Outreach Coordinator New Orleans Food Co-op is a mission driven business, we have eight Ends selling their products (we carry a wide variety of local products including y favorite question I get as Outreach Coordinator for the • Open and Voluntary Membership Statements, which guide all of the decisions that are made for the co-op. produce, grains, condiments, dairy, eggs, meat, baked goods and health & New Orleans Food Cooperative (NOFC) is, “What’s a • Democratic Member Control Our Ends Statements beauty products), supports vendors who practice sustainable and humane cooperative?” Given that the NOFC is the only operating • Member Economic Participation business practices (including organic and Fair Trade), hosts free films and cooperatively-owned grocery store in our state, it makes • Autonomy and Independence • The New Orleans Food Co-op exists so that we have a healthy workshops, has an on-going Food Drive that provides up to 100lbs of food sense that our community doesn’t quite yet know how the • Education, Training and Information and thriving community. Because of all we do: every month for local organizations, supports a wide variety of community NOFCM is different from conventional grocery stores. This question tells me • Cooperation Among Cooperatives • Our community, regardless of income has access to healthy food. events with donations, and increases our community’s access to fresh, healthy that people are curious about the NOFC and want to get involved in what’s • Concern For Community • Regional farmers and producers are linked in a relationship food. Investing in the NOFC is about more than the benefits we personally happening here at our storefront in the New Orleans Healing Center. The with consumers. receive; it’s about sharing these benefits with everyone in our community, more information shared, the better our chances for performing our mission of Once a group of people come together with a shared goal for a co-op, • The diversity of our community is represented. increasing our quality of life while creating a business that represents the best providing our community fresh, healthy groceries. they invest personal equity to get the business off the ground and decide – • Economically and environmentally sustainable practices are supported. things about collective action. Cooperation informs the oldest business model in the world. Imagine a democratically – what their specific mission will be. They follow the Seven wheat farmer with a field of wheat but no horse and buggy to get it to market. Cooperative Principles in laying the foundation of their venture. The NOFC’s I hope to see you at the NOFC soon; please write me at: His neighbor has a horse and buggy but nothing to sell. They pool their story began 11 years ago in Mid-City with John Calhoun spearheading resources, create a business that they own, and share the profits. That’s the open, community meetings that brought together a wide variety of folks who [email protected] for more information or ask for me right at the Co-op so I can get to know you, basic structure of a co-op. In cooperatives, people coming together to pursue all wanted to see a cooperatively owned grocery store (with an emphasis on answer your questions and discover how the New Orleans Food Cooperative can best serve you. a shared goal is, in and of itself, the goal. This doesn’t mean co-ops don’t healthy, natural and local food) in an under-served neighborhood in New operate and compete in the world of business; it means that the principles Orleans. They formed a Board, created NOFC’s Mission, started a buying guiding co-ops emphasize community over profits. The historical success of club and began outreach in the community to get folks inspired and investing. cooperatives throughout the world proves that this business model works. Ten years later, this small group of locals raised enough equity to leverage for Cooperatives as a formal business model first became established in loans, secure a storefront in an area that wanted a full-service grocery store 1844, in Rochdale, England. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers (8th Ward/St. Roch), purchase equipment and stock, and hire staff to get created principles that were later adopted by the International Cooperative open. Our Grand Opening was Nov 12, 2011 – what an exciting day for Get Connected Post News & Alliance. The 7 Cooperative Principles guide all types of co-ops to this day, everyone! including farms, housing, schools and any other type of business you can The best thing is, YOU can become an Owner of the NOFC. It’s never to the Events for Your think of. Ownership is a huge motivation for many people who invest in too late, it’s easy (you can invest right at the register with any cashier) New Orleans co-ops as a political tool to exercise some socio-economic control over one’s and there’s no limit to how many folks can get involved in this exciting Organization at destiny. No co-op owner has more power than another and all owners share new business. There are two levels of investment, $25 Limited Income and Neighborhood the same rights and benefits. Some major co-ops in the U.S. include Ocean $100 Individual Share, both of which can be made in payments. The most NPNnola.com Spray, Land O’Lakes and Ace Hardware. Smaller co-ops range from grocery important thing Owners get is an actual full-service grocery store in our Network. stores to businesses like the Latino Farmer’s Cooperative, C4 Tech and neighborhood; the NOFC just would not exist without community investment. Design and Lagniappe Services, all based in New Orleans. Each of these Other terrific benefits for Owners include special owner sales; a 10% cooperatives follows the Seven Cooperative Principles which are: discount on all groceries during our bi-monthly Owner Appreciation Days;

20 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 21 The New Orleans Fatherhood Consortium Community Spotlight Trumpet Awards Football Coaches Wayne Morris & Wilfred Morris Nomination Form & Categories ontchartrain Park (New Orleans) — Brothers Wilfred and former Pontchartrain Patriots. In fact, the Morris brothers proudly boast that Wayne Morris are important figures to the young boys who up to 30 of their former players will be playing in the St. Augustine High enjoy sharpening their football skills in the Gentilly Woods School Jamboree games on Saturday at . playground. They are even more important figures to the Both Wayne and Wilfred have successfully used sports and recreation parents of those young boys. They are important because they as effective tools to teach life lessons that will take their players further in life The Nomination Deadline is October 19 haveP made personal investments in the lives of their players as well as the than any sports-related skill could ever take them. They use their experience Pontchartrain Park community. Coaching football for the Pontchartrain to help their players become great athletes but even better men. Wayne Patriots and Pontchartrain All-Star teams for over 10 years, they have was very eager to say, “I can’t tell you how many times we have former It’s that time again! For its fifth year, Neighborhoods Awards will be presented developed a