Jan/Feb Trumpet by Neighborhoods Partnership Network

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January/Febuary 2013 • Community Voices Orchestrating Change • Issue 7 Volume 1

INSIDE • Bringing Back the Channel • Game Plan for the Superbowl • Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods • Irish Channel Folklore • NPN Puts ‘Parents First’

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Neighborhoods Partnership Network’s (NPN) mission is to improve our quality of life by engaging New Orleanians in neighborhood revitalization and civic process.

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

N E I G H B O R H O O D S

Letter From The Executive Director Photo: Kevin Griffin/2Kphoto

NEIGHBORHOODS PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

The Power of Collaboration

NPN provides an inclusive and collaborative city-wide framework to empower neighborhood groups in New Orleans.

hen I was in college my most dreaded work was group projects. I had frustrating experiences and occasionally found myself at odds with freeloaders or difficult personalities. However, there were times when I benefited by finding the strengths and passions of each group member and allowing each member to play to those strengths and passions. There was however one particular project when I was assigned to a group of all men that tested my ability to rise above the surface. I questioned my professor’s choice to place me in a space where my gender would automatically define my role in the group. Being who she was, her response was simply, “Timolynn, I never told you that you were the secretary or the note taker. So if that’s the box you want to be in, then only you can place yourself in that box.” Later I learned that the goal for my participation in that particular group was to learn how to work with whomever in whatever environment. Being a member of a collaborative can be very similar to those college group projects where all the members are empowered to drive their influence and authority from their positions within the hierarchy. This same lesson can be applied through community collaborations. According to the Biblical scripture in Genesis 11:6 it is referenced that “the people IS one.” This has been the secret to the success of Neighborhoods Partnership Network. Through effective collaboration, democracy and inclusive principles were established. Since March 2006, NPN has served as the nucleus of neighborhood groups convening to exchange information and resources. Recovery efforts in the wake of Katrina sparked an unprecedented level of grassroots citizen engagement in planning and revitalization throughout the city. NPN grew out of the desire to heighten the capacity of neighborhoods to participate in decisions about revitalization. But more importantly, this network wanted to intentionally engage in a way that was not “the same ole same ole.” Emerging from town-hall forums, NPN evolved into a non-profit provider of outreach services, capacity assistance, and citizen participation opportunities for residents, neighborhood groups and non-profit organizations. Through extensive information sharing and considerable peer-to-peer learning among neighborhoods, the organization continues to strive to create an effective network. Building community collaboration and consensus requires extensive investment in relationships and public participation. In my time as Executive Director, I am constantly in awe and celebration as to how this network has emerged and consistently reinvents itself to reflect the needs of citywide dialogue. I found that collaboration can be a powerful alternative to conventional mechanisms for effecting change, such as coalitions, task forces, and commissions. Whether collaboration is serving as a springboard for economic development in the city or promoting greater civic participation and involvement, this collective and collaborative process is a method through which residents who see different aspects of a problem can constructively explore their differences and search for solutions that go beyond their own limited vision of what is possible. In 2013 I invite and encourage you to join NPN and explore the power of collaborative learning and exchange as we continue to make all New Orleans neighborhoods great places to live.

Find Out More at NPNnola.com

NPN Board Members Victor Gordon, Board Chair, Pontilly Neighborhood Association Angela Daliet, Treasurer, Parkview Neighborhood Association Benjamin Diggins, Melia Subdivision

N E T W O R K

Contents

The Trumpet

5 CASA Cares 7 An Irish Channel Recipe 9 Makin’ Groceries 13 “Greening” The Irish Channel 19 Irish Channel Neighborhood History 21 Petcetera 23 NPN and NOLA TimeBank Partner Up 27 Fatherhood Consortium 29 Healthy Heart Column Prevent Overpaying on Taxes

Katherine Prevost, Upper Ninth Ward Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association

Leslie Ellison, Tunisburg Square Civic Homeowners Improvement Association

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Tilman Hardy, Secretary, Leonidas/Pensiontown Neighborhood Association

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Wendy Laker, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization Rashida Ferdinand, Sankofa CDC Sylvia Scineaux-Richard, ENONAC Karen Chabert, Irish Channel Neighborhood Association Third Party Submission Issues Physical submissions on paper, CD, etc. cannot be returned unless an arrangement is made. Submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium. By submitting any notes, information or material, or otherwise providing any material for publication in the newspaper, you are representing that you are the owner of the material, or are making your submission with the consent of the owner of the material, all information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete. Non-Liability Disclaimers The Trumpet may contain facts, views, opinions, statements and recommendations of third party individuals and organizations. The Trumpet does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information in the publication and use of or reliance on such advice, opinion, statement or other information is at your own risk. Copyright Copyright 2012 Neighborhoods Partnership Network. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Neighborhoods Partnership Network is expressly prohibited.

