The
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THURSDAY JANUARY 1, 2015
SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA, WEST FELICIANA AND ST. HELENA THEADVOCATE.COM
1st Year, No. 12
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St.HelenaAdvocacy receives donation BY STEPHANIE WARREN
swarren@theadvocate.com
St. Helena Advocacy for Parish Enrichment recently received $5,000 from the CoBank “Sharing Success” program. The program is part of a charitable fund designed by CoBank to benefit cooperatives and the charitable groups they support. CoBank Board of Directors member and lifelong St. Helena Parish resident Richard “Dickie” Sitman assisted SHAPE board members in receiving the donation. Sitman also is chairman
of Dixie Electric Membership Cooperative, chairman of DEMCO Energy Services LLC and chairman of the Dixie Business Center. Additionally, Sitman is a director of the Louisiana Council of Farmer Co-ops and the Zachary Taylor Parkway Association. Sitman said he is dedicated to improving St. Helena Parish. SHAPE started a few years back, after the parish received a grant to have a comprehensive plan developed, an indepth study of how to improve St. Helena. It took over a year for the de-
sign company, Brown+Danos, to complete the plan, Police Juror Major Coleman said. Because this plan was so farreaching in its implementation goals and suggestions, there was no way one person could get it done alone, grant administrator Virginia Bell said. After the plan’s completion, police jurors were asked to create a committee to help implement the plan, Bell said. SHAPE was implemented to assist the parish in getting the comprehensive plan underway. Rita Allen, treasurer of SHAPE, came up with the acronym, Bell said. They had gone
through several variations but finally settled on Allen’s idea of SHAPE. The committee quickly took on a life of its own and began launching projects, the farmers market, held on the last Saturday of each month, being the first major such project. SHAPE Chairman James Miller said Sitman and other volunteers have worked over the past few years in helping to improve the parish. “I believe their efforts have accomplished laying the groundwork to begin working on the comprehensive plan,” Miller said.
Richard ‘Dickie’ Sitman presents SHAPE with a $5,000 check donated by CoBank at the Caroling in the Pines event Dec. 12.
Photo submitted by RITA ALLEN
BRCC Jackson campus
First class of machinists graduates BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com
Baton Rouge Community College’s Jackson campus marked a recent milestone when it graduated six students from its first class of machinists Dec. 17. Five men and one woman were fêted at a ceremony celebrating the completion of a four-month industry course geared toward fulfilling a growing need for skilled workers in East and West Feliciana parishes. “Businesses are hungry for trained and skilled workers,” said BRCC’s Johnny Arceneaux, director of workforce solutions and workforce development in East and West Feliciana. The three-day-a-week program gained attention from area businesses, industry and organizations in both parishes. “We don’t have a large trained workforce in äSee MACHINISTS, page 2G
INSIDE East Feliciana............5G West Feliciana...........3G St. Helena .................6G Sports .......................1H
Advocate staff photo by STACY GILL
Baton Rouge Community College’s Jackson campus recently graduated six students from its first machinist class. From left, graduate Matt Blackwell; Jon Craft, of Anvil Attachments; graduates Warren Johnson, Warren Gaiennie, Tonya Kennedy and James Carpenter; Johnny Arceneaux, BRCC’s director of workforce solutions; and instructor Frank Reynolds stand behind Blackwell’s motorcycle he retrofitted using skills he learned in the class with spare parts. Graduate James Norris is not shown.
Cupit on mission to spread message about 4-H BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com As the new East Feliciana Parish Assistant Extension Agent, Leanna Cupit’s job is to educate people about what 4-H means and does. Cupit, who began her new job Dec. 1, says even though it’s well into the school year, it doesn’t matter, because there are plenty of remaining 4-H activities, clubs and events for
members to participate in. “It’s not too late. I’m on a mission to recruit as many 4-H members and volunteers as possible,” Cupit said. “In order to do that, I need community stakeholders, parents, businesses, business owners and organizations to get on board.” Cupit said she believes education about 4-H is lacking and people don’t understand or know why they need to support the program.
According to research findings from a Tufts University study titled “4-H Study of Positive Youth Development,” 4-H youth, when compared to their non-4-H peers, were nearly four times more likely to contribute to their communities; twice as likely to pursue healthful behaviors; and two times more likely to engage in science, technology, engineering and math during nonschool hours.
Cupit’s goal is to educate the public, not just students, even if it means passing out information at the Clinton and Jackson community markets on the weekends, which she plans to do with 4-H members. She is even making a pitch to area 4-H alumni to get involved. As a former science and agriculture teacher in East and West Feliciana schools for five years before taking on the role of 4-H agent with the LSU Ag-
Center, Cupit believes there is a common misconception that 4-H is just about livestock shows and agriculture. “It’s about so much more than that. The 4-H program builds leadership and plays a vital role in youth development, helping to mold children and teens by providing positive participation in a variety of programs,” Cupit said. äSee CUPIT, page 2G
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