Slidell Magazine - 68th Edition by Slidell Magazine

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF SLIDELL

Vol. 68 March 2016

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Editor’s Letter

Kendra Maness, Editor/Publisher

from losing her. But, her impact on these pages was, and is, profound. So, to keep from being too over-emotional, let me tell you how Mom’s influence dynamically changed the publication you are about to read...

This month’s edition of Slidell Magazine is dedicated in memory of my beautiful friend, Julia DiGiovanni. I have hundreds of pictures of Julia, “Mom” as I called her, that could be displayed here. After all, I was graciously and thankfully accepted as a member of the large, Italian, gregarious DiGiovanni family, and spent countless hours with them. I chose the picture you see above because of the significance it holds for Slidell Magazine, and therefore, the Slidell community. I guess talking about Mom in the context of the magazine helps abate the sorrow I feel

PO Box 4147 • Slidell, LA 70459

www.SlidellMag.com 985-789-0687

Kendra Maness - Editor/Publisher Editor@SlidellMag.com

Devin Reeson - Graphic Designer Graphics@SlidellMag.com

DISTRIBUTION TEAM LEADERS: Eric Barnstein Sarah Landry Illustrations by: Zac McGovern www.HalMundane.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS EFOP, Charlotte Lowry Collins The Storyteller, John Case Jockularity, Corey Hogue Pet Points, Jeff Perret, DVM Crimmi-Mommly Insane, Leslie Gates Nauti People, John Felsher www.JohnNFelsher.com Once Upon A Time...In Slidell, Ronnie Dunaway Ronnie@WhoDatShoppe.org Making Cents of Your Money, Mike Rich MikeRich@MyPontchartrain.com Go Beyond, Rose Marie Sand Rose@RoseMarieSand.com Donna Bush Donna.Bush@yahoo.com

COVER ART BY ADAM SAMBOLA

Cover Artist

ADAM

SAMBOLA

Julia DiGiovanni was the very first EFOP for Slidell Magazine in January 2012. This monthly story, directly following this page, highlights an Extraordinary Fascinating “Ordinary” Person each month. It’s a biographical piece that feels more like neighbors talking over the fence about their day and their experiences in life. The feature, now one of the most popular in our publication, was developed solely because of Julia. Mom wasn’t famous. She was never a headline grabber - the outspoken activist, the company CEO or the community leader. She played all of the “ordinary” roles in life. She was a Christian, a wife, a mother, a grandmother and great-grandmother, and a friend. She was a hard worker and a devoted Saints fan. She was your neighbor, your friend’s mom, someone we all know. And, then I met her. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to find out the extraordinary person that lies inside everyone. In talking with her, I realized that everyone has a fascinating aspect to their life. And the stories are there if we simply take the time to listen for them. One thing all of our EFOPs seem to have in common is their humility. When I presented Mom with the EFOP certificate, she said, “All that I really did was be who I am... and dance when I liked the music.” Since Julia, we have highlighted 51 Extraordinary Fascinating “Ordinary” People in Slidell - each with a different, and captivating, story to tell. Our community has become closer to that person, realizing that a society is comprised of ONE PERSON AT A TIME, becoming integrated to form a whole. And it all started with Mom.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $39/YEAR MAILED TO YOUR DOOR EACH MONTH! SUBSCRIBE TODAY! www.SlidellMag.com

Congratulations to artist Adam Sambola for his FIFTH Slidell Magazine cover! (The most of any artist!) Adam Sambola, the creator of “RedBean” the Crawfish, is a born native of Louisiana and lives in Slidell. In his paintings, he represents “RedBean” and other New Orleans residents engaging in traditional Louisiana activities and enjoying the vibrant lifestyle of our region. This month’s cover is perfectly named “Zat Hat” (the full rendition is shown here). We are honored to have shared Adam’s art with our readers since our FIRST EDITION! Look inside on page 33 to see even more of Adam’s artistic talents on the Jazz on the Bayou poster, where his tickling ivories are just a hint of the well-known poster featuring his portrait of Ronnie Kole. Adam’s artwork is available at his Sambola Gallery in the Chamber Martketplace or visit: www.SambolaArt.com

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view more of us at: www.slidellmag.com 5

March 2016

KAY TAYLOR

Extraordinarily Fascinating “Ordinary” People Sponsored by

by Charlotte Lowry Collins

A leader is a dealer in hope. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

I realize that I write frequently about people who become leaders, no matter how large or small the scale. They seldom consider themselves leaders, however. From business owners to organizational leaders who care about our community, we have gained insight into how they were led to their passion. This month we look at an extraordinary “behind the scenes“ person who considers herself quite ordinary, but extremely blessed. Karyn “Kay” Taylor is one of those folks who are driven to make a difference, to make things happen, improve someone’s life, but to do so from the background. She is full of

hope, dreams and determination. This is mainly because she is so very thankful for her second miracle of life at 19 months old. But that part of this story will come later...

most of us, that would be a huge blessing. But for Kay, this is only one of the many blessings that have defined her throughout her life, as you will soon learn.

Kay greeted me at the door and announced happily that her sister, Jan Bollinger, was in from Baton Rouge. I already knew that Jan and Kay were close, finishing each others’ sentences. So we all sat down to talk with coffee in hand. The first thing Kay wanted understood was that she was only able to devote her time for the community because her husband, Robert, made it possible, and how much she appreciates that fact. For

Leaning forward, Kay eagerly began to describe the many paths that led her to the life she loves here in Slidell. “I was living in Baton Rouge, and things just fell into place so easily. As a student at Louisiana State University, I met some great people like Jay and Cathy Dardenne, and was very involved with philanthropy. After graduation, I went to work for the House of Representatives. That offered a chance to meet more wonderful

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people. Then I was offered a dream job with Exxon. I loved this job and had decided to establish a home. Just a few years out of college, I was able to buy my first home. It seemed like everything was working according to my plan.” “Then, one week after I bought my house, I met the love of my life, Robert Taylor, on a blind date to the Washington Parish Fair,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. Here is another amazing blessing, but one that would mean a change in her entire professional plan. Kay continued with a big smile, “With barely a glance back, I left my new home and moved to a small apartment in Bogalusa, so Robert could finish his residency in Family Medicine. On weekends, we would visit his parents in Slidell on Bayou Bonfouca. We loved to visit, but didn’t really get to know Slidell much beyond their property. We loved to canoe, fish and even shrimp sometimes. One day, I remember Robert took me out to target shoot a pistol for the first time. Robert lined up the cans for me, not expecting much, and I hit nine of the nine shots!” Kay laughed and told me that he said, ‘Now I know for sure that I’ll never cheat on you.” Kay whispered behind her hand and confided, “I had done a lot of target practice with my parents, but we only used rifles. I was a good shot!” Her arms gestured, and she exuded the spunk and genuine joy for living that I knew so well. “Once Robert finished his residency in family medicine, he was determined to move home and help the people he grew up with. I remember calling Jan in Houston to tell her of our plans,” as Kay looked over at her sister knowingly. “Jan cried out over the phone, ‘What in the world is in Slidell?’” Of course, all Jan knew about Slidell was the same as most out-of-towners. Jan explained apologetically, “All I knew was that we stopped to eat at the White Kitchen on our way to the beach.” I could not help but think how many times we have all heard that as an attempt to describe Slidell. But Kay was about to change that perception for her big sister. Kay continued, “My answer to Jan was that knowing Robert’s commitment, there must be something in that town. I will either find it or create it. I hate being told something isn’t possible, so I was determined to find a way to help in his community,” she said, while both sisters smiled proudly at each other. “To this day, Robert has been with the Ochsner Clinic in Slidell for over 27 years,” she announced. “My first step was to inquire about Junior League, as I was a member in Baton Rouge.

getting dressed, only to get that emergency call. We needed each other.” Kay explained that she was determined to introduce new doctor’s wives to this community. “You know, Slidell has so many avenues for people to get involved and really make a difference in this town, and that was my goal. I wanted to connect the dots for newcomers. Getting to know the native Slidellians has been an amazing experience for me. They really care about this community, and everyone in it.”

