EDOLA Offers Support for Midwestern Flood Victims
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Craft Fair, continued on p. 2 E-DOLA E-News from the Diocese of Louisiana Volume 2, Issue 25 June 25- July 1, 2008 Co-Ops at Work ECS Gaudet Scholarships in New Orleans Awarded for By Carrie Crockett The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana joined with organizations such as the ‘08-’09 Academic Year Federation of Southern Cooperatives, The board of Episcopal Community Ser- All Congregations Together, the Ka- vices (ECS) is pleased to announce the trina Fund, the Cooperative Develop- awarding of 77 Frances Joseph Gaudet ment Foundation, and many others to scholarships. Scholarship amounts vary sponsor the 2008 Democracy at Work based on need, with ECS offering a com- Conference of Worker Cooperatives bined total of $110,000 in tuition assis- and Democratic Workplaces, which tance to students at the following Episco- took place over a three-day session of pal schools: workshops last weekend. • Christ Episcopal Church, Covington With more than 35 years of experi- • Episcopal High School, Baton Rouge ence and hundreds of community- based organizations formed with his • St. Andrew’s, New Orleans help, Community Organizer for the • St. George’s, New Orleans Diocese, Shakoor Aljuwani, was in- strumental in orchestrating this event • St. James, Baton Rouge to help bring more co-ops to the New • St. Luke’s, Baton Rouge Orleans area. Co-ops work in numer- • St. Martin’s, Metairie ous industries and address a complex range of social issues, including un- • St. Matthew’s, Houma employment and livable wages, bank- • St. Paul’s, New Orleans ing services and credit, education, access to affordable, quality food, lit- • Trinity, Baton Rouge eracy, and affordable housing. • Trinity, New Orleans “The usual for-profit business models In awarding these scholarships, ECS don’t work. With co-ops, you can pull continues its pledge to work for the ben- off things that aren’t possible with the efit of needy children, specifically to ad- usual methods,” said Andrew McLeod, Frances Joseph Gaudet. vance the education of African American students through need-based partial Co-Op, continued on p. 5 scholarships to attend primary and sec- ondary schools that offer rigorous curri- cula in preparation for entry to and completion of college. In This Issue The scholarships are funded through a trust given to the Episcopal Church by Fran- ces Joseph Gaudet. Gaudet, who was born in 1861 and was a descendent of freed Gaudet Scholarships.....................1 slaves, became a major philanthropist in New Orleans during the early 20th century. Co-Ops in NOLA ...........................1 She was the first woman to support juvenile offenders in Louisiana, and her efforts helped found the juvenile court. Eventually, Gaudet purchased land and founded the Midwestern Flooding Woes...........1 Gaudet Normal and Industrial School which closed in 1950 but was transformed into an orphanage and school for African American youth. EDOLA Saturdays Launched ........2 Today, ECS is charged to continue the mission of Gaudet in changing times. Bulletin Insert.................................2 Gaudet scholarship applications will be available in late January 2009 for the ‘09-‘10 academic year. Visit the diocesan website, www.edola.org, to read the scholarship Anti-Violence March.......................3 guidelines, or call Jennifer Hirstius for more information at 225.706.6634. Robyn Ordained to Priesthood......4 Bishop Brown’s Grandchild............4 EDOLA Offers Support for Jericho Road Adds Staff................4 Rhodes to Retire............................4 Midwestern Flood Victims Hail and Farewell...........................5 In response to the tragic flooding of the past few weeks in the Mid- west, parishioners from across the Diocese of Louisiana have offered Independence Festival..................5 their prayers and support. St. James Place Confirmation.......5 Bishop Jenkins and other members of the diocesan staff have been in contact with Bishops in the affected dioceses to offer guidance and Trinity Confirmations........................5 support as needed. Katie Mears, diocesan rebuild coordinator and an St. Margaret’s Announces Rector..5 Iowa native, will be traveling to the flood zone this weekend, offering Flooding, continued on p. 6 E-DoLA is published weekly by the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. Send articles and pictures for submission to [email protected] EDOLA Saturdays Rebuild Program Invites Parishioners to Volunteer By Carrie Crockett The rebuilding efforts of the Diocese’s Office of Disaster Response are well known throughout the national Episcopal community. To ensure that they’re equally familiar to parishioners right here in our own Diocese of Louisiana, parishioners from all churches in the Diocese are invited to volunteer for a Saturday and experience a program that belongs to all members of the Diocese, as well as to those we serve. To date, the ODR has rebuilt 36 homes and is currently working on 10 more. ODR’s