system for players in several age categories to benefit from players to come back to the park and help us in coaching our current Partnership Network is hosting the Trumpet Awards. their wisdom about football and life. Young boys in the 7-8 year-old, 9-10 players. The presence of former players helps us to make the connection in the following categories: year-old, 11-12 year-old, and 13-14 year-old division can all enjoy playing between hard work and the rewards the come from hard work”. Each year, We need you to nominate your picks for the most football under the tutelage of these dynamic brothers. Their impact on the the Pontchartrain All-Star teams enjoy a road trip to Texas, Georgia, or dedicated and effective community organizers and Good Neighbor to Neighborhoods young boys extends far beyond the football field - these coaches demand Mississippi to participate in regional tournaments and games. For the Morris Award recognizes the neighborhood group that personal, academic, and athletic excellence from each of their players. brothers, these trips are additional opportunities to interact with their players leaders in New Orleans in 2012. The Trumpet Awards best supports others by sharing their knowledge, “It is important to us that we prepare our players to be competitive at the and to provide them with exposure to the world outside of New Orleans. serving as a valuable resource for other high school level. Its not about wins and losses with us – it’s about teaching “Giving these kids a chance to travel is important because some of them annually honor individuals, elected officials, businesses neighborhood organizers. fundamentals and sound mechanics on and off the field”, says Wayne might not have any other opportunities to travel to two or three different and groups who share our vision in “making every Neighborhood Phoenix Award recognizes Morris. He went further to add “Our players and parents know what we states”, says Wayne. expect. When parents inform us that grades are not up to par, we sit players Recently, the Morris brothers were among 30 coaches nominated by the New Orleans neighborhood a great place to live.” the neighborhood that has had the greatest transformation in the past year, rising from the ashes – just last week, we didn’t allow a player to dress in uniform, let alone play in New Orleans Recreation Department as members of the 2012 New Orleans Please fill out the form and mail to NPN at 4902 Canal Street, Suite 301, New Orleans 70119 to renew itself. the game, because we got a bad report from his mother.” Favorite Fathers. NORD nominated these coaches for their dedication to their or fax to 504-940-2208 in order submit the nomination for the individuals/persons of your choose. Aware that they are always an example and often a source of guidance players’ development as well as to providing young males with a reliable, Best Neighborhood Councilperson You may also email [email protected] or keep an eye out for a link to an electronic form in the is in the eyes of their players, the Morris brothers take pride in living lives that positive role model. It is pure passion that has kept these brothers committed Tidbits on September 18 & 25, and October 2, 9, & 16. Winners will be awarded at the 2012 awarded to the council member who is involved demonstrate the need for great character in every situation that life has to to pushing their players to be the best. We should all applaud Wayne and November/December Trumpet Release party on November 14, 2012. and responsive to community groups in her district. offer. Several of their players lack positive male role models. Their constant Wilfred for their work often goes unnoticed. As long as there are coaches influence has shown results in the character of their former players. “We are and men like the Morris brothers, we can all find hope that there are still Best Education Advocate honors an Your name: proud that we have been able to send our former players to the best high men who are committed to teaching our young boys the important lessons individual or group who exemplify what it means to schools in the city of New Orleans. When coaches recruit our players, they needed to become successful men. So, if you are driving down Press Drive advocate for children in our public schools. Your nominee’s email address: have an expectation that our players will exceed standards on the field and one weekday evening or Saturday morning, you will probably see coaching Best City-Neighborhood Partnership in the classroom.” St. Augustine, McDonogh #35, Karr, Brother Martin, taking place on the field, but what the Coaches Wayne and Wilfred Morris Your email address: celebrates an excellent partnering between the City Holy Cross, and KIPP are just some of the schools that have players who are see is preparation for life long after football ends. of New Orleans and a neighborhood that allows the Your nominee’s phone number: neighborhood and the city to grown and prosper together.

Your phone number: Best Recovery Resource has the information, tools and/or volunteers you need when you need Mission Vision By Charles Anderson Is your nominee a member of NPN? (YES) (NO) them, and are key to the recovery of our community. In his hotel suite, David puts down his their day, bringing brutally honest portrayals of our nation’s most underserved pen and pad and looks out to his city. The communities. They do not offer solutions to these problems rather they sit on the Best Community Beautification Project sun peeks over the skyline of houses, business sidelines on big issues of change. The youth support these artists. From them, Are you (or your neighborhood/non-profit organization) a member of NPN? (YES) (NO) recognizes the best program wherein a group comes buildings, the Arena and the Superdome. A they hear the message that it is cool to carry a gun, shoot someone and die together to bring more beauty to a community. Award you are nominating for: new day is upon David, and he sees hope. young. The youth are falling in love with the culture of death and ‘wack rappers’ Best Business Neighborhood Project He sees hope in the youth. They are the are leading them there. Why are you nominating this person/organization/project? recognizes the best partnership between a local ones who will change this city. He wants to be For Dee-1, music isn’t just about music. Music is about life. It’s about his business and neighborhood association. part of that change. He wants to use his music mission. He has a mission in life. He wants to turn around this whole rap industry. to influence their decisions. Music moves A life on a mission is a meaningful life. Great art flows from a meaningful life. Most Outstanding Youth Group is the youth them. It motivates what they love to do, and Dee’s poetic powers come from seeing meaning in his world. A life on a mission group who works to reform the public school system what they care about the most. They look up to musicians, especially rappers. is an absurdly beautiful reality. Dee wants to introduce his audience to that and advocate for themselves. The youth dress like they dress, speak like they speak, and do what they do. beautiful reality. That is when change will come about in the