Beauty Shop Talk

The Trumpet Editorial Board

The Trumpet Editorial Staff

Jim Belfon, Gulf South Photography Project

Scott Bicking, Art Director

Jewel Bush, SEIU Local 21 LA

Tara Foster, Policy and Advocacy Editor

Christy Chapman, Author Rashida Ferdinand, Sankofa CDC

Melissa Garber, Editor

Heidi Hickman, Resident

Julia Kahn & Greg Lawson, Associate Neighborhoods Editors

Elton Jones, New Orleans Rising

Nora McGunnigle, Local History Editor

Naomi King, Prevention Research Center Mike Madej, Resident Linedda McIver, AARP Louisiana Emily Miller, Sankofa CDC Ray Nichols, Maple Area Residents Inc. Brian Opert, Talk Show Host, WGSO 990AM

Timolynn Sams

Valerie Robinson, Old Algiers Main Street Corporation Melinda Shelton, Xavier University School of Journalism

P A R T N E R S H I P

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

NEIGHBORHOODS PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

4902 Canal Street • #301 New Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 thetrumpet@npnnola.com www.npnnola.com 3

Aline Productions in The Irish Channel Who We Are

What We’re Up To

Aline Productions is a collaborative force of people in the music and events industry. Founded by Sami Slovy, a resident of the Irish Channel.

We just completed a comprehensive grassroots marketing campaign with Companies With a Mission. It was a collaboration between Brees Dream Foundation called The Super Service Challenge. The Challenge aims to engage community members with volunteer opportunities, and then award money to charities based on video submissions. We’re working on a new festival on April 6 called Gramophone. It’s going to be a 1920’s picnic and dance- costumes encouraged!

What We Do Aline Productions provides comprehensive and flexible festival and event production. We also offer Talent Management Services and grassroots marketing initiatives.

For more information visit www.alinepro.com

SweetCakes & Candy Emporium creates the most beautiful and delicious cakes, pies, cupcakes, & candy for your personal needs. We also offer the following services for local businesses, organizations & associations.

• Business gift giving programs • Special occasion dessert catering services (holidays, birthdays, client recognition, & customer development days)

• Very interactive & engaging dessert cooking classes (which serve as great team building activities)

• Custom orders

(we can create cakes that match your organizations events & themes)

Give us a call at 504-383-4059 or www.sweetcakesandcandy.com to place an order &/or to book a date.

Your Personal Baker...For All Your Baking Needs Get connected to the Neighborhoods Partnership Network. 4

Post news & events for your organization at NPNnola.com

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

CASA Cares for Kids Without a Neighborhood By: Joy Bruce, Executive Director, CASA New Orleans

ast month, in the middle of the holiday season, I had only a day and a half to find a replacement Santa to distribute donated gifts to children in foster care. Impossible, right? While eating dinner at Tracey’s, a kind elf from the Irish Network overheard my dilemma and – like magic – arranged for Santa to appear. I love my neighborhood. In a city where neighborhoods shape identity, living in the Irish Channel reflects who I am and who I want to be. The sense of community, Joy Bruce diversity, the love of family, history, food and fun are just a few of the things I appreciate. Growing up in New Orleans I experienced many different neighborhoods: I played ball on the dead-end street in Metairie where I was born, roamed Algiers’s Point with my grandma, and visited aunts and uncles Uptown. Each neighborhood helped shape who I am today. But what if you didn’t grow up in a neighborhood? If home shapes who we are, what kind of grownup will a child without a safe, permanent home become? This is something I think about every day in my work as Executive Director of CASA New Orleans. We train community volunteers to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children in foster care. Our goal is to ensure that every child has a safe, permanent, nurturing home. One of the most pressing issues for foster youth in New Orleans is “aging out” – transitioning out of foster care at 18. New Orleans has too little affordable housing in general, but the need is acute for young adults who have been in the system for years and lack permanent connections in the community. Their only choice for the state’s Independent Living apartments in is Jefferson Parish. And for young mothers, there are no Independent Living programs at all. What can we do? How can we make this better? At CASA New Orleans we are working with the members of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court’s Model Court and other stakeholders to find permanency before a child reaches 18. For those youth who do turn 18 in the system, CASA New Orleans is expanding our programming to continue providing volunteer Advocates even after they “age out.” But we – as a community – can do more. Of course CASA would love to have you as a volunteer or donor, but there’s something even easier that you can do: talk about it. Talk about the need for affordable housing. Talk about children in foster care. Ask where your tax dollars are being spent. We are quick to contact City Hall or our congressional delegation when other issues are at stake, aren’t we? But as certainly as we need to take care of your block’s burnt out light or my street’s pothole – because by golly we pay taxes! – the children in foster care are our responsibility. And we need to care for them, too. We live in a city where Santa’s elves frequent neighborhood hangouts, kings reign for a day, and children grow up believing that they can be Saints. Surely we can come together and find a little magic for children in foster care?