Jan and Kay with their friends of many years, Cathy & Jay Dardenne

But there wasn’t one here or even Covington at the time.” Not one to stay home, she joined the Northshore Regional Medical Center Auxiliary and volunteered at the gift shop, greeting patients and anything that was needed. “I knew how it felt to be isolated in a hospital or to have a loved one in that predicament. I wanted to bring one bright moment to those lost in doubt and fear.” Jan interjected proudly, “She became President of that organization!” I realized I would not hear that information without Jan, so I was grateful for the complete picture. Blushing, Kay steered the conversation away from herself, “I also started volunteering with Grace Memorial Baptist Church, which was a great place to start meeting local people. The Sunday School turned out to be the way to meet people of the same age, often with the same age kids. It is a more intimate and interactive grouping. Next, I joined the St. Tammany Parish Medical Auxiliary, and found another group of friends. Doctor’s wives become accustomed to changing plans,

Jan agreed, “Soon I even got pulled into Kay’s ‘behind the scenes operations’. She was active in so many important endeavors for young people and adults. Through all of this, I got a sense of the heart and soul of Slidell’s culture. Now, I truly believe that Slidell is one of the last stronghold communities in this state.” Jan could see that I was surprised by this bold statement, and nodded adamantly, adding, “The depth of history that continues for generations is something most communities have lost. Slidell should really be proud of their commitment to preserving culture and history. There are a lot of residents that are commuters, and all they may know is their neighborhood and the surrounding businesses. People tend to focus on their jobs and their family, not the community at large. I would never have known the full extent of this town without my little sister and her involvement. I’m not sure most people realize how many behind the scenes people it takes to create and maintain the vibrant culture of this city. It also takes a city government that fully supports that vision, which you have here in Slidell. I just love it here. Slidell is now my second home.” I feel that way about my hometown, but hearing it from someone who has lived in many different cities was something else. It made me even more proud of Slidell, and appreciative of those who are part of it. Later, Robert summed all of Kay’s connections in her new hometown by stating, “I am born and raised here, but I soon found myself referred to not as Mrs. Taylor’s son or Dr. Taylor, but as Kay’s husband.” I could clearly see how proud he was of his wife, and her gregarious and giving attitude. Bringing the conversation back to the timeline, Kay relayed, “Eventually, I was introduced to the Slidell Jr. Auxiliary, and I am still a Life Member. This organization gave me the chance to meet locals I wouldn’t have met otherwise. The bonds and friendships we formed have given me friends I’m still close with to this day. But I also liked the projects they initiated. At one point, I was in charge of the “Super Puppy” program,” Kay laughed. “We had a puppy costume 7

and went into the schools to teach safety. I loved watching those children laugh and get excited about learning and taking care of themselves.” Kay related that she also joined the Slidell Symphony Society because they were bringing the joy of music for school children who may have no access otherwise. “As part of the education committee, we brought the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra to the schools and community venues. Thankfully, the City of Slidell started the “Some Enchanted Evening” program and kept community music performances going.” “We also had ‘Informances’, a classical music program for Talented Music students to perform for younger students, and talk about their instruments and how they got started. To fund the program, I helped host Salon Concerts with elaborate outdoor dinner parties. Jan always put the decorative touches on the affair. But I wouldn’t tackle any of this without Jan and Robert as sidekicks. I call those two ‘my secret weapons’. It was so worth it to watch those mesmerized faces. Kids in the audience were called up to help the conductor. This may have been the most fun for me of all the volunteer work. You see, our parents made sure all four of their children were exposed to the arts and beauty, especially after my extended hospital stay, looking at four walls and machines. It was important for me to help others share the beauty and power of live classical music. You never know what a child may be going through.” In a brief lull in Kay’s exuberance, I was able to ask what motivated her to devote so much time to total strangers. Kay immediately switched gears and blurted, “I was known as a miracle child, or ‘prayer baby’, as my parents dubbed me.” Karyn Koepp, known as “Kay” to most of us, was dubbed “K baby” while she was the youngest child at the polio ward in New Orleans.

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So Kay was ready to relate the story of her near-death experience. “I had a great childhood, with loving parents and three siblings. We were visiting our grandparents, and my brother took all the children for a walk to the Coca-Cola machine down the street. On the way back, I started crying and couldn’t walk, so my brother carried me. No one thought too much about it until the next morning. I am definitely a morning person, and was always the first one up, rattling the bars on my baby bed to wake the house and come play. For the first time, I didn’t do that. Then they realized I couldn’t swallow. I was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with Polio. From there, I was transported and quarantined in the Polio Center at Mercy Hospital in New Orleans.” She revealed that she was found to have all three strains of Polio, and was not expected to survive. “My parents insisted on staying with me. They literally kept me alive. Every time I had trouble breathing, they would suction me with this tall machine next to my bed. One of them never took their eyes off me, and that’s the only reason I’m alive today. Eventually, I was able to point to the machine when I was in distress, but I was stuck in that ward for six weeks, which seemed like an eternity to me then.” Jan spoke very solemnly, “I’ll never forget the day they let me wave to Kay through the window.” Her voice cracked with emotion as she looked up at her sister. It was then that I realized they were both crying. Jan explained, “I remember that day they left. It was like Mom, Dad, and

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Kay just disappeared one day, and the rest of us were sent to our grandparents with a nurse to look after us all. Kay and I had done everything together, like twins, and I was lost without her. Our aunt was a nurse, and I remember all the medical conversations that left me so worried about my baby sister. As it turned out, none of the rest of the family contracted the virus, but we all got vaccinated,” she assured me. After researching the outbreak in New Orleans at that time, it turns out that the vaccine had come out the year before. Unfortunately, Dr. Alton Ochsner’s grandson was reported to have died from that live vaccine, so most people were dubious. Those of you my age and older probably have that big round scar on your upper arm from the Smallpox and TB vaccines. I recall being so relieved as a child when the polio vaccine was given on a sugar cube. Remember standing in those long lines at school for the mandatory doses? When you watch the news today about the new virus sweeping the world, all I can think is how a parent must feel to have to hear this kind of diagnosis. Then I try to imagine how a child must feel to be so isolated for so long, and the effect on the estranged siblings. As I voiced those emotions, Jan looked proudly at Kay and described, “After that, Kay and I were inseparable, and have been ever since. I went on most of her family vacations to help with her boys when they were little. I would hold on to them in the waves, or any physical activity that Kay could not handle. Now I get to be the one to get on the floor and help her with her granddaughter, Lily. We give tea parties for our great nieces and nephews and their friends.” A warmth filled the room. Small wonder that they are such proponents of maintaining family connections through the generations.

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Kay’s smile lifted the mood in the room. “Dad said my personality came from my determination to overcome the physical effects from polio. It left me with partial paralysis on my entire left side. When I would fall, my cousins would try to help me up. I would push them off and say, ‘I can do it myself’. I still am very determined like that.” As you might imagine, Kay developed “white coat syndrome”, afraid of doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics. Her parents both had serious illnesses. Yet, she married a doctor, and her youngest is in his third year of medical school at the University of Queensland/Ochsner Clinic School. Thinking for a moment, Kay relayed, “Both Robert’s and my family were lifelong learners, so I’m sure my boys will be continuous learners. Both sides of our families have a long history at Southeastern Louisiana University, too.

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The unbreakable bond between Jan & Kay goes far past that of sisterhood - they’re best friends also. We couldn’t resist showing a few of their dozens of pictures. We especially loved the middle photo. We call it “Sleepy Sisters on the Bow.”

My dad, Cyril Koepp, actually started the Lion’s Roar magazine. Now I host a lot of the alumni parties and fundraisers, as you know Charlotte. But we also both had a history of family illnesses and deaths. Robert’s sister died young, and discovered her blood abnormality during a lab class at Southeastern. So I feel like Robert and I were meant to be a couple.” With this, Jan handed me the family photos from tables around the room. I suddenly made the connection. There, next to Robert was my fourth grade teacher from Slidell Grammar School (Brock Elementary), Mrs. Taylor. I remember her well, as a very poised lady with high expectations for every student. Failing was not an option. My dad reminded me that they once lived near us in Olde Towne. Moving forward in time, Kay mused, “Then I stepped back a bit so I could start my own family. We had two boys, Nathan and Andrew. Having boys took me out of my comfort zone at times.” Kay and Jan stopped