industry. Best Faith-Based Community Initiative Rappers have a powerful influence on this generation’s daily decisions. David That beautiful reality is only open to those who live a life driven by the right honors a church, synagogue, mosque, or other can educate them through his rapping. things. “It’s all about the people,” Dee sings in one of his songs. His listeners who religious or faith-based organization that offers David retired from teaching after two years. He could teach a classroom of put relationships above their schedules, plans and fortune can see real hope, opportunities for connection and leads its neighborhood middle school students and develop their minds, but he wanted to lengthen his love, and peace alive in this world. in the recovery process. reach and influence. Artists have the ability to influence the lives of millions of The youth are supporting Dee’s message wherever he goes. From him, they listeners around the world. With that understanding, David quit his full-time job to hear the message that it is cool to use their minds, walk away from arguments Model Citizen Award is for an individual pursue rapping professionally. He took on the name ‘Dee-1’ because he believes and stay focused on their mission. The youth are falling in love with the culture of who works so hard and so tirelessly that he or she he is ‘the one’ to change the music industry. There is power to change lives peace and Dee-1 is leading them there. What city council district is your nominee in? becomes an example of what is possible for our through music and art, but right now, negativity reigns supreme in the industry. As Dee looks out at his city, he sees the dawning of a new era of art. He community. The music industry is led by “wack rappers” who, as Dee says, “spit sees a new kind of artist on the horizon. He sees the rising of music with a What is/are the neighborhood/s your nominee serves? poison [and] hold back the culture.” These artists do not claim responsibility for mission. He sees hope in the culture of peace that waits to be unleashed through the matter of their songs. In their minds, they are reporters of the injustices of the streets of New Orleans. 22 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 23 Excellence.Equity. Community. A letter from RecoverySchoolDistrict the Superintendentd

s the leader of a special school district designed to take School Community Councils will be leading a series of public visioning underperforming schools and transform them into successful places sessions this fall to develop key community-based priorities for these schools for children to learn, I hold dear my responsibility to ensure that and we encourage you to participate. Aall of our students are college and career ready by the time they At these sessions, participants will break out into smaller discussion graduate from high school. groups to focus on particular topics such as Throughout New Orleans, our schools have made unprecedented gains academic programming for the school, extracurricular activities, and through the charter transformation process: In 2006, only 23 percent of community participation in schools. The priorities generated from these Recovery School District students in New Orleans scored at or above discussions will serve as a basis for dialogue and partnership for the work “basic” on state standardized tests. In 2012, 51 percent of students met this involved in creating high-performing schools. bar. This is the highest rate of progress in Louisiana. In 2005, 11 percent We know that families and community members are eager to support of special education students in New Orleans schools performed at their schools in meaningful ways. By creating the School Community Councils appropriate grade level. By 2011, 36 percent performed at that level. In and hosting the Visioning sessions, we look forward to this increased 2005, African-American students in New Orleans performed eight points participation. below African-American students elsewhere in Louisiana. By 2011, New Empowering families and school community members through Food Sustainability Issues Orleans’ African- American students actually performed better than African- increased access to information and opportunities to voice their concerns American students in the rest of the state. and ideas is central to our goal of ensuring academic success for all While progress has been made, there are still far too many students students. If these critical stakeholders are invested in turnaround strategies not fully able to realize their potential. And, this is why we are seeking we can continue to improve underperforming schools, and create great in New Orleans and Beyond entrepreneurial leaders with successful records to transform our remaining opportunities for our students, families and communities. By Meaghan Jerrett, The New Orleans Food & Farm Network direct-run schools in New Orleans. Our experience and data show that these I encourage you to visit our website www.rsdla.net, visit one of our schools will be more successful as charter schools where decision-making Parent Centers, or call our toll free number (877) 343-4773 to learn more ver the last half century, the American food system has ranged from building gardens with residents, schools, and other community power sits closest to the adults working with students. about the success taking place in our schools and to get details about the experienced dramatic changes. As technology developed, organizations to providing technical support for up and coming urban farms Integral to our vision of a system of autonomous high-performing schools School Visioning Sessions. larger farms replaced small-scale farming. Government and community gardens. is investing school communities in effective turnaround strategies. One of subsidies increased production of commodity crops such as corn NOFFN also provides resources and information to anyone interested the avenues we are using to do this is the formation of School Community and soybeans instead of vegetable and fruit varieties. As small in learning more about growing their own food in the form of the NOLA Ofarms shut down, food production has become less local; the average meal Growers’ Guide and the Grow Mo’ Betta Workshop Series. The NOLA Councils (SCCs) for four direct-run schools included in this year’s charter application process. Community Councils are being established for Sarah Patrick Dobard eaten by an American today travels 1,500 miles from where it is grown to Grower’s Guide is a free comprehensive guide to urban agriculture in New T. Reed High, Mary D. Coghill Elementary, Paul B. Habans Elementary, and Superintendent where it is consumed. The food we eat has become much less diverse, as well. Orleans, and includes everything from tipsheets on creating healthy soil to a H.C. Schaumburg Elementary. The changes in our food system have had consequences for our health, planting calendar for the New Orleans area. The Grow Mo’ Betta Training our finances and our environment. The food that is readily available in many Series is a set of educational workshops open to the public which are held communities, including parts of New Orleans, is highly processed and does monthly to provide