HeapinghelpingsofThanksgivinginSlidell
prepared,packed, and delivered morethan 1,400
Aldersgate UMCteams with area churches to warm hearts, fill tummies
For most, the Thanksgiving holiday isabout sharing hearty mealswithfamilyand friends. It was no different at Aldersgate United Methodist Church during Thanksgivingweek when scores of volunteers gathered to cook, package and eventually serve the traditional turkey dinner and all the trimmings to peopleinand around Slidell.
The only difference between the annual feed
BY STEPHANIE LOMAN
Contributing writer
Every community has good Samaritans. They are the people who serve quietly,without fanfare. They get things done outside the spotlight.They are the foot soldiers in the armies of compassion, empathy,grace.
The St. Tammany Farmer sought out six of these people andwill feature oneeach week through the remainder of 2024. We think these people, their stories, are reminders of the good things people dofor one
at the church and thoseinhomes across St. TammanyParish likely was thesize of themeal, with Aldersgate volunteers servingsome 1,400 hotmeals on Thanksgiving Day.Some of the meals were eaten on sitebyhungryfolksfrom around the communitywhile otherswere placed in go-boxes and delivered by volunteers to the homebound.
Aldersgate’sCommunityThanksgivingDinner
another We’re callingthem“Unsung Heroes.” But now is time to sing their praises.
Theword “hero” conjures images of soldiers, firefighters and other brave lifesavers, but there exists amore unassuming example: thequiet kind. Quiet heroes work in service behind the scenes to improve their communities. They are silent changemakers, touching people’s
is along-standing tradition for the church in north Slidell, and various other churches and civic organizations assist the effortannually All food stuffs aregifted or bought with money donated to the effort. Teams of volunteersthen work for severaldays roasting turkeys, mixing casseroles, baking desserts and muchmore so that others canenjoy the warmtraditionofthe holiday
past
BY KADEE KRIEGER Contributing writer
The Covington Heritage Foundation’sHistory and Holly home tour Dec. 8featuressix charming cottages dotting apathinthe West 20s neighborhood, with
visit these Covington cottages,” said spokeswoman Sarada Bonnett. The smaller homes that can be found on West 23rd, West 24th and West 25th streets date to the early 1900s; some are more than acentury old.
“This home has our heart dsoul,”saidLauri Shea, one of the homeowners on
the tour She said participants should look for an unexpected find that is a highlight of the home for herand herhusband, Robert.
During renovation workeight years ago, the couple discovered around, original fireplacethathad been part of the kitchen anddining area.
“Wewere shocked, but it is absolutely beautiful andisnow ourfavorite part of the home,” shesaid Shea said they sought to maintain the integrity of theoriginal style of the home built in 1910 at 328 West 25th, and thus did much of the work themselves by hand.
The home is one of several on the tourlisted in the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation inventory,per theoffice ofCultural Development.
One element she said they sought to modernize was the roof, constructed from what they believe to be sheetiron. But she said they received advice from aroofer that despite being more than 80 years old, it was intact and should beleft alone.
Another home listed in theLouisianaDivision of Historic Preservation inventory is at 527W.23rd, anditstands out for its striking bright, red door
Homeowners Aimee and Colin Maciver intended to leave the door its original blue after purchasing the home from aCraigslist posting 10 years ago. When asmall movie production company used the house as part of aproject a fewyears ago, the crew painted the door bright red, and thecouple loved it, so they kept the change.
Aimee Maciversaid thehome was “in roughshape” when they bought it, and renovations includedmoving allofthe furnitureout severaltimes for worktobedone.
She said while homerecords date to 1950, shebelievesthe home to be much older
Fromremoving paneling and plastic on the walls, to restoring damaged floors throughout, the couple carefully brought thehouse backtoits roots as avibrantfamily home.
“Wekept all the imperfections in the floors, nail marks andall, because we feel like it shows the historyofthe house,” Aimee Maciver said. They also kept the 1950s style pink tile in the bathrooms. “At first, we hated it and planned to change it. But it grew on us and eventually thought ‘this is kind of neat.’ You don’tsee things like this anymore.”
She said sincethey didn’tknock down any walls during their renovation, participants in the home tour can see the “skeleton” of the original home and its additions through theyears.“It’scharming because this wasafamily home, andthe add-ons are evident of generations who lived here, from ayoungcouple to agrowing fam-
VOLUNTEER
Continued from page1A
ily then even grandchildren,” she said. “We’ve enjoyed hearing stories of Covington residents telling us they’ve been inthe home and have that social connection to it.”
lives through ongoing efforts. Slidell’s Robin Marquezembodies thequiet hero role through volunteer work withseveral local non-profit organizations.