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

An Irish Channel Recipe for Mardi Gras Day It was this recipe that Helena and many other moms in the Irish Channel would prepare as they waited for the Irish Channel Corner Club to come marching by their doorsteps on Mardi Gras day. Susan remembers being a child waiting outside early in the morning for the Club to come marching by armed with flower canes, receiving kisses from all the girls along their route as they made their way to St. Charles to precede Rex. The recipe below has been slightly adjusted with the addition of some modern day ingredients:

Irish Channel residents participate in Jane’s Walk.

Bringing Back the Channel By: Wendy Waren

For six years I’ve called the Irish Channel my home. My interest in the revitalization of the neighborhood came early in my residency. With unsupervised young people roaming the streets and a desire to meet my neighbors and make the neighborhood more attractive for families, I joined the Irish Channel Neighborhood Association (ICNA) and served on its board for three years.

us with a police car escort so we can walk in the streets. ack in 2008, members of the ICNA were struggling with NORD’s Through my work as VP of Louisiana Restaurant Association, I was lack of programs in our area. A group of our members started a tapped by HandsOn New Orleans to serve as Principal for a Day in a Youth Basketball League to give the kids something constructive local school. Specifically, I requested a school in the Irish Channel and was to do. Saturday mornings were spent rallying the people of the appointed to Laurel Elementary, now Sci Tech Academy. Work with the school Channel to support the league which was made up of four teams extended beyond the one day and resulted in the planting on courts rehabilitated by former Hornets player Chris Paul. of an edible garden at the school. This brought together a At the Championship Tournament, the Hornets sent Hugo and Through Parkway committee of the ICNA—the Greening the Channel Krewe— a few staffers who awarded the children Hornets backpacks Partners, the led by Michael Karem. filled with a hat, t-shirt, and a basketball of their own. The residents and ICNA Through Parkway Partners, the residents and ICNA success of the league resulted in NORD resuming athletic were awarded 75 were awarded 75 crepe myrtles and sweet olives to plant programs and to support it, residents of the Channel and in front yards, along walkways and along Jackson Avenue. Delachaise neighborhoods formed the Lyons Burke Boosters. crepe myrtles and Around the same time I met a woman who was the sweet olives to plant We approached the Home Depot for a grant to fund the director of the New Orleans Institute. She was organizing in front yards, along project, allowing us to purchase shovels, gator bags, the city’s first Jane’s Walks. Named for an urbanist in the walkways and along stakes, etc. For the school project, we used those funds and volunteer residents to bring HandsOn New Orleans, the 70s, Jane Jacobs, there are now worldwide Jane’s Walks in Jackson Avenue. school, the ICNA and Home Depot together to beautify the major cities that encourage residents and visitors to explore grounds and plant a garden. neighborhoods and discuss the connection between its As a NPN Capacity College graduate, it prepared me to continue people, landscape, education, history, crime and businesses. My husband working with residents, not only of the Irish Channel, to better their and I have led these walking discussions in the Irish Channel for the last communities. In particular, my desire is to help the young people of our city four years and we have partnered with businesses like Sucre, Café Rani, Belladonna and Belladoggie as well as the NOPD 6th District which provides become the leaders we so desperately need.