for a good laugh before she could continue with the story. “When the Cub Scout leader moved, my youngest sons’ den had no leader. Those little boys were so upset that my friend and I tried to pull it together, and agreed to be Co-Den Mothers. Little did I know what I was getting myself into! We had so much fun, learning about insects, making volcanoes and art projects. I had never camped in my life, but I soon learned that’s what Cub Scouts do. Robert had been a Boy Scout, so he helped when he could, but he was on call so often. Then came the time I spent the weekend in a pup tent with my two boys alone. I had promised myself I would not go in rain or heat, but the sky opened up the day we were leaving, and Robert was on call.” “So, off I went in a rain suit and boots, with the windshield wipers going a mile a minute. Nathan was in third grade, and he took over, setting up our tent in the dark. The next morning, I woke up with a swollen foot, realizing I had broken my toe the day before. I resorted to wearing someone else’s shrimper boots that were two sizes too large, and clomped all around the camps. All I had brought for our breakfast was Twinkies, while the others cooked bacon, eggs and wonderful smelling breakfasts. I did manage to ‘borrow’ a cup of coffee, thankfully. We stayed until the activities for the second day were over, and I headed home, avoiding another night in that two-man tent with the three of us. That hot bath at home was the nicest bath I’ve ever had!” “Luckily, Robert took over after that. Then the boys got turkey cooked in-ground, baked biscuits, and all the camping equipment needed to be comfortable. But me, I’ve sworn off camping thankfully! Robert took

over as Scout Master of Troop 98 for three years,” Kay said proudly. With enthusiasm, Jan added, “Both boys became Eagle Scouts.” The sisters nodded in unison. “I guess my most meaningful work has come from working with STARC. Do you know that every penny is spent most wisely? I am committed to enabling the disabled. They have facilities across the Northshore now. I love the Starlight Ball. Most of these kids never went to Prom, so we held one just for them. They get taken to hair salons, and treated like kings and queens for a day.” Jan added her passion, “We made the centerpieces for STARC fundraisers. It seems like we were always trying to make things elegant with no budget. My challenge is to bring things up a notch each time,” she laughed. Rising, Kay asked me to walk the yard before I left. She showed me all the varieties of camellias Robert had planted. Here, I learned another of Kay’s commitments. They have been members of the Camellia Club for years. “Robert has over a hundred varieties! We are certified camellia judges, and travel with the American Camellia Society and Ozone Camellia Club. Gardening is another passion both of us, inherited from our parents. The clubs donate shrubs across the city, and I love to see beauty spread across this community. It was during Webb Hart’s term that Slidell was officially named The Camellia City,” she added. Robert told us that his grandmother in Brookhaven, Mississippi had a beautiful camellia garden. He lamented that only one of his varieties were the original grafts made by Sam Zerkowsky of Tammia Nursery, and

named after Slidell leaders. The owner and the nursery are long gone. But throughout Slidell are the varieties he named the Homer Fritchie, Dr. Louis Polizzi, and the Slidell Centennial. Robert would love to find one of the latter. There were 100 shrubs sold as a fundraiser for the Slidell Centennial and named as such. It has a huge rose pink flower should you suspect you own one, and Robert can probably identify it for you from the photo on the cover of The Camellia Journal. “I would love to reproduce one of them. They are around here, but people have lost or forgotten the names. Mine is the Joy Kendricks, named for Dr. Kendrick’s wife. Northshore High School is currently grafting them.” Robert and Kay’s passion for the art of camellia planting and nurturing, as well as its history, is clear. “The Ozone Camellia Club is also very social. They include young children and high school seniors in the court. The adults hold the Camellia Show and a student art show, so it also includes the broader cultural aspect. But above all, it honors the generational heritage of this community, the history of the people in Slidell.”

Jan tapped me and whispered, “Kay was President of that organization too! Camellias are not only beautiful, but they have the added advantage of blooming when everything else is dead in the winter. They are like the promise of Spring, and we depend on them for table decorations during the cold season.” Kay walked ahead and pointed out some of the features in the yard. I was amazed to learn that the back yard was designed and built almost entirely by Robert. There were waterfalls, decks, and paths to discover. The whole yard was a natural escape with cypress trees lining the picturesque bayou. “We love having parties out here.” And both sisters agreed enthusiastically.

Now I made another connection. I realized that my great-grandmother, Nina Dunham, was part of the Slidell Garden Club, as was Robert’s grandmother. This club was the predecessor of the Ozone Camellia Club. My mother was a member, I was as a child, my sister was, and now my great-niece, Kaegan Case. To give you an idea of the impact it can have on our young adults, my great-niece was Queen for the 65th year of the Ozone Camellia Court, and traveled to Washington D.C. for the national Mardi Gras celebration. All this from the town once known as one you pass though headed to the beach!

Jan motioned to the landscape and summed up, “You can have it all here - the country, the city, the best of both worlds.” Kay chimed in, “We think Slidell is the best kept secret, and we intend to keep making it better!” If you ever feel lonely or question your impact on others, I know someone who can resolve that for you. One individual can make a difference, but it does take a village of us, as they say.

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Kenny Bridges’ work can be viewed and enjoyed not only at the mARTketPlace, but also throughout the city of Slidell. Kenny’s artistic displays include multiple large-scale public mural projects such as the historic Train Depot, the City of Slidell Public Works buildings and his amazing painted characters from over twenty of the publicly displayed Pelicans. Inside the mARTketPlace, you’ll ﬁnd his popular oil and acrylic canvas paintings. Kenny has received much recognition for his art, as well as his life story. He was honored to be named the 2014 Cover Artist for the City of Slidell Arts Evening, a National Award Winning Cultural and Arts Event.

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SUN

Woofstock Festival Castine Center 10am-4pm

FEBRUARY

Daylight Savings Time

A Lesson Before Dying Slidell Little Theatre • 2pm

Palm Sunday

GRAND OPENING Rapid Urgent Care • 3:30pm

GRAND OPENING State Farm - Ricky Walmsley 3:30pm

TUE

MARCH

WED

Chamber Luncheon Economic Development Pioneer Award Trinity’s Banquet Hall • 11:30 Resv. Req’d

GRAND OPENING El Paso • 3:30pm

SMH Safe Sitter Class 9am-4pm Community Outreach Center slidellmemorial.org

Dine and Discover Financial Planning by Pontchartrain Investment Mgmt Chamber • Noon

EYP Business After Hours Nathan's Restaurant 5-7pm

Ladies for Liberty Packing Day Thrivent Financial • 9am

THU

Art & Conversation Business After Hours Chamber mARTketplace • 5pm

Communication Committee Chamber • 8:30am

Business After Hours Country Inn & Suites • 5pm

Business After Hours Painting with a Twist, Run-N-Tri, Joli Coupe 5-7pm

SBSC Meeting Boardroom • 8:30am

St. Patrick's Day

Third Thursday Artist Galleries de Juneau • 5pm

FRI 5

SAT

Fragniappe Harbor Center • 11am-5pm

OLL Bayou Bash 9am

Camellia City Farmer's Market

Northshore Boat-N-Fishing Show Harbor Center

Crescent City Classic

Arts Evening

Olde Towne • 4-10pm Jazz on the Bayou Chateau Ronnie Kole Bayou Clean-Up • 8am • Heritage Park

Kitchen Witches • Cutting Edge Theater • 8pm

Carey Street Crawl • 5pm

APRIL

St. Genesius Soiree Slidell Little Theatre • 2-5pm Kitchen Witches • Cutting Edge Theater • 8pm

Good Friday

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Storyteller Bullfrogs In The Baptistery As far as religion, in my youth I was hit by a triple-barrel shotgun. I lived deep in the Southern Bible Belt where there were more churches than grocery stores. My family and most of the community were AngloSaxon Protestants and, if that was not enough, my grandfather was a preacher.

At nine years old, committing adultery or coveting my neighbor’s wife were not in the cards. My neighbor’s wife was old and ugly.

I knew the word “sin” almost as soon as I knew the word “momma”; and at a young age, I equated sin with hell fire and brimstone. I couldn’t sleep at night after going to church, and we did a great deal of church going. Sometimes we would have a hot dog (wiener) roast after evening church. They would put the wiener on the skewer and as the skin bubbled, cracked and tore, we were told that was what hell was like. We went to church at least three times a week and, in the summer, we could go as many as sixteen times in a two-week period if there was a revival. At an early age, I was forced to learn the New Testament books in order. I saw no

reason for this as my Bible had an index. I was told the reason to memorize them was because someday I may lose my eyesight. That made no sense to me. If you can’t see to read, why would you need to know where something is written? Again, at an early age, I knew all my “Shalt Nots”. I examined them one by one, and reasoned they did not apply to me. No other gods before Him? I was going to church too much with just one God. There was no chance I was going to add any others.