Born and raised in Mandeville, Marquez is asingle mother to two children, who were the initial inspiration behind her communityinvolvement
“WhenIentered my boysinfootball yearsago, the Slidell YouthFootball Association didn’thave acheer program,”she said. “As aformer cheerleader,I sawthat asanopportunity, so Ibegan volunteering and helped create their cheer program.” She eventually signed on as the first female board member and spent13years serving that organization. But it was her participation in Leadership Northshore that helped define Marquez’snewly discovered mission to serve. A2015 graduate of the 10-month program that prepares individualsfor leadership in local government, business, andcommunity,that experience educated her about community needs, which led to hercofounding Notes for Education Northshore
“Asa former choirmember,Ihavea passion for music. When Ilearned that schools were losing funding for music classes, I knew we had to address that,” said Marquez, who along with four Leadership classmates created an organization to put instruments into the hands of students who were unable to afford them. The Slidell Jazz and Blues Festival and
Another home on thetourisa church built in 1928 at 202 West 23rd. Bonnett said the building is fascinating in part because famed Covington dancer Rosemerry
Twilight Symphony events were created as fundingvehicles to raise money for the newly formed organization. And sinceits inception, Notes for Education has held instrument drives, donating morethan 60 musical instruments with avalue of approximately $40,000. It has also awarded scholarships to graduating seniors preparing to study the performing arts at the collegelevel.
Karen Carroll, co-founder of Notes for Education, said of Marquez, “Robin is the mostdelightful, kind-hearted,sincere, genuine personyou would ever meet. Idon’t knowhow she does it. She’sjust agreat person andanunsung hero.”
Another non-profit benefiting from Marquez’sservice is East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity,which drew her with its mission to build homes for low-income families, including single mothers struggling to make ends meet while working full-time. She now has 16 years of experience workingwith Habitat’sWomen Build program and is ateam leader for the Rosie Program,a sub-program created by executive director,Kentrell Jones. Jones said Marquez’scontribution is invaluable.
“Robin has always been acheerleader foraffordable housing and uplifting women, which is what Women Build is all about,” Jones said.“When Itook thehelm here in 2020, Ileaned on her heavily because of her experience as aproject managerinthe construction industry.You don’t see alot of women in construction, especially in the project management space. So not only does she help on work sites, Iget the opportunity to roll off ideas withan-
Fuhrmann, namesake of the nearbyFuhrmann Auditorium, held dance classes and performances in the building in the 1970s. “She wassuch awellknownfigure and brings more Covington history to this building,” Bonnett said.
Aflyer with details of Fuhrman’s life and herconnection to the building will be available at the site, Bonnett said.
other female leader in the industry.”
That construction experience is areference to Marquez’sfull-time position as project manager for E.C.O. Builders, Inc., the Slidell construction company where she has been employed for 25 years. “I’ve grown up with this company,” she said. “They support me in these endeavors. Leadership Northshore included time away from the office, and E.C.O. Builders sponsored me.”
E.C.O. Builders was one of the businesses destroyed by tornadoes that hit Slidell in April. But five months after that disaster and while their team was rebuilding, Robin saw news of devastation fromHurricanes Helene and Milton and felt compelled to spring into action. She approached her friend and mentor,Kim Bergeron, with an idea to reinstate the Cards of Compassion SOS project, which collects and sends messages of hope to disaster victims.
It was created by Bergeronafter Hurricane Katrina when, as acity employee, she had displayed hand-drawn encouragement cards received from out of state. She utilized the idea during her Train of Hope project for Hurricane Sandy victims in 2012, but it had since quieted. Marquez asked permission to reignite the effort, and together,they did. There are currently 21 states participating in the program and more than 1,000 cards have been received. There are multiple card drop-offlocations in the parish, and partners, including churches and St. Tammany Gives Back, deliver the cards to affected areas.
Marquez is also the lead contact for Slidell’sHometown Heroes Banners Program that has been displaying banners of
Covington Councilman and artist Joey Roberts madepencil drawings of all six homes. Their addressesand approximatedates of construction include: n 202 West 23rd, 1928 n 203 West 23rd, 1925 n 527 West 23rd, 1950 n 221 West 24th, 1918 n 303 West 24th, 1910 n 328 West 25th, 1910. Thetourtakes placefrom2-5 p-.m., and tour proceeds will benefit the Covington HeritageFoundation.
Ticketsare $24.99 and arelimited. Purchase in advance at https:// bontempstix.com/events/historyand-holly-home-tour or at Covington City Hall.
Participants should pick up the wrist bands needed to enter the homes on the day of the tour at the registration table that opens at 1:30 p.m. at 202 West 23rd. For more information, visit www.CovingtonHeritageFoundation.com.
local veterans on Front Street annually for the last five years, from Armed Forces Day through Veterans Day.The grassroots effort was conceived by and is managed through Leadership Northshore Alumni Association, agroup in which she serves as apast president.
She is also active in Steel Mimosas, a group she co-founded with Bergeron in 2018 that provides opportunities to more than 100 women to support local nonprofits through quarterly gifts. Through their organization, Marquez said a$10,000 donation has been awarded to adifferent organization each quarter.The gifts are important to non-profit survival and the populations they serve, especially during a time when corporate giving has receded. Laughing, she shares that the impact was greater than they anticipated. “The men were feeling leftout, so they created their own group, called Men of Steel. They do quarterly giving, too!” Bergeron said that she’stouched by the common thread of healing in her friend’s service. “Everything Robin does focuses on catharsis. She’sselfless in her efforts, and is one of the background people who helps make the foreground happen.” Marquez advises anyone with an interest in in community work to look within themselves. “Most of us get into the world of giving back to our community because of an experience we’ve been through. I’ve had several people ask where do Iget started. My best advice is to find your passion, whether it’swith seniors, or children or pets. Itcan be any number of things. Find out where your passion lies and start there.”