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Beacon of Hope Spotlights...
Lakeview Shepherd Center, an asset for seniors in our community
 | | View a video from one of the Center's Senior Luncheons |
Although flooded during Hurricane Katrina, the 30 year old Lakeview Shepherd Center has since been rebuilt and is continuing to serve the senior community in Lakeview. Now offering programs including art, dance, computer classes, lectures and occasional field trips, the Center is a unique organization bringing needed resources to our growing senior community. Current needs at the Center include funds to develop a wellness program, purchase art supplies, and continue the daily lunch program. Click here to learn more and to donate. The Lakeview Shepherd Center is truly a Beacon of Hope in our neighborhood.
Please contact us if you would like to spotlight a great neighbor in your community.
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10% of All Sales on FetchPuppy go to Beacon This Week!
Beacon of Hope Resource Center is excited to be the Fetch-Puppy.com Non-Profit of the Week! FetchPuppy is a new online Daily Deals site which features great deals on things to eat, buy, and do in New Orleans. Every week, they feature one local charity to receive 10% of ALL SALES, and this week it's us! Just go to www.fetchpuppy.com! |
TLC's Ultimate Cleaners Cleans a Gentilly Home
To air March 20th at 9:30 PM
Beacon of Hope linked TLC's new show Ultimate Cleaners with a Gentilly house in desperate need of extreme-cleaning. "From sewage spills, to rodent infestations, crime scenes, and crack houses, the Douglas family are the ULTIMATE CLEANERS, taking on the cases that no one else can - or will." Catch the show on TLC, airing March 20, 2011 at 9:00 and 9:30 PM. To see more about the show, click here. |
Smart View Program
Entergy New Orleans has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help qualified Entergy users track their electricity usage, lower costs, and, in some cases, receive credits on electric bills. To qualify, you must be an Entergy New Orleans residential electric customer with an active account since June 1, 2010 and verify household income (click to see qualifications). To sign up, call 1-855-33-SMART (1-855-337-6278) or click here to view the Entergy website.
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Curbside Recycling
The City has put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) for 50,000 recycling bins to be assembled and delivered to residents. This bid ends March 17th. The recycling program will officailly start after the bins are stamped, assembled and delivered. The Sanitation Department estimates that the program will begin May 2nd. In order to receive recycling service, you must sign up for a recycling cart on the City's website. To register, click here. |
Southern Citizen Participation Leaders Come to New Orleans in March
Save the Date - March 17 to 19
The New Orleans City Planning Commission is starting a process to create a Citizen Participation Program for New Orleans. Neighborhood Partnership Network and Committee for a Better New Orleans are bringing community leaders (including former Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid) from Birmingham and Atlanta to New Orleans to share their experiences working with a Citizen Participation Program. NPN, CBNO, and Beacon of Hope will host a number of community events with these Southern community leaders between Thursday March 17 and Saturday March 19. On Friday evening there will be a reception in Gentilly co-sponsored by Beacon of Hope, and on Saturday morning there will be a community forum in Central City. Details about these events will be released soon. For more information contact Nick Kindel at 267-4665 or
nolacpp@gmail.com
or visit
www.nolacpp.wordpress.com
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Tool Donations Support our Volunteer Program
Thanks to generous donations from The Wooster Brush Company (paint brushes and cans), Hyde Tools, Inc. (painting tools), and Bulldog & Shur-line (trim painting tools), our Volunteer Department will be able to continue Homeowner Projects at less cost to the homeowner! Your continued support is greatly appreciated by Beacon of Hope and the neighbors who continue to rebuild their homes and communities.