training for individuals growing or producing their own not contain the many healthy, fresh ingredients that were more common a food. The workshops cover topics from how to start your own garden to how NOLA TimeBank Collaborates on few generations ago. One in three Americans born after the year 2000 will to raise backyard chickens to how to preserve the food you grow. develop Type II diabetes; they will end up with additional health care costs of NOFFN works with a variety of partner organizations on projects where about $6,600 per year. The environmental toll we are paying is also high. As their goals overlap. In July, NOFFN partnered with Green Light Nola and a result of subsidizing commodity crops such as corn and soybeans, we have youth volunteers from the Evangelical Lutheran Youth Conference to build 42 Community Anti-Litter Project lost 75% of crop diversity during the 20th century. This loss of biodiversity gardens, both residential and community. The recipients of these gardens also By Gretchen Zalkind makes our food system much more vulnerable. received ongoing support as they began the process of growing their own he four inches of torrential services available from the NOLA TimeBank members include: piano lessons, Of the current population of New Orleans, 27% of adults (and 42% of healthy food in their backyards. Residential gardens provide individuals and rains that fell on the after- yard work, transportation, light construction, and computer assistance. children) live in poverty. In many neighborhoods in New Orleans, a bag families with more healthy food, exercise, new skills and an avenue to preserve noon of Friday, July 20 The NOLA TimeBank is looking forward to more neighborhood clean- of chips is cheaper and easier to find than a piece of fruit. Affordable and local food culture. This past spring, NOFFN also partnered with the Southern forced most New Orleani- up events in other parts of the city. TimeBank coordinator Marcela Singleton healthy fresh food simply isn’t available to many residents. This systematic Food & Beverage Museum to create the NOLA Edible Forest. This resulted in ans to cancel plans and try explains “This is a great way to get neighbors out and feeling a part of the lack of access to healthy and fresh food led to New Orleans being declared the distribution of one thousand fruit trees to residents, schools, community toT make their way home through the neighborhood and community. It’s also a great way to spread the word about one of the worst food deserts in the country in 2011. Low-income and socially gardens and other organizations. Over the course of the next year, NOFFN Photo: Meg Jurisisch watery streets. Despite the challenging the NOLA TimeBank.” disadvantaged populations are acutely affected by this lack of access to and the Recirculating Farms Coalition will be building a new urban farming weather, half a dozen hardy members According to Keep America Beautiful, Inc. a national non-profit working healthy food. and food center in the heart of New Orleans that joins innovative water-based of the New Orleans TimeBank were to prevent litter, people litter when they don’t feel a sense of ownership of an The New Orleans Food & Farm Network (NOFFN) seeks to address the recirculating farming with traditional soil-based growing. When finished, the determined to pick up litter in the area and litterers feel free to litter when they see that someone has littered problems that come out of having an industrialized food system by supporting Center will be a hub for research, education and training on growing, cooking Leonidas neighborhood. before them. Neighborhood cleanup efforts limit the environmental conse- the creation of an alternative local, sustainable food system. NOFFN develops and eating healthy food in the city and beyond. The Leonidas neighborhood “Trash Bash” was the first such event organized quences of littering and help deter future littering. various projects and initiatives to empower the people in most desperate need The projects that NOFFN undertakes, from building gardens to by NOLA TimeBank. Green Light New Orleans and the Evangelical Lutheran NOLA TimeBank is happy to partner with neighborhood organizations in of fresh, healthy food to grow it themselves. educational classes to the free seed bank, are all designed to support the Church Youth co-sponsored the project. Unfortunately severe weather limited the coordinating clean-up events and rewarding volunteers with TimeBank service Since its inception in 2002, NOFFN has worked in historically development of a more sustainable food system and, eventually, a more extent of the project but volunteers still managed to collect over 6 large trash credits. For more information visit the website: www.nolatimebank.org, call underserved neighborhoods to increase healthy food access. Projects have sustainable city. bags full of trash and debris from the streets near Claiborne and Dante Streets. (504) 484-9058 or email [email protected]. Members of the NOLA TimeBank that participated in the clean-up received To learn more about Time Banking and the NOLA TimeBank attend the If you have an urban agriculture project that you would like to partner with NOFFN on, you can fill out a service credits for the hours they worked. They will redeem those hours when upcoming workshop on September 29, from 10:00am —11:30am at the Potential Project Form on their website (www.noffn.org). If you would like to learn about new projects, classes, they receive services from other members of the NOLA TimeBank. Some of the Freret Neighborhood Center at 4605 Freret Street. and other opportunities, you can also sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter on the website as well.

24 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 25 Pontchatrain Park Senior Citizen’s Photograph The Floral Landscape of Longue Vue House & Gardens

By: Cindia Davis, Executive Director, Pontchatrain Park Senior Citizen Center arlier this summer, I met Jim Belfon, Founder and Director of the Gulf South Photography Project (GSPP). I met him at the New Orleans African American Museum (NOAAM), in his capacity as NOAAM’s Artist In Residence. EDuring the course of our conversation, he shared with me GSPP’s educational and artistic program of classes and workshops for our community’s youth, young adults and senior citizens. I invited Jim to make a presentation to the seniors citizens at Pontchatrain Park Community Center. During his presentation, he discussed and demystified Second Annual the use and care of consumer and professional digital cameras, as the seniors took each others’ portraits and macro photographs of flowers. The seniors were extremely receptive and excited about his presentation and subsequently participated in a multi-week nature Food Day : October 24 photography workshop series with him. By Lilia Smelkova In the weeks that followed, Jim Belfon and his “photo posse” came with equipment in tow. Most of the ood Day is a nationwide celebration of and movement toward rally, neighborhood party, conference, petition-signing event, or other seventeen seniors brought cameras ready to learn how more healthy, affordable, and sustainable food culminating in a activity, and post it