“Remember the Sabbath”- Now I knew there was a problem there. The Sabbath was Saturday and we could go to the movies, go fishing or do almost anything we wanted on that day. It was Sunday, the first day of the week, that we celebrated. No movies or fishing were allowed on Sunday. Someone had changed the rules. This was my first time to know that rules are made to be broken, even if they are Biblical. I never had a tendency to steal or murder, so those did not apply; and I did not know what a false witness was. I heard one preacher say that being a false witness was lying, and another said it was lying only if you were in court. I would tell a lie occasionally, if it benefited me, but I did not plan to be in court, so this one did not apply either.

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I was told I needed to go to Heaven because it was a beautiful, happy place. It was a place of pearly gates and golden streets. I had never seen a pearl, a real one, and a gold watch did not work any better than a Timex, so that did not impress me. I was told I would see Aunt Esther when I got there. I didn’t like her anyway, so that was not a positive thing. I was even more disappointed when I was told my dog Wags, who got hit by a car, would not be there. He was a good dog, but Daddy said that dogs don’t go to Heaven. I had much rather see Wags than Aunt Esther. I did believe in praying and I said my prayers morning, noon and night. When I was about fourteen or fifteen, some of my friends began to get baptized. We no longer baptized in a creek. They hit oil on Jude Smith’s place just west of town, and he took some of the money and built an indoor baptistery. Not long after that, it was learned he bought his lady friend a new car and his wife found out about it. Some folks wanted to tear out the baptistery, but they decided to keep it and not let him come to church there anymore. Eventually, he repented of his sin, left his girlfriend, and they let him come back to the church. I think the real reason is that they needed money to buy an air conditioning system. Somehow, getting dunked in that water in front of a church full of people seemed a little humiliating. That was not for me, or at least not now. I began to bargain. When I said my prayers, I asked the Lord to help me be good. I told Him I did not expect to be bad, but since I was a human, I had been taught I was the very symbol of sin. Then I asked Him to make a deal with me. I would give up going to Heaven. The pearly gates, the streets of gold, and seeing Aunt Esther did not appeal to me that much. In return, He would keep me out of hell. I sure did not want to burn like that hot dog. I never got a yes or a no from Him. Anyway, many of my friends were getting baptized and it was announced that Wednesday night Sherry had decided to do the same. Sherry had been my first girlfriend, but she had gone to the eighth grade dance with someone else. That made me mad and I swore revenge. I knew Sherry had an abnormal fear of frogs. Someone had dropped a big one down her dress when she was about nine years old.

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Just before the service started, I slipped six large bullfrogs into the baptistery. The baptistery was a small pool of water about three feet deep behind the pulpit at the front of the church. On the wall behind it, there was a painting of a river that appeared to be flowing into the pool. I even thought that was pretty. There were steps on one side that led into the water and the preacher and the participant would enter from there. Women and girls wore long robes for the event. Men or boys wore white overalls, as did the preacher. When Sherry entered the water, she and the preacher must have seen the frogs at the same time. You could see the fear on her face but the preacher put his hand across her mouth, pinched her nose, and stuck her under the water. It was as if the preacher knew he would not get a second chance at baptizing her, so he rushed to get it done. When she came up she was screaming and running. I heard people say it was the best baptizing they had ever seen and she is the only one they knew who obviously felt the presence of the Lord. I knew better and was laughing so hard I had to leave the service. **********

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must have been about eighteen or nineteen. He knocked on the side door off the north patio. No one ever came to the front door of our house. I suppose it was because Daddy never built a walkway to it. Neatly dressed, he called Mother by name, “Mrs. Case.” He then followed up with a question, “Don’t you have a young son Johnny?” Mother answered affirmatively. He introduced himself as Bill. Bill told her he worked for the Southwestern Book Company and he would like to show her something that could put me at the very top of my class. Mother was big into education and she invited him in. He explained the key to success was a good vocabulary. The dictionary he sold was better than anything we had, and Mother put a down payment on one. He said he would come back in August to collect the remainder of the money and deliver the book.

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Somehow Mother liked this young man. She asked him to stay for lunch and he agreed. Before he left, he asked Mother who the neighbor was and whether or not they had any children. Mother gave him the information he needed, and then she realized how he had known so much about us. She said he was probably a shyster, but she liked him. Several times over the next two months he would stop by. Always just about lunch time. Mother told him he was always welcome. There was something about him that was special, something that stood out. He was very articulate and, looking back, it was obvious he came from a background of education. He had the voice that was very popular with news anchors like John Cameron Swayze. Broadcasters who gave you the news and not a story, like today. Almost to the day, a year later, he came again. This time he was selling Bibles. Mother was not as interested in the Bibles, as we must have had twenty. But he was a good salesman and persistent. He pointed out that his Bible was a red letter edition. I knew something about that as Brother Ernest at church had one. The words of Jesus were printed in red, and the rest in black. When Brother Ernest would read the scripture and come to the red part, he would say, “This is the Word of the Lord.” When he got to the black part he would say, “This is not the Word of the Lord.” When he finished, he really confused me because he said the entire book was the Word of the Lord. Mother liked the pictures in Bill’s Bible, and it had maps in it also. It also had a place to write down family history. I never understood how family history and the Bible got together, but I later learned this was a Mormon thing. In those days, we did not know much about the Mormon Church; but as far as the family history thing, they were ahead of their time. The same routine followed: down payment, lunch several times during the summer and the book delivery. I was a little older now and I seemed to relate to him and he appeared to have a genuine interest in me. *********** It was the summer I graduated from high school. He came to the same door at our house he had six years prior. Mother was not home and I did not immediately recognize him. In a very short time he reintroduced himself, and our age gap had closed considerably.

He did not appear to be selling any tangible thing. He did not say he was a minister, but said he was doing the Lord’s work. To my surprise, he asked me if I wanted to go for a ride. Normally, I

would not have been interested in going anywhere with a preacher, but then I noticed his car. It was probably the neatest car I had ever seen. It was a maroon 1965 Pontiac GTO. He could tell I was interested, and he began to tell me about the car. It had a 389 cubic inch engine that developed 365 horsepower with three deuce carburetors. He then explained the positraction rear end, and then he quoted some ratio numbers that I don’t recall. I had never seen a preacher man drive a car like that. When he asked me if I wanted to go for a ride, I did not hesitate. He told me that he would like to go to where some girls were. He explained that a person could have a lot of influence on someone’s life just letting them hang out with you. I did not know if he was referring to me or the girls he wanted to see. I also did not know any girls his age or where they were. I did tell him that there was a band camp in town, and there would be some majorettes there, but they would be younger than I was. He liked the idea. I should have known there was something different about this self-proclaimed man doing the Lord’s work. He was content just to sit in the car and watch. He never interacted and certainly never spread any positive influence. I felt guilty for taking him. He asked me if I liked to go to church. I told him not usually, but I had seen some funny things

happen at church. I told him about the parrot that lived in a cage behind the church. He belonged to an old sailor. The parrot cursed so bad, that sometimes they would have to dismiss service early. I also told him the story about Sherry and the bullfrogs. On the way home, I asked him if he had a regular church where he preached. He said no, and that he liked his outside ministry and could do without the full time responsibility of a congregation. I then asked him what his outside ministry was. He avoided the question at first, but then he said it was hospital work. After more questioning, I learned that he would go from hospital to hospital offering religious comfort and prayer to any who wanted it. He would also stand outside the county health office or doctors’ offices and approach the badly infirmed with the same request. Often they would give him a donation. I would later find out he was making about sixty dollars a day. That was a pretty good salary for the time. I saw shyster written all over this guy. That was the last time I saw him in person. ********** About 15 years ago, I went to a football game between Texas Tech and Ole Miss in Lubbock, Texas. I went by plane and rented a car. The radio was on and preset to a specific station. I thought it was a religious station and turned the

volume down. I was busy setting up the GPS I had brought with me. The next day was Sunday and as I was returning the rental car, I turned the volume on the radio up. It was the beginning of a church service. As I reached to change the dial, I heard them announce the title of the sermon - Bullfrogs in the Baptistery. I had to listen. His voice was vaguely familiar and he told the story using the same names, but he substituted his name for mine. His name was Bill forty years ago, but now it was Bob. During the sermon, he told about how being a chaplain in Viet Nam had solidified his desire to preach. He told the wonders that had occurred in his life, and the wealth that had been bestowed on him and his followers. I was almost proud of him. I had misjudged him. He was not a shyster. I was thinking kind thoughts about having known him. I was pleased he used my frog story in his sermon. Then, as he closed, he said if I would send him a self-addressed envelope, he would send me a prayer cloth. He went on to say that if I could enclose ten dollars, he would personally have it blessed. I changed the station.