Rebuild program targets homeowners who are in FEMA trailers or are displaced and struggling to return home, and who lack the resources to restore their homes to habitable conditions. Our work focuses primarily on residents who are elderly or those who struggle with physical or mental disabilities. On average, 250 volunteers each month come from all over the country, and as far away as Poland and South Africa. The Rebuild program re- quires zero prior knowledge or experience. Trained crew chiefs teach the necessary skills, from sheetrocking and tiling to trimming and hanging doors. Many volunteers undergo life-changing spiritual growth and return to volunteer again and again. If you’d like to schedule a presentation or begin organizing volunteers at your church, please contact Pete Nunnally, Mission and Volunteer Coordinator for the Diocesan Office of Disaster Response, at pnun- [email protected]. We invite all Louisiana parishioners who would like to join us on a Saturday to come help rebuild the lives and homes of a part of the Body of Christ that is still suffering from the devastating effects of Katrina. Parish communicators are welcome to obtain a free copy of the bulletin insert featured below to include in their Sunday bulletins. A free copy of this bulletin insert can be found at www.edola.org or if you CLICK HERE. EDOLA SATURDAYS Parishioners are invited to organize and volunteer in the Office of Disaster Response’s Rebuild Program. The rebuild program targets New Orleans homeowners who are still in FEMA trailers, the elderly and the physicallly and mentally disabled. Volunteering in the rebuild program requires zero prior knowledge. All that is needed is a free Saturday to come help renew hope and rebuild homes. If you have a group interested in volunteering one Saturday in Join with us to take pride and ownership in New Orleans: helping to rebuild New Orleans. Call Pete Nunnally 504. 895.6634, ext. 207 [photo by Carrie Crockett] Marchers head out from City Hall as part of an anti-violence protest in New Orleans. Many Episcopalians, including Bishop Charles Jenkins, were a part of this march. Episcopalians a Major Presence at New Orleans Anti-Violence March By Carrie Crockett lected in Texas to neighborhood children. St. Michaels has Visiting members from Trinity Church, Wall Street, been an active supporter of the planned Early Childhood marched with the Rt. Rev’d Jenkins and approximately Education Center and, along with Trinity New Orleans, is 100 other community leaders and youths Saturday morn- particularly committed to the family literacy program. ing, June 21, in an anti-violence protest. The route took “Our church has had eight mission outreaches here,” marchers from New Orleans City Hall to a playground in said Debbie Rhodus, chair of St. Michael’s New Orleans Central City, which was then dedicated to Nicola Cotton, Committee. “This time we came down to clean up the a young NOPD officer slain in the line of duty earlier this park to help get ready for this event and to distribute the year. The new playground sits on the site of the former thousands of books we’ve collected. We want to form a Mahalia Jackson Elementary school, which was Cotton’s partnership between our parish and Trinity, New Orleans, alma mater, and is part of an effort to open a comprehen- and help out this city any way we can.” sive Early Childhood Education Cen- ter at the site of the former school. “We came down again, for the sec- ond time, to look at long-term oppor- tunities for our parish to engage in the equitable recovery of New Orleans,” said the Rev’d Steve Smith of Trinity Church, Wall Street. “We’re looking at both faith-based and secular pro- grams, and we want to hear directly from the people what they think is im- portant in terms of the alliances and partnerships we form.” Beverly Shelton-Sanchez, also visit- ing from Trinity, said she decided to join the scout trip to “come up with ideas for how youth groups from Trinity can participate in the recov- ery here. There are so many things young people can do that go beyond rebuilding housing.” Upon arrival at the playground, marchers joined up with Mayor Nag- in, neighborhood families, and visiting members from St. Michael and All An- [photo by Carrie Crockett] gels Episcopal Church in Dallas, who Bishop Jenkins, Mayor Ray Nagin and a group from St. Michael and All An- were distributing books they had col- gels Church, Dallas, TX. PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Rick Robÿn Clergy Transitions Ordained to New Priests in the Diocese The Rev’d Tom Blackmon, Christ Church, Covington (Rector) Priesthood The Rev’d Henry Hudson, Trinity, New Orleans (Rector) The Rev’d Townsend Waddill, St. Margaret’s, Baton Rouge (Rector) Ordinations to the Priesthood, Summer 2008 The Rev’d Giulianna Cappelletti Gray, St. George’s (Assistant) The Rev’d Edward Gleason, St. Luke’s, Baton Rouge (Assistant) The Rev’d Phoebe Roaf, Trinity, New Orleans (Assistant) The Rev’d Rick Robyn, Church of the Resurrection, Manhattan (Curate) New Transitional Deacons The Rev’d Peter Gray, St.