on the interactive map on FoodDay.org. Visitors to the to use their new invention “the digital camera”. Each day of action on October 24 every year. Created by the nonprofit new FoodDay.org website will also be able to find events near them, create class lasted two or more hours. Belfon and his crew Center for Science in the Public Interest and driven by a diverse their own, and use social media to spread the word. Organizers also plan provided cameras for the seniors who did not have coalition of food movement leaders and citizens, Food Day aims to make unprecedented use of social media, encouraging people to share toF bring us closer to a food system with “real food” that is produced with care tips for “Eating Real” on Facebook and using the #FoodDay2012 hashtag one available. Because of the large number of seniors involved, six students from Audubon Charter School and for the environment, animals, and the women and men who grow, harvest, on Twitter. St. Augustine High School volunteered to help with the and serve it. At home, families can participate in Food Day by rediscovering cooking workshops. I think the students enjoyed working with the The inaugural year, 2011, featured more than 2,300 events in all 50 together and eating at home, and by consuming healthful and locally seniors as much as the seniors enjoyed their attention. states, and organizers intend the non-partisan Food Day to be an even grown produce. Food Day’s healthy cookbooklet from celebrity chefs is a After several weeks of hands-on workshop sessions at the greater success in 2012. Some 2011 Food Day events were ambitious, great (free) resource. Pontchatrain Center, the seniors were invited to Long Vue such as an Eat-In in Times Square and a food and music festival with7,000 As a kick-off for Food Day 2012 in New Orleans, Sankofa CDC and House and Gardens for a field trip to take photographs attendees in Savannah, Georgia. In New Orleans, the Renaissance Project Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project will be hosting a Food and of their beautiful plants and flowers. American Limousine partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank to organize enrollment of eligible Fitness Fair at the Sankofa Farmers Market on Saturday, October 20, in Co. provided a limousine bus to transport the group and households in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Families across collaboration with community partners, residents, and health organizations. GSPP provided a sumptuous lunch for the seniors at Long the city celebrated with dinner parties featuring Louisiana ingredients and The Food and Fitness Fair will take place in the front yard of ARISE Academy Vue House and Gardens. primarily local cuisine. This year, Food Day seeks to inspire countless events, at Charles Drew Elementary School at 3819 St Claude Ave, with an array The photography workshops and field trip were big and small, with individuals and organizations coming together on and of health screenings, fitness, and healthy cooking demonstrations using fresh enjoyed by all and resulted in a wonderful array of color around October 24 to learn, debate, and mobilize to improve our food food from our farmers market. photographs of the flowers and landscape of Longue Vue system and the American diet. Students are planning workshops for community members about the benefits of eating fresh food and displays to respond to junk food advertising House and Gardens. Additionally, the Arts Council of Food Day is focused on five main goals: New Orleans has offered their Central Business District problems. Food truck vendors will offer cooking demonstrations using fresh gallery space to feature the photographic artistry of the • Promote safer, healthier diets food from the farmers market. Free cardiovascular screenings to measure seniors. Enclosed is a group portrait, candid and nature • Support sustainable and organic farms glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, and BMI will be provided. Ninth photos produced by the seniors, interns, volunteers, as • Reduce hunger Ward residents can benefit from the Veggie Power Dollars program, an well as staff who participated in Gulf South Photography • Reform factory farms to protect the environment incentive program that offers free tokens at the Sankofa Farmers Market to Project’s Nature Photography Workshop, as well as some • Support fair working conditions for food and farm workers purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for low-income seniors and families with of their thoughts and reflections. children. Students will also lead garden tours and sell the fresh vegetables Food Day’s national partners include the American Public Health and herbs they have been cultivating this year. Association, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Farmers Market To learn more about Pontchatrain Senior “Nation-wide Food Day celebrations put sustainable, nutritious food in Coalition, and many others. Notable food activists serve on Food Day Citizen Center’s programs and activities, the spotlight,” said Rashida Ferdinand, Executive Director of Sankofa CDC. Advisory Board, such as food author Michael Pollan; restaurateur, author and “Regular access to fresh, healthy produce helps promote good health and contact; Cindia Davis, Executive Director; food activist Alice Waters; nutrition authorities Walter Willett, Kelly Brownell decrease risk of diet-related diseases, with sweeping effects on our health, the 504 282 2112, or Email: [email protected] and Marion Nestle; filmmaker Morgan Spurlock; and cookbook author and environment, and the success of the young people in our community.” Food Network host Ellie Krieger. America’s mayors formalized their support for Food Day will reach millions of Americans through events on college To Learn more about Gulf South Photography Food Day in June, when the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution campuses, schools, houses of worship, and restaurants. But Food Day can Project’s programs and activities, contact; recognizing October 24 as Food Day and urging all mayors to participate. also be celebrated by simple, solitary acts of personal responsibility, such as Jim Belfon, Executive Director; 504 579 4346, How can you participate? Consider hosting an event, whether it is a stopping drinking soda or other sugar-based drinks, or forgoing fast-food in or Email: [email protected] private healthy potluck dinner using Food Day recipes, a movie screening, favor of a healthy, brown-bag lunch. 