 John Case March 2016

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Of Your Money By Mike Rich, CFP® Pontchartrain Investment Management

I want to separate you from your money. The cute little girls you see here are two of my granddaughters, Allison and Grace. They’re holding Allison’s piggy bank, which contains much of her worldly fortune. Allison is a good saver. Whenever she gets money, some it almost always goes into her piggy bank. The money is accessible through a panel in the pig’s tummy, but it’s held closed by a screw, so Allison would have to work a bit to get to the goodies. She probably doesn’t know this,

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but Allison has placed a barrier between her money and her natural human tendency to spend it, much of which is driven by the relentless marketing of American retailers, especially to our children. Do I want Allison to be a miser and not ever spend money? Of course not, but she and her piggy bank got me thinking about what I do for a living, and how I can help my clients (and you, too). As a financial advisor and Certified Financial Planner™, I don’t want to keep my clients from spending their money. Far from it. After all, you and I work, save, and invest so we have money to spend and enjoy now and in the future. I do, however, want to make sure my clients are using their money in ways that are designed to lead to financial success for them and their families. And sometimes the best way to do that is to set up boundaries between people and their money. Consider the following things I can do to “separate” you from your money:

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I don’t have any statistics to back this up but, in my opinion, the number two reason most people never achieve financial security is that they do not have a plan for their money. Number one is they start saving and investing way too late in life, but that’s a discussion for a later time. Just as a road map can help you find your way to Disney World without getting lost, a financial map can help you determine what you want your money to do for you. Will there be detours along the way? Absolutely. However, a plan can keep you from making wrong turns that might not make sense when viewed in light of your big picture. Things like investments that don’t make sense, or bailing out into cash when the market goes down. You know the deal. My observation is that most people NEVER make a plan for their money. The ones who do, however, have a much better chance at success.

2.) I can show you how to enjoy your money. Two of my favorite clients, who retired in mid-2015, are enjoying their money. By most standards, they are not wealthy, but they are financially secure, mainly because they had a plan and saved diligently. To prepare for their modest, yet very comfortable retirement lifestyle (and isn’t that what almost everyone wants?), we set up a monthly income plan that I have encouraged them to think of as their “retirement paycheck.” It’s their job to enjoy their money, and my job to separate them from having to think about where their next check is coming from. Wealthy families do this all the time and it amazes me that everyone doesn’t enlist a professional to take care of their money lives.

3.) I can separate you from the emotional aspects of your money. Back in January, when the stock markets started out the year in a nosedive, the financial media went into overdrive. Headlines such as “What to do with your 401(k) now”, “How should you play the market downturn?”, “Should you be in cash?”, “Is the bull market over?” bombarded us daily. The best advice, which I gave to many of my clients, was that most people should do nothing. However, because the Wall Street financial entertainers think that’s pretty boring, my advice didn’t make the

news. Emotions are powerful stuff when it comes to money and investments, and the financial press knows it. During all the turmoil, I read an article that was written by a highly-regarded money manager, someone who has been observing the financial markets and investors for decades. He wrote, “One of the most significant factors keeping investors from reaching appropriate conclusions is their tendency to assess the world with emotionalism rather than objectivity.”1 The result, he concluded, is that investors rarely maintain objective, rational, neutral, and stable positions. “An investor who is as subject as the crowd to emotional error is unlikely to do a superior job of surviving the markets’ swings.” Those financial entertainers I mentioned above? They shout and yell and talk all over each other because they are paid to appeal to your emotions. That’s what draws viewers. What they are decidedly NOT paid to do is make your financial life better. That’s where I come in. I might be emotional when I’m watching LSU lose a football game, but when it comes to dealing with my clients’ money and keeping them focused on their goals, I’m a rock. I follow a financial blogger every week. Recently, he asked in his blog if I and his other financial advisor readers were on a mission. He asked if we were doing something meaningful, something that we are convinced is good, and noble, and powerful. Without a doubt, my answer is yes. I’m on a mission to show people how they can work

to achieve financial security, as long as they’re willing to make a commitment to it. The ideas I wrote about above might not seem powerful, but they are. They’re powerful because they’re simple. However, despite their simplicity, most people don’t use them because, frankly, they take some effort. Most people are looking for the quick fix, which, sadly, almost never comes. Most people don’t want to have any type of barrier between themselves and their money, and they end up broke. So, here’s the thing. It’s March. Two months have passed since 2016 began. My guess is that some of you who are reading this article made resolutions in January to finally get your financial house in order. Well, it’s time to take the next step and talk with an expert. A lot of folks out there in the big, bad world want to separate you from your money. I do, too….so you can keep more of it for the future. Call me and let’s set up a time to meet.

Marks, Howard. “On the Couch,” Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., 2016.

Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Even the Kitchen Sink!

Taking a Stand and Getting Dirty for Cleaner Waterways

Story by John N. Felsher & Donna Bush Photos by Donna Bush Additional photos provided by Zane Galbert

hen the flotilla of environmentally conscious individuals embarks from Heritage Park on Bayou Bonfouca near Front Street on April 2, they might pick up everything, including the kitchen sink. “Everybody always says, ‘Everything, but the kitchen sink,’” quipped Zane Galbert, organizer of the annual Slidell Bayou Cleanup. “Well, in 2015, we even got the kitchen sink! Last year, one of the volunteers picked up a full kitchen sink off the bank of one of the bayous we were cleaning.” In 2015, better known as the Year of the Kitchen Sink, volunteers picked up nearly 2,000 pounds of trash in three hours during the 3rd annual Slidell Bayou Cleanup. On their own time and at their own expense, the volunteers gave up a

Saturday to help clean area waterways. They showed up with many boat types, but they all came with a willingness to help enhance the beauty of their community. “More than 40 volunteers showed up in 2015 with all different kinds of boats,” Zane recalled. “We had some people show up who didn’t have a boat, but just wanted to come and help however they could. They just wanted to make a difference and they didn’t mind getting dirty to make their community better.” For 2016, Zane expects more than 100 people to participate in the 4th annual Slidell Bayou Cleanup. Anyone who wants to help must show up at Heritage Park by 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 2, prepared to work and get dirty to clean up a piece of the natural heritage of St. Tammany Parish. People can bring their bay boats, flatboats, canoes, pirogues,

kayaks – anything that floats. Please bring your own life jackets and paddles. People without boats can still volunteer to help. All are welcome to help out at the cleanup. Gloves, trash bags and grabbers will be provided along with a lunch of pizza, BBQ and drinks. The cleanup will continue until about noon. “This year, we expect twice as many people to show up,” Zane predicted. “I’d like to get more than 100 volunteers. We need more people who have an interest in their community and are willing to make a difference. We need boats, but people do not have to own a boat to participate. The best thing someone can bring is a friend. The more people we have to help, the more trash we can pick up. We’ll have plenty of space on the boats for people who do not own their own boats.”

Boat owners can drive while other volunteers pick up anything that doesn’t belong in the bayou – including any more junk kitchen sinks they may find!

usually consists of 15 to 20 Scouts plus a few adult leaders, which should greatly bolster the volunteer force for the 2016 event.

People on the cleanup crews need to look carefully around any fallen trees, weedy patches, bridges and docks or other places that create an obstruction in the water. These places serve as bottlenecks and frequently trap all kinds of debris pushed there by tides, winds or other currents. Before they grab anything, they also need to watch for snakes, alligators and other things that might bite.

“The Boy Scouts contacted me about participating in the 2015 cleanup, but they couldn’t come on the date we planned to hold the event,” Zane commented. “In 2015, one of the troops did clean up a different section of the bayou about two weeks after our event. This year, though, they’ll be out in force. One of the Boy Scout leaders knows a person who lives along the bayou. He will allow the Scouts to launch their canoes on his property so they don’t have to paddle so far. Not many people go in that section of the bayou, but a lot of trash washes into it.”

