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Beacon News
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September 2009
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Dear Friends of the Beacon,
Welcome to the Beacon of Hope Resource Center's September Newsletter.
We had a busy August. We opened a new Beacon and hosted ribbon cutting ceremonies for two of our Beacons. We attended a conference on promoting quality planning and community design in Louisiana. We were particularly proud to see that many of our best practices were what the experts at this conference were recommending for New Orleans' recovery. Please see the articles below to read more about our efforts this month.
We are continuing to improve our website, www.lakewoodbeacon.org. If you have any suggestions on improving this newsletter or our website, please contact Martin Huber at martin@lakewoodbeacon.org.
If you are on Facebook, please join our Fan Page and Causes Page. We also have a Twitter account, if you would like to follow our Tweets please click here.
Thank you for supporting our efforts in restoring our neighborhoods,
Beacon of Hope Resource Center
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Beacon of Hope Resource Center Marks the Fourth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by Hosting Gentilly Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies
 On August 28th,
Beacon of Hope Resource Center hosted Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies at two of our
newest Beacons in Gentilly, Paris Oaks and Sugar Hill.
The festivities began at the
Paris Oaks Beacon, located at the home of Marva Adams, the Beacon Administrator
and neighborhood association president. Beacon staff, City officials, core
volunteers, and neighbors gathered around to celebrate, as Marva and Denise cut
the ribbon, declaring their Beacon officially open for business.
We then moved to the home of
Debra Joseph, Sugar Hill's Beacon Administrator and neighborhood association
president. Several residents came out, despite the heat, to celebrate with the
Beacon of Hope staff and volunteers. As Air Force jets flew over head,
neighbors connected with others and discussed the progress they would like to
see in their neighborhoods.
You may ask, why choose the
eve of Hurricane Katrina's 4th Anniversary? These neighborhoods
chose to celebrate progress and remind their residents that they are working
towards a total recovery, by officially opening a center that promises
revitalization, sustainability, and, of course, a big dose of hope.
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BOH Co-Hosts in Community Forum
on Road Home Option 1 Properties
On Friday, September 4, 2009, Beacon of Hope Resource
Center, NPN, and the Business Council blight subcommittee hosted a "neighborhood
dialogue" about the Louisiana Recovery Authority's decision to extend the Road
Home Option 1 covenants for two more years and the proposal to eliminate the
$50,000.00 cap on the additional compensation grants. Community leaders discussed possible negative effects on
the recovery of neighborhoods working to fight blight and offered
suggestions, such as utilizing local rebuilding organizations to help manage the
construction of those eligible for additional LRA funding. Denise Thornton, the Founder of the Beacon
of Hope, proposed a plan to build on the state's existing pilot program using case
management agencies to do individual assessments of Option 1 recipients. This plan would identify those who are out of
compliance and those with unmet needs.
Using this data, she proposes that the LRA work with recovery agencies to
combine resources to ensure that those with hardships are better able to
rebuild.
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BOH Participates in
Fourth Annual Louisiana Smart Growth Summit
The
Beacon of Hope Resource Center participated in the 4th Annual Louisiana Smart Growth
Summit sponsored by the Center for Planning Excellence, held at
the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge, from August 26-28, 2009. The Summit brought together several hundred officials, activists, scholars and
industry practitioners, to discuss international water planning, green
construction, mobility and transportation, roadway connectivity, energy policy
and the effects of Smart Growth on the global economy. Guest speakers such as Senator Mary
Landrieu, and Smart Growth America Federal Policy Director Kate Rube spoke on
best practices on smart growth thinking and how to use them to build the
best future for Louisiana. Beacon of Hope has already implemented many of these best practices since Hurricane Katrina, such as developing systems to address blight,
and making sure that neighborhoods are involved in future land use decision-making.
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Seabrook Beacon Opens
On Tuesday, August 18, 2009, the Beacon of Hope Resource Center
opened a new Beacon in the Seabrook Neighborhood of Gentilly. This Beacon will be located at 5719 St. Rock Ave. New Orleans, LA 70122, the home Jeannie Burton, the new Beacon Administrator. If you live in the Seabrook
neighborhood and would like to volunteer with this Beacon
or need assistance in your recovery, please contact Jeannie at Seabrook@lakewoodbeacon.org. |
Milissa Orzolek Joins the BOH Staff
Milissa Orzolek joined our staff as a Community
Coordinator. Last summer, she interned with the Beacon and helped develop
the neighborhood mapping project that is now part of the Beacon M.O.D.E.L. After graduating from the University of Washington with a MA in
Geography, Milissa is happy to have this opportunity to call New Orleans home.
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 Volunteers continue to serve once they return home
During
the Columbus Day Weekend last year, the Temple Sinai from Rochester, NY sent 21
members to volunteer with the Beacon. These volunteers helped paint and landscape a
house that had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Once this group returned home, they
contacted us to see how they could help more residents. We gave them several options, and they chose
to help Jack Dee, who needed new windows to complete his renovation. Jack could not open his shutters because they covered gaps between the windows and
the frame of the house. These gaps, which appeared around each of Jack's windows, exposed the house to the elements. The Temple Sinai was able to
raise over $4,400.00 to buy the windows and hire a contractor to install
them last month. We would like to thank the Temple Sinai for their efforts in
completing this project.
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 Randy Copeland promoted to Community Coordinator
Randy Copeland has been promoted to Community
Coordinator. Randy has worked with Beacon since February 2009 as a Volunteer
Supervisor. A graduate of Leavell College at the New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary, Randy has been both a volunteer and a volunteer leader in
various settings, primarily with faith-based groups. Randy is from Columbia,
South Carolina and has lived in the Gentilly area of New Orleans since 2004.
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| Upcoming Events |
Hollygrove Dixon's Harrison Ave. MarketplaceHot Dogs, Hamburgers, 10/14/09
and Hope! 5:00 - 8:00 PM
9/15/09 6:30 P.M. 801 Harrison Ave.
8818 Marks St New Orleans, LA 70124 New Orleans, LA 70118 |
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BOH's Miley Cyrus Tickets Auction
The Beacon of
Hope is auctioning two donated tickets for the Miley Cyrus Concert at the New
Orleans Arena on October 20, 2009, to help raise funds for our ongoing
effort to rebuild New Orleans. The Two
(2) tickets are SUITE Level and include unlimited food and drinks for the
ticketholders. The winning auction bid will be classified as
a tax deductible contribution to the Beacon of Hope Resource Center. Not only
could you win Two (2) SUITE tickets to the Miley Cyrus concert, but you will
also help rebuild the City of New Orleans. If you are interested in
bidding for these tickets please click here.
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Beacon of Hope Resource Center is Supported by:
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www.bluemoonfund.org
United Way Pledge code 3672
United Way CFC Code 15984
www.unitedwaynola.org
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| Contact Information |
Beacon of Hope Resource Center
145 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Suite 200, New Orleans, LA 70124
504-309-5120
www.lakewoodbeacon.org |
Beacon of Hope Resource Center Mission:
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Leading the way home, Beacon of Hope Resource Center provides
a model for recovery in neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Katrina, as well
as other areas affected by disaster. Providing information
and resources, encouraging
civic action, and fostering repopulation form the foundation on which
we build and grow. Beacon of Hope empowers residents to
facilitate their own recovery while providing a hub of resident driven
activities and a safe environment to create the synergy essential for
restoring
viable neighborhoods and improve the overall quality of life for
residents. |
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