26 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 27 Latino Farmers Cooperative Growing A Healthy Heart Column by Dr. Daphne P. Ferdinand, PhD, RN Farmers and Ranchers Growing Our Food Being a Good Steward for Your Family’s Health “I have seven great-grandchildren, and none of them are interested in own agriculture operations. She also solicited mentors and trainers for Latinos farming,” said Don Ashford of Ashford Cattle Company as he lead a recent hoping to learn tricks of the trade. She had an enthusiastic response. ost parents realize the importance of practicing good health Don’t Make Drastic Dietary Changes agriculture tour of his cattle ranch in Ethel, Louisiana. He was addressing a “It is great that we are going to be able to be a part of the transfer of habits to maintain good family health. However, trying to If your family normally drinks whole milk, try buying 2 percent low-fat small group of Hispanic/Latino beginning farmers and ranchers, members know-how and skills from one generation to another and one ethnicity to get your family to select nutritious foods, be physically active, milk and see if they notice a difference. After a few weeks, try reducing the of the Latino Farmers Cooperative of Louisiana (the Co-op), as they walked another,” Duran said. “That is key”. and limit the amount of screen time can pose challenges. For fat content again to 1 percent reduced- fat milk. Too drastic a change may Ashford’s farm north of Baton Rouge. A former artisan cheesemaker and farmers market vendor, Duran saw a instance, do you find yourself saying at times, “My children upset your family; it’s best to introduce new foods gradually. Ashford explained how he used electric fence to graze his cattle, and his need and an opportunity in 2008, as she understood the plight of the Latinos don’tM like to eat healthy foods”, “I don’t have time to cook”; “I don’t have formula for determining how large the plot should be based on the number, in the New Orleans area – a great need for access to nutritious foods – and time to go walking, or “It’s easy just to let the kids watch TV when I have a Make The New Health Behavior Easy For Them size and nutritional needs of the animals. “I want to help support and teach a desire to create farming enterprises of their own. By the end of 2008, the busy day”. Consider how these statements impact your ability to be a good Put a bowl of washed fruit, such as grapes or apples, on the table. It’s the next generation of farmers,” Ashford said, inviting the group to return organization had established a food pantry and a community garden; two steward for your family’s health. easy if they can just grab the fruit for a snack without thinking! with their colleagues in the Latino community to learn more. years later the Co-op had over 300 members, two more community gardens, Parents are responsible for managing their home, and key to shaping The Co-op facilitated this interaction. The New Orleans-based one micro-farm and regular volunteers groups from all over the country that the behavior of their children such as: developing the rules within the home, Limit Foods High In Fat And Sugar In The House organization has been supporting budding Hispanic/Latinos farmers in helped develop the farms and maintain the crops. selecting what children eat, how much physical activity they receive, how Use the Nutrition Facts label to find foods lower in calories, fat, and Southeast Louisiana since 2008, providing education, resources and space Last year, the organization changed direction to respond to funding much TV they watch, and play on computer or electronic games. Parents have sugar. This will help your children eat fewer of these foods. Make available to grow food. The cultural heritage of this population is based on what priorities and address the changing needs of the Latino population. The focus an incredible opportunity to utilize health resources to teach their children plenty of healthy foods for them to choose, such as fruits and vegetables, Americans consider “organic” farming and ranching – using little if any fossil now is to help Latinos access resources and assistance to develop farms and behaviors that would help prevent serious health problems for the rest of their whole grains, and low-fat milk and milk-products. fuels and grazing cattle on grass, not feeding them corn and grains. ranches of their own. To that end, the organization obtained a grant from lives. Furthermore, lifestyle changes are easier to make when there is support “That is the way it is done where we come from,” said the Co-op Director the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), as part of the of those we are close to. Therefore, engaging the entire family in this process Emphasize The Benefits Kathia Duran, who is from Costa Rica. Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) along with will help everyone make healthy choices and lead healthy lives. The apparent benefits of making nutritious food choices and increasing The Co-op is helping Latinos pursue their passion, make a living for W.K. Kellogg and the Greater of New Orleans Foundation. The first step in Here are some valuable tips from the National Heart, Lung, & Blood physical activity will be different for you and your children. Youth will likely themselves, and feed a growing number of Americans interested in locally developing this program is to do an assessment of the resources available, Institute’s We Can! Program which can help parents learn to become good not care that a nutritious diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables can grown, sustainably harvested food. Connecting rural Latinos with those in the the challenges Latinos face in accessing them, and how the available stewards for family health. help prevent certain diseases. Or that being physically fit can reduce the risk city allows them to share information, resources, and know-how. programs could be improved in order to reach this important population. of heart disease later in life. However, they are likely to care about growing The membership of the Louisiana Ranchers and Growers Association, “The USDA has made an effort to invest and to reach out to minority and Be A Good Role Model tall and strong, being attractive, or being good at sports. Helping them make which had its annual meeting in Baton Rouge on August 18, welcomed disadvantaged groups with this program,” Duran said. Thanks to the support Research has shown that children and adolescents really do listen to their connections between their choices and benefits that are meaningful to them the Latinos with open arms. During the meeting, Duran put out a call to the from those agencies, “we are the only game in town – and we are gluing parents and model their behavior. Children look up to their parents and want may help them try new things. audience to help her identify Latinos in the region who were developing their and integrating the Latino community.” to do the things that they are doing. If you eat nutritious foods, are physically active, and maintain a healthy weight, chances are your child will do the Create Opportunities For Your Family to For more information about the Latino Farmers Cooperative of Louisiana, Inc., logon to www.LatinoFarmersCoop.org same. For example, when you participate in an exercise class a couple of Spend Time Together Doing Something Active or email [email protected]. For information on the USDA’s NIFA program, visit http://start2farm.org times a week, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, or drink water instead of Plan fun and active things for your family to do together, such as play soda most of the time, you are sending a powerful message to your children. in the park, walk through the zoo, tour some local sites, hike, or swim. Without even knowing it, you are serving as a role model for your family. Create a healthy weight home environment. You can make changes in Checkout