“From the boat launch at Heritage Park, we’ll disperse to different areas to cover as many parts of the bayous as we can,” Zane explained. “The people in small boats, like flatboats and kayaks, will be able to get up close to the banks and pick up the trash more easily than bigger boats. We’ll use the bigger boats to transport the trash back to Heritage Park so the small boats can continue collecting.” Most of the cleanup will take place in Bayous Liberty, Bonfouca, Paquet or associated waterways. This year, some Boy Scout troops will join the team. The Boy Scouts will paddle their canoes in the upper stretches of Bayou Liberty between U.S. 190 and Interstate 12. A typical Boy Scout troop

U.S Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 4-08 from Slidell will provide support to the event by patrolling the waterway to warn powerboat traffic of slow moving boats in the area. Zane was born and raised in Slidell, where he spent time fishing out of a pirogue with his father off Carr Drive. He loved being on the water and would borrow a canoe, kayak, pirogue or jon boat to explore the many bayous around Slidell, often touring Bayou Liberty around his grandmother’s house. He grew up appreciating the outdoors and fostering a desire to protect and preserve the environment. His desire to be on the

water, save lives and give back to the country and community led him to join the Coast Guard in 2002. He began in Law Enforcement, stationed for fifteen months in Pascagoula, where he took part in combating drug running missions and immigrant transport. Except for two months of specialized training in California and temporary trips to other locales, he has managed to stay in the Gulf Coast area, from Mobile to New Orleans, working anything from searchand-rescue, coastal buoy tender, to logistics and finance. When Zane was asked what inspired him to start cleaning up the bayou, he confided that he gets goose bumps each time he shares the story! About four years ago, he took a kayak out to enjoy everything the famed natural beauty of St. Tammany Parish can offer on a spring day. He decided to launch his kayak at the Jefferson Avenue boat launch on Bayou Liberty, just down the street from his grandmother’s house. As he paddled the bayou, enjoying the beautiful day and the sounds of nature, he noticed a downed tree where trash was caught up in the strainer limbs. Upset with the eyesore destroying the natural beauty, he decided to do something about it and cleaned up what he could. As he traveled on, he found the natural beauty marred by the ugliness of trash intentionally or accidently deposited by humans, storms or from other sources.“I got really annoyed coming across all different kinds of trash and litter floating in the bayou. As I continued the trip, I realized how huge this issue is.” Anyone who knows Zane, knows he is a man of action. Unlike most people who 23

he invited his cousin, Ronald “Bubby” Vinson and his friend, David Ziegler, a hospice chaplain. They pulled a pirogue along to hold the trash and, working together, were able to clean up a much larger area in a shorter amount of time. That’s when the idea stuck for holding a major annual event.

only ignore it or mutter to themselves about the problem, Zane decided to do something about it. He set a date to return to the bayou on a Saturday a few weeks later. He told his fiancée, Danielle Provenzano, that he was going out for a couple of hours to pick up trash in the bayou. Instead of a fishing rod, he carried a few trash bags and a determination to “do something for myself and something good for the community.” Nine hours later, he was still out picking up trash. That’s when he realized what a huge task this was, especially for only one person. “I picked up some propane tanks and four or five bags of trash including plastic bottles, Styrofoam cups, plastic jugs – you name it. The next year, I wanted to do it again in the spring, before the grass got too thick.” The next time he returned to the bayou,

“A few months later, I was in a homeowners meeting in Slidell,” Zane related. “A lady at the meeting suggested I contact Keep Slidell Beautiful (keepslidellbeautiful.org). For the third year, 2015, I teamed up with Keep Slidell Beautiful to develop something bigger. We created a Facebook page and promoted it to welcome more volunteers. One person can’t do it alone. I wanted to plan something that would be noticed by the people not just around Slidell, but everywhere.” Slidell Magazine writer and photographer, Donna Bush, says, “I didn’t know Zane before last week, but instantly I felt a connection. As an avid kayaker and nature conservationist, I was thrilled to meet someone else who wanted to protect and conserve every bit as much as myself. My fellow kayakers and myself have always cleaned up trash as we paddled but never thought to organize such an effort. Zane and I are kindred spirits protecting nature, maintaining the beauty we are blessed with. We talked about a way to educate children by including local scouts in the event. Start at the youngest possible link to educate others to maintain and keep

clean the spaces around us, hoping and knowing that the instilled behavior would be passed on to their children and spread throughout the world. Zane’s wish, as well as mine, is that this community wide event will inspire others to cleanup our environment each and every day of the year. Please Leave No Trace!” Zane plans to expand the cleanup efforts in the future. He wants to include more bayous and waterways than just the ones in the Bayous Liberty-Bonfouca system as the project continues to grow each year. “In the future, we’d like to extend over to Bayou Lacombe, Cane Bayou and other places in south Louisiana.” For more information about the 4th annual Slidell Bayou Cleanup, call Zane at 985-640-3672 or send him an e-mail at zgalbert@yahoo.com. People can also go to his Facebook page: Bayou Clean Up, Slidell LA

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Arts Evening 2016 Saturday, April 2, 2016 4-10 pm • Free Admission Olde Towne Slidell 646-4375 • MySlidell.com Local Artists & Artwork Live Entertainment Fine & Casual Dining Antique, Boutique & Unique Shopping

“Bon Pacquet” by Phil Galatas “The Works of Clementine Hunter: from the Vaults of the New Orleans Museum of Art” exhibit opening in the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall The City of Slidell and the Commission on the Arts would like to thank our 2015-2016 Cultural Season Sponsors for making this event possible: Renaissance $5,000 Sponsors: Baroque, $2,500: CLECO Power, LLC • Jazz on the Bayou/Ronnie Kole Foundation Expressionist, $1,500: Johnathan Johnson Agency, Blue Cross Blue Shield of LA

Neoclassical, $1,000: Lori Gomez Art • Lowry-Dunham, Case & Vivien Insurance Agency Purple Armadillo Again, LLC • The Slidell Independent • Slidell Northshore Rotary Club Impressionism, $500: Blue Bell Creameries • Councilman Bill & Laura Borchert Dr. Nathan Brown, Northlake Oral & Facial Surgery • Chateau Bleu • CiCi’s Pizza State Representative Greg Cromer • Honey Island BBQ & Catering • Olde Towne Slidell Main Street Pontchartrain Investment Management • Roberta’s Cleaners • Silver Slipper Casino Slidell Historical Antique Association • Terry Lynn’s Café & Catering • Vicky Magas Insurance Agency This Olde Towne Slidell Main Street and Louisiana Cultural District event is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts as administered by the St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs. 25

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Slidell Magazine is proud to support Leadership Northshore (LNS), an innovative program to assist in preparing emerging community leaders for leadership positions in local government, business and community affairs. LNS provides a forum for and increases the awareness of potential leaders by giving them an intense course which encompasses a broad scope of community concerns. Each year, a new class of 25-30 members start on this intense 9 month learning process. The class is also divided into 4-6 project teams, with each team developing, coordinating and funding a specific project of their choosing that will have an impact on St. Tammany Parish. Some of the best known Leadership team projects include Pelicans on Parade, Kids Unlimited Playground, Pumpkin Fest, Senior Celebration and the preservation of Greenwood Cemetery. Look for future stories in Slidell Magazine as we continue to highlight the wonderful work that Leadership Northshore is doing in our community.

1124 Keep this number in mind as you read this story... That is the number of children identified by the St. Tammany Parish school system as homeless but remain “invisible” in order to keep their families together.

smart programming, effective policies, and the hands-on work of thousands of volunteers. They provide food, shelter, and support services for homeless families. They also try to prevent the problem before it occurs, by providing advice and advocacy for at-risk families, and education about poverty and the means to combat it.

Just because you can’t see a problem doesn’t mean it is not real. One Slidell-based nonprofit is working hard to change the cycle of homelessness right here in our parish. The mission of Family Promise of St. Tammany is to help homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence.

Family Promise is a national organization, with local affiliates. Thankfully, one of those affiliates is now in St. Tammany Parish. They work community-by-community, guided by experts - the people who live here. At the heart of each affiliate is an Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). The IHN marshals existing local resources to provide for homeless families as they work to get back on their

Poverty is a multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted response. Family Promise responds by integrating educational outreach,

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feet. These resources include available congregational spaces, donated goods, and - most importantly - volunteers. The Family Promise vision is a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future together. Since its founding more than twenty years ago, they have served about 500,000 people, including tens of thousands of homeless families who found temporary homes at their affiliates. Most of their clients are children.