NPN needs bloggers Sign up at: thetrumpet@npnnola.com 6

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

Top left: A Chisesi Chili Stick, Bottom left: Bill Branigan marching as a flag bearer for the Irish Channel Corner Club, Right: A photo circa 1947-48 of Bill and some of his cousins on Mardi Gras Day By: Mike Madej

Happy 2013 everyone! We have survived the Mayan Apocalypse and now it’s time to begin thinking about what really matters… Mardi Gras! Just after the New Year neighborhoods throughout the city begin bubbling with social activities. It’s true that New Orleans always contains a hearty mixture of food and music with a good amount of revelry mixed in, but Mardi Gras is something special. Like a Thanksgiving turkey, Mardi Gras is a centerpiece accompanied by all the delectable goings on to be enjoyed by all.

t’s funny, with all of things going on in the city it is easy to liken the event to a recipe. With that being said I thought it fitting to highlight a Mardi Gras recipe straight from the Irish Channel, Chili Stick Chili. This recipe comes to us via the Branigan family and in the true Mardi Gras spirit this recipe is intended to feed large groups of hungry Carnival goers. I was lucky enough to talk with Susan Ruiz Branigan, an Irish Channel native, along with her husband Bill, as she reminisced about Mardi Gras in the Irish Channel and about a dish her mother-in-law, Helena Blanchard Branigan, would prepare for the masses on Mardi Gras Day. Like most recipes that come from New Orleans a major factor in creating the unique New Orleans flavor comes from using locally produced meats and seasonings. This recipe is no different, as it requires a “Chili Stick,” a term I was not familiar with. I did a quick bit of research and for those of you who, like me, are not familiar with what a “Chili Stick” is I have summarized a nola.com article written by Judy Walker: The 16oz Chisesi Chili Stick is a blue tube of concentrated, no beans chili that comes from the locally owned Chisesi Bros. Meat Packaging Co. It is said to contain the same recipe used by Schott & Co. Wholesale Meat Packers back in 1879, before they were bought by Chisesi. You can typically find the Chili Sticks stocked near the hot dogs, particularly around Carnival time.

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Enough cooking oil to brown ground beef and chopped vegetables 3 pounds ground beef 1 16-ounce package Chisesi’s Schott’s beef chili stick 2 large onions chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or put through a garlic press 4 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon paprika 1 (10 ounce) can tomato soup 15 ounce can Hunts Seasoned Diced Tomato Sauce for Chili 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 of a 10 ounce can of Ro-tel tomatoes Boiling water

Brown meat in cooking oil in the turkey roaster Drain off fat and add chopped onions and garlic and sauté until vegetables are softened. Add all of the canned tomatoes and cook for an additional 10 minutes Combine the chili stick with the above mixture and cook for about 10 minutes more. Add all of the remaining ingredients and enough boiling water to cover the complete mixture. Cook for one additional hour and serve. Although Susan no longer stays in the Irish Channel she talks with great pride about the neighborhood she grew up in. It is where she met her husband Bill, who eventually marched as a flag bearer for the Club, and the two of them were married at the beautiful St. Alphonsus Church on Constance Street. Her memories of the Irish Channel are filled with the enjoyment of growing up with friendly neighbors, a colorful atmosphere, and delicious food. Each neighborhood in New Orleans has its own recipe and funny enough Susan’s story has parallels with her Chili Stick Chili recipe. They’re both warm, hearty and plentiful which can provide a much needed pick me up during a long Mardi Gras Day. I would like to thank Susan for being so kind in sharing the wonderful memories and recipes of her childhood. I would also like to thank my wife who connected me with her. Happy 2013 and Happy Mardi Gras!

For more amazing New Orleans recipes such as Parasol’s-Style Roast Beef PoBoys, McKenzie’s Oyster Patties, and Corn and Crawfish Chowder please visit her website at: www.susanbranigan. com and click on “Favorite Recipes.” If you have a story and a recipe you would like to share please e-mail Melissa at melissa@ npnnola.com.

“Makin’ Groceries” Special “Teams” Have Game Plan for Super Bowl By: Valerie Robinson

he teams on the field at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will not be the only “players” in the success of Super Bowl IXVII . City and state agencies, Downtown Development District (DDD), Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation (GNOSF), Regional Transit Authority, Greater New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC), Convention and Visitors Bureau, and many others are working as a team to ensure that New Orleans looks its best and creates a vibrant impression on the millions that will visit the city for the February 3 game or see it on television. For some, it will be the first look at the city since Hurricane Katrina. According to Sam Joffray, vice president of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, the collaboration started more than three years ago when the group began its quest for its 10th Super Bowl. GNOSF gathered leaders in various industries to form a committee to develop the winning package. Each entity knew what would be required to make a successful pitch, but – more important – each knew what it would take to make Super Bowl XLVII the best Super Bowl in history.