these online resources below to help your home environment to support your family in making healthy choices. manage your family’s health. Remember, “Healthy Food Access In The Lower Ninth Ward For example, you can switch from whole milk to low-fat or fat-free milk, Families Lead to Healthy Communities.” By Jenga Mwendo play ball outside with your children after work, or not allow them to have a television in their bedrooms. All of these actions help create a healthy weight Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy Alongside music, New Orleans is best known for its rich food culture, Lower Ninth Ward Food Access Coalition with a mission to invest in the home environment. Weight it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle! Tips for Parents which is steeped deeply in African-American traditions. Yet in many health of the community by supporting the development of sustainable food – Ideas to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight predominately African- American neighborhoods in the city, access to quality, systems in the Lower Ninth Ward that are directed by and for its residents. Involve Younger Children In The Decisions http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/ affordable food is limited and sometimes non-existent. The Lower Ninth They have also met with The Food Trust and Hope Credit Union, with whom Talk to your kids about making smart food and physical activity choices. Ward is one such neighborhood; it has lacked even a basic grocery store the City has partnered to implement the Fresh Food Retailers Initiative. Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project It will be easier if everyone can help support each other to eat well and move since before Hurricane Katrina. But after the storm, many grocery stores This fall, the Lower Ninth Ward Food Access Coalition is planning an http://healthyheartcpp.org more. For example, every weekend have one or more of your children pick all over the city closed and didn’t re-open. Now, the Lower Ninth Ward is event coinciding with National Food Day (foodday.org) to draw attention one physical activity for the whole family to do. Have your younger child National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute We Can! Program considered a “food desert”, a neighborhood lacking adequate access to to the Lower Ninth Ward’s “food desert” status and what the community come with you to the grocery store to pick out some healthy foods he or she http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/ quality food. is doing in response. This event will help to mobilize more people in the would like to try. Lack of food access is more than just an inconvenience. Food is community to join the effort, and to raise funds to support the implementation National Heart Lung & Blood Institute We Can! Program Using the Nutrition Facts Labels http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ one of our most basic needs. Studies have shown that limited access to of the Food Action Plan. On October 20th, the Lower Ninth Ward Food Have Older Children Make Decisions supermarkets may reduce consumption of healthy foods, resulting in poor Access Coalition will erect a “Grocery Store For-A-Day,” a replication of health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/eat-right/nutrition-facts.htm Older kids might not be as open to you telling them what to do, so tailor nutrition and increased prevalence of obesity. Obesity is now an epidemic the interior of a grocery store, in the parking lot of All Souls Church on your request to the child’s age and temperament. For example, for older U.S. Food and Drug Administration How to Understand in this country, and Louisiana is ranked 5th in the country with a 31% the corner of St. Claude and Caffin Avenues. The event will also feature children who are learning to be more independent, you can explain that you and Use the Nutrition Facts Labels http://www.fda.gov/Food/ obesity rate, according to the Center for Disease Control. Additionally, speakers, entertainment, food and gardening workshops, health screenings, want them to be more active, but then ask them what they want to do rather ResourcesForYou/Consumers/NFLPM/ucm274593.htm hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are all diet-related games/activities for children and a farm tour. Partners include New Orleans than tell them what they should be doing. You also could let them know that illnesses that disproportionately affect the African-American community. Food and Farm Network, Community Kitchen, Second Harvest Food Bank of Dr.Daphne P Ferdinand, PhD, RN is the executive you bought some healthier snacks for them to try and tell them you trust them Since April 2012, residents and community leaders of the Lower Ninth Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, and Grow Dat Youth Farm. director of the Healthy Heart Community Prevention to prepare something healthy when they’re hungry. Ward have been meeting monthly to create a Food Action Plan to address Encourage your family to make healthy weight decisions together. It’s Project and is implementing the We Can! Program, the need for better food options in the neighborhood. To be completed by For more information about the Lower Ninth Ward Food often easier to stick to healthy weight actions if everyone in the family has a healthy weight education program, in the New Orleans the end of the year, the Plan will outline what the community wants in regards Access Coalition or the “Grocery Store For-A-Day” event, agreed to them. For example, your family could decide to only drink fat- area. Contact 504-534-8231 or email daphnep@ to food and how the community itself can take action to get it. A project of contact the CSED at (504) 324-9955 or foodsecurity@ free milk or water at meals instead of soda or sugary beverages, walk to healthyheartcpp.org for more information. the Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (sustainthenine. sustainthenine.org. See the National Food Day website for a neighbor or friend’s house instead of driving, or take up a family sport org), this community-led initiative has already had some successes. A more information about the event – http://www.foodday. instead of watching TV. “We Can! Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition, We Can! and the We Can! logos are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health volunteer Core Group formed early on and began to inform the direction org/12203/grocery_store_for_a_day. and Human Services (DHHS),” and “Participation by Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project, Inc. does not imply endorsement by DHHS/ NIH/ NHLBI.” of the Food Action Planning Initiative. In July 2012, this group formed the

28 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 29 Neighborhood Neighborhood Neighborhood Meetings Meetings Meetings Ask City Hall