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Their success rate is impressive - nearly 80 percent of clients secure housing. Family Promise of St. Tammany was just incorporated as a 501(c)3 this past year. Being a “new” charity in the community, many of the church congregations (which are vital to their mission) were simply unaware of them. That’s why Leadership Northshore Team #1 has chosen to bring some much-needed funds and awareness to Family Promise by hosting the “Road To Home” 5K Fun Run & Walk. LNS team member, Lisa Dunk, who serves as Administrator of Bethany Lutheran Church (now Open Arms Ministry), has first-hand experience with the need for Family Promise. “I have personal experience with the lack of resources. People come into my church a lot, just because of where we’re located on Gause between the interstates. We get people every day saying ‘I need gas for my car, I need a place to stay.’ Unless it was a battered woman, I had no idea where to send them. What do I do? What if it’s a man with an elderly mother and a son in the car? I was sending them to New Orleans shelters. I saw the gap in services in Slidell over and over again. People don’t know where to go. Family Promise will take the whole family unit and whatever situation they’re living in – whether it’s transitional, in their car, sometimes at grandmas or the neighbors, and take them through the process to stability.” Eric Irmscher, a manager in Subcontracts Administration at Textron Systems, brought the idea of helping Family Promise to the Leadership team. “My wife and I were exposed to the organization through our church, Aldersgate, one of the host congregations. We volunteered, completed an orientation with Family Promise, and became one of the families to cook dinner and play with the kids.” Eric explains how Family Promise works: “The family will come into the program on a Sunday and stay for a week. It really is a structured system - the families are all pre-screened. There are expectations upon both the host congregation and the parents too.” For the host congregation, they must line-up volunteers to help. Eric says, “There will be a group of volunteers that cooks for them and stays with them. Then there will be a night shift, with a male and a female volunteer representative of Family Promise staying with them over night just in case the family needs something.” All volunteers have to go through an orientation, and typically consist of members of the host church or synagogue congregation. For the families, a typical day includes a 6am wake-up, then a bus or a van will take them to the Day Center, Christ Episcopal Church on 7th Street. School-aged children attend their regular classes, and working parents leave from the Day Center to go to their employment. For those parents who are unemployed, they stay at the center to

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Family Promise spreads the responsibility amongst multiple organizations, so it doesn’t rely on just one congregation or group of volunteers, which could be taxing and cause burn-out. It works with multiple churches and, in the end, maintains a family unit.

HOW DOES IT WORK? HOST CONGREGATIONS Provide families with overnight lodging, meals and loving support for one week at a time on a rotating basis at the host church or synagogue. DAY CENTER Each day a Family Promise van brings the families to the Day Center to shower, care for preschool children, go to work or seek employment. SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES Along with the Family Promise Program Director, social service agencies refer families, help them find housing, jobs and community resources. All families are pre-screened for substance abuse or mental health Concerns needing further treatment. FOREVER HOMES With an 85% success rate, Family Promise helps homeless families move to permanent homes and become financially independent. apply for aid, services and employment. “The families are being exposed to the different agencies and support groups that are available. They are being encouraged and pushed to expand their horizons and join those organizations, instead of this being just a pure handout,” Eric says. In the evenings, the family is brought back to the host congregation again, where they will have dinner and recreational time with the volunteers, and hopefully, begin building relationships that will have a positive influence in their lives. “At Aldersgate, we have a whole section of the church that has bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen area, and even a rec room for the kids to play,” Eric notes. Team member Angela Taylor, who serves as a Real Estate Consultant, as well as a Pastor with International Harvest Center, says, “My husband and I are both pastors. Even though our ministry isn’t to the point where we can house anyone, we definitely plan on being the hands-on volunteers. We took the idea to a few other ministries that we network with and they want to volunteer and cook food. And I mean GOOD food,” she says, laughing. “Soul food!” December 6, 2015 made the first year anniversary of International Harvest. Angela says, “Just in our first year, we gave out $6000 - and we’re new. I can only imagine what larger ministries and chuches go through and the amount of need they see. There is a lot of need out there. It’s terrible to see a dad placed somewhere, and the mother and child placed somewhere different.” 36

“Just the sense of community, all these different churches coming together,” Angela says. “When you say churches, you think of buildings; but those buildings are filled with families that are connecting now with this family in need. When you connect and talk with them, you begin to treat them like people rather than ‘the less fortunate’. If I bring you dinner and I’m talking with you, playing games with your children, breaking bread with you - you become part of my community. In order to have a vibrant community, we have to be there for each other.” “Awareness is key,” notes team member Matt Meyers, an Insurance Producer at Lowry-Dunham, Case & Vivien. “When we first presented this idea to the Leadership board, they weren’t aware of the organization, or its needs. This is directly indicative of the lack of awareness for this great organization in our parish.” “The Road Race is just as much as of an awareness campaign as it is a fundraiser. Our project is an awareness campaign, the funding is secondary to that goal. 100% of the proceeds will go to Family Promise, but the awareness is what they need the most. We need to let people know that this community has a great need and present them with an opportunity to get involved.” For Matt, a former emergency room Registered Nurse, the homelessness experience was ever-present. “People came to the ER because they had nowhere else to go. They would fake sick to have a bed and a climate-controlled environment. It happens every day in ERs all over. Family Promise is something that isn’t going to just provide a family with housing. It’s truly trying to build self-reliance. They’re not just providing for their needs, they’re providing for their future. Family Promise helps people get in touch with organizations that can meet their needs, and not have to depend on somebody else in the future.” Matt also notes the misconceptions that come with homelessness. “Because we have the interstates and transients, we see homelessness as standing at the interstate with a sign. That’s not what Family Promise is here for. They’re taking Slidell residents and help them

have a stronger footing in our community with long term benefits. Honestly, as a community, we should never have a homeless family here in Slidell. Family Promise bridges the gap that was there because it takes whole families and helps them develop together.”

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LNS Team Member, Stacey Kennedy, a Real Estate Agent and Dental Technician with Explore Orthodontist, says, “Housing can be expensive. Even a one-bedroom rent can be too expensive. I don’t know how single moms do it.” Raising funds for Family Promise through a race was Stacey’s idea and she’s exciting to talk about it. “I’m a runner. It’s a good time to go to races, especially the ones that benefit charity. It’s fun and rewarding for the runners and the charity.” “I wanted to bring a fun, awesome race to Slidell that would be different. The pier is beautiful, so many scenic spots along the route. You can see the lake and the marina is just gorgeous.” All of the team members were quick to note that this race does more than benefit Family Promise - it brings attention to a landmark in our community, the St. Tammany Fishing Pier. “The race is going to be awesome!” Stacey says. “The best thing is that it’s a brand new route that nobody in Slidell has run before, starting and ending at the pier. Slidell doesn’t have a lot of 5Ks that draw people. And this one shows the beauty of Slidell put on display. April should be beautiful weather. We are expecting runners, parents with strollers, kids from schools, and more!”

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5 Reasons To Prioritize Local Business in 2016 It’s the season of resolutions, and creating a better environment for locally owned businesses to succeed ought to be near the top of every elected official’s list of priorities. That’s the suggestion of a raft of recent research from prominent economists, sociologists, and other researchers, which finds that small, local businesses are critical to overcoming many of our biggest challenges, from reducing economic inequality to building resilient communities. Here’s a roundup of the new studies that give five compelling reasons for policymakers to focus on local business in 2016. 1. Fewer new businesses are starting, and that’s bad news for long-term job creation. Employment is finally on the rebound, but high rates of underemployment and minimal wage growth suggest all is not well in the U.S. job market. One disturbing trend may be to blame: the creation of new businesses has fallen sharply. While startups accounted for 16 percent of all businesses in the late 1970s, that share has fallen by half, to 8 percent, explains a new brief from the Kauffman Foundation. The brief also explains why that’s so troubling. The authors round up the recent research on firm age and job creation, and find that young firms are the major contributor of new jobs to the U.S. economy. “New businesses account for nearly all net new job creation and almost 20 percent of gross job creation,” they write, adding, “companies less than one year old have created an average of 1.5 million jobs per year over the past three decades.” While no one is certain what’s caused the drop in new businesses, the same policies and conditions that have made it harder for small, local businesses to succeed may well be impeding new entrepreneurs. 2. Places with a high density of locally owned businesses experience higher income and employment growth, & less poverty. Counties in which locally owned businesses account for a larger share of economic activity are more prosperous, according to a new study by an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Using data on every U.S. county in the period between 2000 and 2008, the author, Anil Rupasingha, finds that local entrepreneurship has a positive effect on three critical indicators of economic performance: It increases county per capita income growth, increases county employment growth, and decreases county poverty rates. Rupasingha finds that this effect of local ownership is most pronounced when businesses are also small, defined as having fewer than 100 employees.