Projects Require Long-Term Planning Downtown and the French Quarter will be center-stage for visitors, and the City’s Department of Public Works has had crews working on infrastructure projects for more than a year to ensure that roads, walkways and access points are all in tip-top shape. Clean and safe is the mantra of the DDD, which has helped pay for sidewalk repairs in the most deteriorated areas of the CBD. Additionally, cleaning crews will be working 24 hours during Super Bowl weekend to keep Downtown debris-free. “We maintain the cleanliness of the Downtown area on a daily basis,” said DDD President/CEO Kurt Weigle. “For the Super Bowl we will make sure that it is as clean as always, despite thousands of additional people.”

Hospitality from the Host City The DDD also has an enhanced role in hospitality. As always, the Public Safety Rangers will be out on the streets to provide information and assistance to visitors in the days leading up to the Super Bowl and on game day. At the same time, the Super Bowl Host Committee is providing thousands of volunteers who will serve as Ambassadors, giving directions

and pointers on maneuvering the Downtown and French Quarter areas. Working in groups of four, the Ambassadors will be teamed with a seasoned Public Safety Ranger who will guide them in their responses to visitors. And because there will be a “no motor vehicles” zone around the Dome, the RTA will be providing enhanced public transit service. City staff, NOPD and the RTA worked out the optimal circulation plan and began restricting access near the Superdome in early January. The soon-to-open Loyola Streetcar line will figure significantly into the transportation plan. The RTA and the Mayor’s Office are sharing information in the form of emails and Facebook and Twitter posts to keep the public updated. The collaborative mindset is shared by GNOCVB, NOTMC and other hospitality groups. Everyone came to the table to create plans that will prevent chaos as hundreds of thousands of people flow into the city. These groups will all be responsible for sharing the information with various constituencies and using technology to get the messages out. The news media has also stepped in to help support the efforts so that whether they are going to the Superdome, the NFL Experience or staying home to watch the game on TV, locals and visitors will get the information they need to make their experience pleasant and memorable. “NOTMC is supporting the Host Committee in a number of ways,” said Executive Director Mark Romig. “First, we are helping to coordinate the social media command center, which will provide real-time communication. Secondly, our visitor app, Go Nola, is the official tourism app for the Super Bowl. We are also producing the much-read and utilized Fan Guide and Media Guide, which are complimentary publications for visiting fans as well as the credentialed media in the city who cover the game and all of the activities.” NOTMC is working closely with the CVB, the Mayor’s Office and the GNOSF, and has an active committee of public relations professionals from around the region to help share information. “Our goal is to aggressively share the essence of New Orleans and Louisiana as the most unique and authentic destination in the nation,” Romig said.

For details about Superbowl activities, transportation plans and more, visit www.nola.gov/superbowl. THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

A map of the neighborhoods involved in the Makin’ Groceries project By: Peter T. Stevenson, Director of Recreation, Health and Wellness at Dillard University

“As individuals, our impact is limited, but when we pool our resources and work together much can be accomplished.”

ollaboration has long been a big part of shaping and building communities. Unfortunately many people have also experienced collaborations that do not live up to potential in one way or another. Nothing happens between meetings, the group never reaches any real agreement, and the group loses steam as participants come and go. This is not the case with the collaboration efforts of Tulane University and Dillard University. Recently, Dillard University joined the Tulane Prevention Research Center “Makin’ Groceries Steering Committee.” The Makin’ Groceries project was created because too many neighborhoods in New Orleans lack grocery stores that sell quality, healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Makin’ Groceries is a project led by a partnership of community organizations and the Tulane Prevention Research Center. The partnership came together because we all see that there is a lack of grocery stores in neighborhoods across the city and we want to know whether a neighborhood grocery store really does help people get the healthy foods they want and need. As a member of the Makin’ Groceries Steering Committee, we provide guidance and feedback on the Makin’ Groceries project and it helps us share the results with the community as the project unfolds. Others on the committee include representatives from the neighborhoods where the Makin’ Groceries project is being implemented. Although Makin’ Groceries just started this fall, we have lots to share already: We’ve started talking to people in two neighborhoods about how they get groceries and what they buy. In each neighborhood we will talk to participants who are the main shoppers for their homes. Participants must be 18 years or older and have lived in the neighborhood for at least three months.