District A Susan G. Guidry City Hall, Room 2W80 1300 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Algiers Point Association Central City Renaissance Faubourg St. John Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Lake Willow Neighborhood Oak Park Civic Association Rosedale Subdivision Phone: (504) 658-1010 Every 1st Thursday of Alliance (CCRA) Neighborhood Association Improvement Association Every 2nd Saturday of Every 3rd or last Tuesday of Last Friday of every month @5:30 Fax: (504) 658-1016 the month @ 7pm 1809 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Board Meeting: Every 2nd Monday Every 2nd Wednesday of the month @ 7pm the month @ 10a.m. the month Greater Bright Morning Star Email: [email protected] Holy Name of Mary http://www.myccra.org 7p.m. Holy Rosary Cafeteria 1638 Gentilly Terrace School St. Maria Goretti Church Baptist Church School Cafeteria Moss Street General Membership: 4720 Painters St. Paris Oaks/Bayou Vista 4253 Dale Street District B Chapel of the Holy Comforter 3rd Wednesday, every other month http://www.gentillyterrace.org Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood Association Diana Bajoie Broadmoor Improvement Every 4th Thursday of 6:30pm Neighborhood Empowerment Last Saturday of every Seabrook Neighborhood City Hall, Room 2W10 Association the month @ 6:30p.m. Black Gold Room at the Fairgrounds Hoffman Triangle Neighborhood Network Association (NENA) month @ 4p.m. Association 1300 Perdido Street 3rd Monday of 2200 Lakeshore Drive http://www.fsjna.org Association Every 2nd Saturday @ 12 noon Third District Police Station Monthly meetings are every New Orleans, LA 70112 every other month @ 7pm Every 2nd Tuesday of the month NENA – 1120 Lamanche St. 4650 Paris Avenue second Monday Phone: (504) 658-1020 Andrew H. Wilson Charter Claiborne-University Faubourg St. Roch Improvement @ 5:30p.m. http://www.9thwardnena.org Gentilly Terrace School Fax: (504) 658-1025 School Cafeteria Neighborhood Association Association Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Pensiontown of Carrollton 4720 Painters Street 3617 General Pershing St. Quarterly Meetings, time and date TBA Every 2nd Thursday of Church Melia Subdivision Neighborhood Association District C New Orleans, LA 70125 Jewish Community Center the month @ 6:00p.m. 3327 Toledano Street Every 2rd Saturday of Every 1st Saturday of the month Tall Timbers Owners Association Kristin Gisleson Palmer http://www.broadmoorimprovement.com 5342 St. Charles Ave True Vine Baptist Church the month @ 5p.m. @ 2p.m. Semi-annual meetings: City Hall, Room 2W70 2008 Marigny St. Hollygrove Neighbors Anchoren in Christ Church Leonidas House Community Center Second Wednesday of October 1300 Perdido Street Bunny Friends Neighborhood Downtown Neighborhood Association 4334 Stemway Drive (under renovation) & April 7p.m. Phone: (504) 658-1030 Association Improvement Association (DNIA) Filmore Gardens Neighborhood Saturdays at 12:00 (noon) 1407 Leonidas St. Board meetings: Second Wednesday Fax: (504) 658-1037 Every second Saturday Every 3rd Monday of Association (meet the 4th Thursday St. Peter AME Church 3424 Eagle St. Mid-City Neighborhood Temporarily housed at St. Paul AME of every other month 7p.m Email: [email protected] of the month the month @ 7p.m. of each month) (Eage St. and Edinburgh St.) Organization Church Mt. Carmel Baptist Church Musicians’ Union Hall Rouse’s Food Market (Leon C. Simon & www.neighborhoodlink.com (type General Meeting – Second Monday of 8540 Cohn St. (corner of Leonidas Tunisburg Square Homeowners District D 3721 N Claiborne Ave 2401 Esplanade Ave Franklin Avenue) in 70118 and click on “Hollygrove every month@ 6:30p.m. and Cohn) Civic Association, Inc. Cynthia Hedge-Morrell (entrance through parking lot on Bayou 6:30p.m. to 8:00p.m. Neighbors”) blog us at http://www. Grace Episcopal Church Every 2nd Monday of City Hall, Room 2W20 Bywater Neighborhood Road and Rocheblave Street) (No meetings in Nov. and Dec.) hollygroveneighbors.blogspot.com/ 3700 Canal Street Pontilly Association the month @ 6:30p.m. 1300 Perdido Street Association http://www.mcno.org Pontilly Disaster Collaborative – http://tunisburg.org Phone: (504) 658-1040 Every 2nd Tuesday DeSaix Neighborhood Garden District Association Holy Cross Neighborhood Every 3rd Wednesday of the month Fax: (504) 658-1048 of the month at 7p.m. Association 1 annual meeting per year, time/date/ Association Milneburg Neighborhood General Meeting – every 2nd West Barrington Association E-mail: [email protected] Holy Angels Cafeteria Every 2nd Saturday of location TBA Every 2nd and 4th Thursday Association Saturday of the month 1st Tuesday of 3500 St. Claude Ave. the month @10a.m. @ 5:30 Chapel of the Holy Comforter http://www.pontilly.com every month @ 6p.m. District E Langhston Hughes Academy Gentilly Civic Improvement Center for Sustainability, Greater Little 2200 Lakeshore Dr. Holiday Inn Express Jon D. Johnson Carrollton Riverbend 3519 Trafalgar Street Association (GCIA) Zion Missionary Baptist Church 6:30 p.m. 70219 Bullard Avenue City Hall, Room 2W60 Neighborhood Association http://danadesaix.org General Membership- Every 3rd 5130 Chartres, Lizardi and Chartres Monthly meetings are every 1300 Perdido Street Every 2nd Thursday of the month Saturday of the month 10am Board http://www.helpholycross.org 4th Thursday of the month Parish Hall of St. Andrew’s Episcopal East New Orleans Meeting - Every 3rd Wednesday Phone: (504) 658-1050 Church Neighborhood Advisory of the month 6:30p.m. Irish Channel Neighborhood Fax: (504) 658-1058 Corner of Carrollton and Zimple Committee (ENONAC) Edgewater Baptist Church Association Send your neighborhood meeting details to: E-mail: [email protected] Every 2rd Tuesday of 5900 Paris Ave. 2nd Thursday of the month at 7p.m. Carrollton United each month @ 6 p.m. Irish Channel Christian Fellowship [email protected] Council Member-At-Large Every second Monday at 5:00p.m. St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church Gentilly Heights East 819 First St. Stacy Head every other month http://www.enonac.org Neighborhood Association http://www.irishchannel.org City Hall, Room 2W10 St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Every 3rd Monday of 1300 Perdido Street corner of Leonidas and Hickory Faubourg Delachaise the month @ 6p.m. Lake Bullard Homeowners Phone: (504) 658 -1020 Neighborhood Association Dillard University Association Fax: (504) 658-1025 Central City Partnership Quarterly meetings, time/date/ Dent Hall – Room 104 See website for meeting schedule Email: [email protected] Every last Friday of location TBA Cornerstone United Methodist Church the month @ 1p.m. http://fdna-nola.org Gentilly Sugar Hill 5276 Bullard Ave. Council Member-At-Large Allie Mae Williams Center Neighborhood Association http://www.lakebullard.org Neighborhood Partnership Network Jacquelyn Clarkson 2020 Jackson Ave. Every 3rd Monday of the month Lake Catherine Civic Association 4902 Canal Street • #301 City Hall, Room 2W50 http://www.centralcitypartnership.org @ 6:30p.m . Every 2nd Tuesday of the month 1300 Perdido Street VOA – 2929 St. Anthony Ave. @ 7p.m. New Orleans, LA 70119 New Orleans, LA 70112 (meetings on hold until further notice) Phone: (504) 658-1070 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 Fax: (504) 658-1077 Get Connected to the New Orleans Neighborhood Network. [email protected] Post News & Events for Your Organization at NPNnola.com

30 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2012 31 NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT pontchartrain Park