3. Small businesses make communities more resilient during hard times. In times of economic distress, smaller businesses lay off fewer employees and bounce back quicker, according to a new analysis from economists at Yale University and University of Bristol. Using data on U.S. businesses spanning 1979-2009, the authors find that, in times of high unemployment, small businesses both create and retain more jobs than large firms do, and they fully recover from recessions much faster than large companies do. During the downturn of March 2008 to March 2009, for instance, the employment growth rate of large employers fell 1.65 percent more than the growth rate of small employers. This correlation remains consistent, the authors find, across firms of different ages and across several countries, and also holds when they control for the employment impact of new and closing businesses. “Large employers on net destroy proportionally more jobs relative to small employers when unemployment is above trend, late in and right after a typical recession” the authors write. “Overall, this picture corroborates in part the common wisdom that small businesses are the engine of job creation: small firms appear to create more jobs as a fraction of their employment only when unemployment is high (which is, arguably, when jobs are most needed).” 4. Locally owned businesses encourage residents to put down roots. One of a place’s greatest assets is its unique character, and another is its skilled residents. Luckily for cities, these strengths can reinforce each other. A recent study, published in the journal Sociological Spectrum, finds that the presence of locally owned retailers is one factor that leads residents to stay put.

The following article was written by Olivia LaVecchia for the ILSR (Institute for Local Self-Reliance), a national nonprofit organization working to strengthen independent businesses & local economies. It is reprinted here with permission. To read the original article with links to the research & further info, go to:

https://goo.gl/je39D6

The authors of the study find that states with a greater share of locally owned retail experience a less-steep slope of people, especially college graduates, migrating out from their counties. “Though locales that encourage or allow absentee-owned retail may experience competitive advantage in the short run, they will not hold their own in the long run—in this case, their own highly skilled workers,” the authors write. “In a globalized world, local places and regions’ spaces and establishments creatively infused with local flavor become one of the few resources that are not available elsewhere.” Locally owned businesses also retain residents in another way: They create the kinds of jobs people want to keep. In another paper, two authors from Baylor University find that workers at locally owned firms, as well as at small firms, are more loyal to their employers than workers at absentee-owned firms or large firms. Using data from a nationally representative survey, they find that 56 percent of workers at locally owned firms scored in the highest category of loyalty, compared to just 39 percent of workers at non-local firms. When they plotted the data on a 16-point commitment scale, the authors found that, together, small size and local ownership accounted for as much as a 1.7 point increase in a worker’s commitment to an organization, effects which held when they included relevant control variables. These strong ties, the authors write, suggest that local businesses are

Or click this QR Code with your phone: “lynchpins of community attachment and sustainability.” 5. Fostering an economy of smallscale businesses may be one of the most effective ways to close the gap between rich & poor. Civic leaders are increasingly grappling with income inequality, and creating policies to foster an economy that’s based on local ownership and community-scaled businesses may be one of the most effective ways to do it. That’s the implication of new research that identifies links between corporate consolidation and the widening gap between the rich and poor. In one recent paper, for instance, researchers analyzed wages and firm size in 15 countries over 30 years. They find that while large firms pay an average higher wage than small firms do, those higher wages don’t affect low- and medium-skilled employees, who earn the same or less than they do at small firms. Rather, those higher wages come in only at the top, with large firms paying high-skilled employees significantly more than they would make for a similar position at a smaller company. In other words, the authors find, the gap between the best-paid workers and everyone else is much greater at big corporations than it is at small- and medium-sized businesses. As a result, in countries that have experienced high levels of corporate consolidation, income inequality has grown much more than in places with a more diversified economy of small- and medium-sized businesses.

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Podcasts

What are your favorite sounds to listen to on a road trip - the hum of a car engine, clack of train wheels, chatter of airplane passengers? Or do you prefer Satellite radio, with its gamut of comedy, oldies and talk radio? NPR or POTUS? AM or FM channels? Showtunes? Your personal internal sound track? Good choices, all, but I’ve found another audio source that makes me look forward to time on the road. These days, I’ve gone beyond to the land of podcasts. Think books on tape, only better. (I’m showing my age, no one says “tape” anymore.) Make that audio books. Once I discovered apps to download or steam podcasts and this amazing, enriching, stimulating and sometimes silly world, I was hooked.

Don’t have a smart phone to download an app? No worries, you can listen from iTunes or podcast websites. Roughly speaking, a podcast is defined as a digital audio or video file or recording, usually part of a themed series, that can be downloaded to a computer. The word is also used as a verb these days, i.e., “My teacher podcasts her lessons.” So, here are a few of my favorites that may introduce you to this new (to me) world. My introduction was NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” Billed as a news quiz show, it’s also a comedy that both mocks current events and keeps one up on them. A favorite feature of the show is “Not My Job”, where host Peter Sagal grills newsmakers on a twist of their career. Want to hear cosmos expert Neil deGrasse Tyson answer questions about

cosmetology? Or the Muppet’s Frank Oz thrown queries about Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum? You may not think you do, but you will. My all time favorite podcast has become a Canadian show called “Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids.” Since 2007, brave adults across Canada have shared their own weird and wonderful childhood and teenage writing at this live, onstage event. This is storytelling at its best, with an honest, poignant edge. I’d like to think that if I still had possession of my childhood journals and diaries, they would be half as moving and hilarious as those read on the show. I’m sure they’d be just as embarrassing. Every reading is deeply personal yet universal. A recent show recorded live at the London

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Music Club in London, Ontario included “angsty breakup poetry,” “wearing a cape and farting,” and “World War 3 at Santa’s house.” The line that connects the past to the present was never as clearly drawn. Next up on my scale of don’t-miss podcasts is the TED Radio Hour. Do you know TED? If not, please do yourself a favor and subscribe or watch TED Talks on YouTube. TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science, to business, to global issues — in more than 100 languages. These conferences take place around the world, and the TED Radio Hour Podcasts are based on a common theme gathered from these talks. Some themes I’ve listened to include source of happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts, or inexplicable connections. This is the good stuff of TED and absolutely lives up to TED’s mission. Try this taste of TED, I promise it’ll burn up the miles before you know it. And once you’ve discovered these interesting and informative podcasts, check out these addicting casts: The folks at NPR offer more than news, of course. Browse through How To Do Everything, Hidden Brain and This American Life. I’ve been so absorbed in these stories, alert and happy to have the time to listen, that I’ve parked in my driveway and listened to the end of a few. NPR calls them “driveway moments.” How’s this one – Freakonomics. A hugely popular book by that name, and follow-up named SuperFreakonomics, got me through a flight to San Franscisco. So of course, I download the podcasts that explores “the hidden side of everything.” It will tell you things you always thought you knew but didn’t, and things you never thought you wanted to know, but do. Last but not lease in my obsession with podcasts is Serial. Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. It tells one story - a true story - over the course of a season. In each season, we follow a plot and characters, not knowing what happends at the end until you get there. Each week is a new chaper in the story, so listen to them in order.

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If you’re a binge watcher of television or cable shows, you’re gonna love Serial. I binge listened to the entire first season, which follows the story of a convicted killer, 17 year old Adnan Syed, as I drove around Slidell every day. I’m not usually one to watch criminal investigation shows, but the telling of this story is masterful. Koenig spoke to everyone she could find who might know something about the case, poured through thousands of pages of documents, and looks for answers. She asks the question, “How do you know a person’s character, and what they are capable of?” Google podcasts, download episodes, and I know you’ll ponder these questions, too. Go beyond rock and roll, coffee house music or Elvis tunes – you can always jockey your listening pleasure between music and podcasts. I’m betting your travel hours will be the better for it.

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OUT TAKES Slidell Magazine was EVERYWHERE this month! Here are just a few of our adventures!

How cool! Ashes To Go for Ash Wednesday at Christ Episcopal Church on 7th Street. They said the traffic was great!

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Back (l-r): Mike & Jackie Gall Langlinais, Melissa Mitrik, Jon o, Victoria na Turner, and Bernie Friel. Front (l-r): Lauren Lively, Ryan Mitrik, and Kendra Man ess

We love, LOVE this pic! Carol Wolfram takes a stroll on the dance floor and celebrates a successful routine as one the SWCC Ball dancers

SMITH! RITAN LXVI, RA NDY ALL HAIL KING SAMA ief nor for the Ch A well-deserved ho at to reign supreme iff er and incoming Sh ll Ba ns llia the Krewe of Slide

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A wonderful memory from Jan uar Mario Chavez and Gay DiGiova y 2012... as Kendra reads Julia DiGiova nni look on nni her story in Slidell Magazine. Julia was the very first “EFOP” and the inspirat ion for this popular monthly biographica l story.

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