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

We are visiting one neighborhood that is getting a new supermarket on Broad Street at the Bienville Avenue intersection in the old Schwegmann building. We are also talking to people in a neighborhood that does not have a supermarket yet, specifically the community around Bunny Friends Park in the Upper Ninth Ward. You may have seen the Makin’ Groceries staff in bright green T-shirts going door-to-door talking to people in these two neighborhoods. The staff, mostly made up of students from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, began collecting surveys in September. By talking to people in the two neighborhoods now and one year from now, we hope to show that having a supermarket in the neighborhood around Broad Street will help people make healthier food choices, like eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. And this supports the argument that all New Orleans neighborhoods deserve to have a supermarket. The lack of grocery stores that sell quality food can lead to health concerns that could be avoided with the availability of a quality grocery store. Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Just a suggestion when shopping, try to buy and eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and with every meal—the brighter the better. Colorful, and deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions each day.

Some Great Choices Include Greens Branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options—all packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. Sweet vegetables Naturally sweet vegetables— such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions, and squash—add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets. Fruit Fruit is a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on. Ultimately it is up to the parents and the individual to decide whether they want their families to eat healthy or not. Some may have a concern that eating healthier is costly. But we need healthy foods to be convenient for us to buy. At the end of a long day, who has the time or energy to walk, drive or take a bus to go grocery shopping if the nearest store is several miles away? The Makin’ Groceries project is a great opportunity for us to work with communities to understand how much a supermarket, and the kind of food it carries, can affect the health of nearby residents. We plan to keep in touch with participants and the neighborhoods throughout the year and share information that we find as a result of our project. So stay tuned for more from us.

SWB Teams Up with CarroltonHollygrove Neighborhood By: Lynn Cobette, Director of the Dept of Administrative Services, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans

he theme of this issue, “Community Collaboration” is one that is important to us. We are the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, a public utility whose mission is to provide safe drinking water to everyone in New Orleans; to remove waste water for safe return to the environment; to drain away storm water; to provide water for fire protection; to provide information about products and services and to do all of this continuously at a reasonable cost to the community. While we do this, we serve the community and the citizens in a collaborative effort and by virtue of the product that we provide, they are very important to us. As we go about our task of providing the core services of sewer, water and drainage we know that community involvement and engagement are necessary components. One example of this is when a collaborative agreement between SWB and the Carrollton – Hollygrove Community Development Corporation Greenline Project was recently signed. This agreement allows publicly-owned land located in the Hollygrove neighborhood to be used for community-minded needs that accomplish two goals. First, development of the land in the proper way furthers our intent to give back to the community and second, its development for this purpose furthers the mission of the Sewerage and Water Board. Use of a 50-foot wide swath of green space that runs concurrently through adjacent Squares bounded by Joliet, Eagle, Olive and Forshey Streets will be used for several environmentally focused projects. Projects such as rain gardens, bioswales, rain absorbent planters, permeable walking paths and other landscape-driven strategies. Other planned projects are to stage and offer information to the public about how we,

as a community, can become more environmentally conscious in our homes and businesses about the use of water and the effects that it has not only in our neighborhoods, towns and cities but on the planet. A recent international conference, “Water Environment Federation 2012” was held in New Orleans and the Sewerage and Water Board was a significant participant. The theme in large-scale display at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to 15,000 conference attendees was, “Water’s Worth It.” This slogan was superimposed over a picture of the earth as a globe. We, as a utility, embrace this concept and hope that the Greenline Project in this cooperative endeavor partnership can convey the significance of water and the impact that it has on the community. “Water’s Worth It” is a by-product of what we do. As the principal caretaker and provider of quality, potable drinking water for the New Orleans community, we want to become the best educators of this concept and we are open to public/private partnerships that help us demonstrate this. We, along with other Greenline Project partners such as Tulane City Center/ Tulane School of Architecture, Hollygrove Neighbors Resident’s Association, Longue Vue House and Gardens, Bayou Rebirth and Trinity Christian Community, join together to educate the public about water conservation, how to properly use water, alternative uses for water and the health aspects of water. We congratulate the Carrollton Hollygrove Group for working with the SWB in this “Community Collaboration” and look forward to the activities of the Greenline Project to be fully demonstrated in the months ahead.