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Upcoming Beacon Events
Harrison Avenue Marketplace, March 16th, 2011
Beacon of Hope presents a St. Patrick's Day-themed Harrison Avenue Marketplace with music by The Creole String Beans, vendors, plus...Green Beer from the Bulldog! Thanks to our V.I.P. Sponsor, South Coast Solar and our Entertainment Sponsor, Lupo Enterprises. 801 Harrison Avenue (at Lakeview Grocery)
5-8:30 pm
harrisonavenuemarketplace.org
Gentilly Open House, March 26th 11-1:30
 Join the Beacon of Hope Resource Center and the Gentilly Civic and Improvement Association (GCIA) as we celebrate successes, build relationships, and create strategies for the future of Gentilly at the 2011 Gentilly Open House! Neighborhood leaders, Gentilly residents, City Officials, and Gentilly-based nonprofits, please attend to learn and share about creative revitalization efforts in Gentilly communities and across the city. For more information, visit our website here. Spring Moonlight Madness Bike Ride, April 15th, 2011
After much success from the October ride, Beacon will host a spring version of the Moonlight Madness Bike Ride. Click here for more information and to register. |
Highlights from February's Volunteer Projects
Beacon of Hope finished landscaping Mr. Smith's house on General Diaz last month with the help from four different volunteer groups and over 60 volunteers! The first group primed and painted the fence and following groups built raised flower beds, hauled over 7 yards of dirt, and planted shrubs. 
On February 28th a group of 20 volunteers helped mulch the flower beds in City Park Amusement Park to help them get ready for their March 12th opening. They worked with Ms. Lisa Laraway who is the Director of Recreations for all of City Park. Volunteers hauled 45 yards of mulch, and will continue the work with more volunteer groups in March. For more information on our volunteer program and how you can get involved, contact us. |
Build Now Hosts Blight Forum
Beacon Neighborhoods Participate
 Build Now, a local construction non-profit, hosted a Blight Forum last week in efforts to bring together community members, neighborhood leaders, nonprofits, and City and State officials to engage in a conversation about what is working and what challenges we face in the New Orleans fight against blight. Betty Muller and Karen Parsons, Beacon Administrators in their respective neighborhoods, spoke on the panel about Blight Teams in their communities and best practices in neighborhood organizing.
Betty focused on Mirabeau Gardens' efforts to welcome new neighbors that have moved in post-Katrina. One of the best ways to fight blight, she argued, is to have a strong sense of community and to make the neighborhood a place where people want to live. The Mirabeau Gardens Beacon reached out to businesses in the area as well to form relationships and support economic development. Karen spoke about the importance of outreaching to neighbors, and setting up committees to work on multiple issues at once.
A recurring issue almost every panelist touched on was the importance of parcel-level data on property conditions as a way to drive the work of both neighborhood leaders and public officials. A summary of strategies and challenges that arose from the panels has been written by Build Now staff. The key recommendations are:
- Develop a single, comprehensive, parcel-level database to coordinate rebuilding efforts
- Promote cooperation between government, neighborhood leaders, and non-profits
- Rebuilding Road Home Option 1 properties is key to fight blight
- Align additional funding with need and commitment to rebuild
- Empower families with information on non-profits and qualified builders
Click here to view the full recommendation.
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Beacon Joins Better Than Ezra Foundation to Build Bethune's Playground
 Bethune Elementary, located in the Hollygrove-Dixon neighborhood, received a brand new playground thanks to the Better Than Ezra Foundation in February. Beacon of Hope, a partner of the Hollygrove-Dixon Neighborhood Association, was happy to send staff volunteers, tents, and snacks for the playground build. The neighborhood continues to struggle with blight and population loss, but assets like Bethune Elementary help to strengthen the fabric of the community with every volunteer and foundation effort. |
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Beacon of Hope Donates Computers to St. Anna's
Beacon donated two used computers to St. Anna's Episcopal Church in February. St. Anna's conducts outreach to many people in the Greater New Orleans area through Medical Mission, Anna's Arts for Kids, and Casa de Oportunidades (Latino Outreach Program). The computers will be used to aid these programs.
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Commemorative Print of Lakeview Grocery
photos by Michael Maples
Beacon and Lupo Enterprise presented the Robert family with a commemorative Lakeview Grocery picture made by Michael Maples in appreciation of their commitment to Lakeview. Robert now has two locations in Lakeview servicing the needs of the Lake and Gentilly area. Thank you for investing in our community! To order a copy of this special collage created by Michael Maples, visit his website here...you might see familiar faces!
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Mission:
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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Beacon of Hope Resource Center
145 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Suite 200
New Orleans, LA 70124
504-309-5120
www.lakewoodbeacon.org
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