The Trumpet is New Orleans only community newspaper written by neighborhood residents, for neighborhoods, and about New Orleans neighborhoods. The bi-monthly newspaper, with a circulation of 5,000 copies throughout greater New Orleans, has over 110 contributors from our network who are fulfilling our vision of “community voices orchestrating change.”

And, We Would Like to Invite YOU to Be a Part of This Symphony! As an advertising partner, can choose from either a quarterpage, half page, 3/4 page or a full page.

Advertise In

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Whether you want to write something “article style,” or use the full space for a single graphic to highlight a serviceor event, you are welcome to shape your advertising space to best communicate your message. In addition, you will also have access to our other communication outlets, including our website, www.npnnola.com, The Trumpet Blog and our weekly newsletter, Trumpet Tidbits, which currently reaches 3,500 readers.

To Advertise email melissa@npnnola.com THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

Life Changes Change Tax Filing Status

Know Yours to Prevent Overpaying By: Cheryl Barkins, H&R Block Office Manager, St. Claude and Gentilly

One of the most common mistakes taxpayers make is selecting the wrong filing status. A short lesson on filing statuses could help ensure you pay only what you owe in taxes and get back the tax refund you’re due.

f it has been a while since you filled out a tax form using a pen, you might have forgotten about the tax rate schedule. This schedule outlines how taxes are applied based on filing status. The points at which you move from one tax bracket to the next one vary based on your filing status. If you select the wrong filing status, you very likely will not be taxed accurately because a move to a higher tax bracket is prompted by a different amount for each filing status. Also, because the amount of the standard deduction is different for each filing status, selecting the wrong one could result in paying taxes on more income than you’re required. So, selecting the correct status is very, very important. To help you determine which is right for you, following are the IRS filing statuses with some information about each one.

Single Those who are not married may file as single. Your marital status on December 31 of the year for which you are filing your tax return determines your filing status. This means taxpayers who are not divorced on Dec. 31 must continue to use one of the filing statuses for married couples, which are generally, married filing jointly and married filing separately. In some cases, married and single individuals may be able to file as head of household.

Qualifying Widow(er) With a Dependent Child For up to two years after a spouse’s death, the widow(er) may continue to use the married filing jointly tax rate by filing as a qualified widow(er) with a dependent child, as long as the taxpayer hasn’t remarried.

‘It’s Complicated’ No, “it’s complicated” isn’t a filing status, but certain big life changes can make it difficult to determine your correct filing status. In fact, some people find themselves eligible for more than one status. A common example is when taxpayers with children are in the process of getting a divorce or have separated. Depending on the specifics of their situation, parents who are divorcing or separated may be eligible to file under three filing statuses: married filing jointly, married filing separately or head of household with qualifying person. Another time this would generally apply would be when single taxpayers with a child, or other qualifying relative, may be able to file as either single or head of household. Guessing what your filing status is or assuming it is the same as last year could cost you now or catch up to you and cost you later, especially if your marital status has changed. If you have questions about your filing status, or any other tax issue, contact a tax professional.

Married Filing Jointly Generally, married taxpayers file a joint return because of the added tax benefits, including eligibility for certain credits. Also, if your spouse died in the tax year for which you are filing, you can likely file as married filing jointly.

Married Filing Separately Filing separately can sometimes lower a tax bill. For example, if one of the spouses has low income and high medical bills, it could work in their favor to file separately to claim these expenses as itemized deductions. This is because their spouse’s income could make it difficult to reach the threshold for claiming medical expenses. Starting in 2013, for taxpayers under 65 to claim medical expenses, they must exceed 10 percent of their adjusted gross income, an increase from the previous 7.5 percent threshold.

Head of Household with a Qualifying Person Married and single taxpayers can sometimes qualify to file as head of household when these conditions are met: • You are either single or considered unmarried for tax purposes • Married taxpayers are considered single for tax purposes if they have not lived in the same home as their spouse for at least the last six months of the year • Paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home • Had a qualifying dependent living in your home more than half of the year • If the qualifying dependent is your parent, the requirement to have lived with you is waived – which could really help out those in the sandwich generation. • Divorced taxpayers who do not qualify to use the head of household status will file as single.

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

For he who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything. — Owen Arthur

Collaboration Opportunity with Healthy Neighborhoods for All of New Orleans By: Healthy NOLA Team

Mardi Gras season is here. The Twelfth night has already come and gone and the first parade of the season, Krewe du Vieux, rode through the Quarter this weekend. It is the time of year that reminds us all why we love this city and how much fun we are! But what if there was a way when the parades ended and all the King Cake babies were found that New Orleans could be seen as not only a fun town, but also a vital town? A place where we could all enjoy life to the fullest…longer?

ealthy NOLA Neighborhoods, an initiative developed by Neighborhoods Partnership Network and the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), seeks to do this. It is a set of supportive programs that provide community access to information and neighborhood data that has previously been inaccessible for most residents. In addition to neighborhood information and data, Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods provides tools for planning, action and tracking. The overall goal of the Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods is to provide a broad range

of neighborhood data and implementation guidance, tools and technical assistance to New Orleans neighborhoods recovering from Hurricane Katrina and decades of community neglect. The most significant piece of Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods, thus far, is a web-based interactive community data-hub and a “healthy communities” tool kit for action. The web-based program will provide residents with unprecedented access to information at the neighborhood level. Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods will provide free access to this interactive website that will allow you, your neighbors, and your neighborhood partners to learn how your neighborhood is doing in regards to health, what is driving your health status (or what could be causing your illness, disease or disability), and how you can plan to improve your neighborhood’s health. The easy-to-use site brings together and shares a broad range of health and community asset information at the neighborhood level. This allows residential organizations to make planning decisions for their own neighborhoods. It illustrates a neighborhood’s health status through the lens of demographics, economy, health, education, environment, transportation and public safety. It includes a clearinghouse of evidence-based and practicebased strategies, activities, and tools to help participants find and choose specific strategies to reach their goals. The data available for neighborhoods will include: birth rates, death rates, low birth weights, teen birth rates, educational attainment, percent of single-headed households, disability percentage, and statistics on housing, economic development, education, transportation, and public safety. This will provide unprecedented democratization of information for all New Orleans residents. With this, residents along with planners, community partners and City government can develop data-driven profiles of neighborhoods that are relevant to each of their respective interests and will help them be ready to work together. Neighborhoods will be able to create a “collaboration page” where they can pull statistics or data about their individual neighborhood to create an general picture of their community. Overall, it will allow residents to get a clear picture of the needs and assets of their neighborhood. In addition to the data and statistics, the website will offer a community health toolkit and community action organizer that will connect the user to links and suggestions for planning and links to best practices, helpful organizations, community assets and community events. Finally, it will help neighborhoods identify larger forces in the community that effect the health and quality of life for residents. These larger forces include recent events, local and national trends, legislation, government budget cuts, and advances in technology. Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods recognizes that the drivers of individual and neighborhood health include all sectors of life and include whole communities. Health is not just determined by genetics, but also by the physical, cultural, social, educational, organizational and economic factors that influence people’s lives. LPHI and NPN are offering technical assistance and avenues of feedback and are establishing more resident-involved focus groups and surveys.

For more information on Healthy NOLA Neighborhoods please visit the website at www.healthynola.org, or contact Jaymee Lewis, LPHI (jlewis@lphi.org or 504.301.9811) or Greg Lawson, NPN (greg@npnnola.com or 504.940.2207).

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

“Greening” The Irish Channel

By: Michael Karam

s a new resident in the Irish Channel back in 2007, I was drawn to the area by the classic New Orleans neighborhood feel — friendly neighbors, wonderful architecture, blocks of residents from diverse backgrounds, rich history, and beautiful, oak lined streets. As to that last characteristic, I am referring to Louisiana and Washington Avenues — picture perfect in my mind. As for the rest of the Channel, I was surprised by how few trees lined the side streets unlike some other neighborhoods in the city where green canopies abound. I was determined to change that feature of the neighborhood, a determination that led me to two great neighborhood organizations: Parkway Partners and The Irish Channel Neighborhood Association (ICNA). Through Parkway Partners’ Releaf New Orleans program, neighbors on my block were able to procure and plant just under a dozen trees in the fall of 2008. The end result was truly memorable — neighbors came together one Saturday and spent the day working together and socializing, transforming our block into a tree lined street. The quintessential neighborhood experience if there ever was one. That experience was so enjoyable for me that it motivated me to expand the tree planting effort throughout the neighborhood. I starting attending

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ICNA meetings and eventually pitched the idea of starting a greening committee to plant trees around the neighborhood. The committee “Greening the Irish Channel” was born and word soon spread of tree planting Saturdays. The idea is easy enough: the neighborhood association procures trees through Parkway Partners’ programs and other grant programs and matches those trees with neighbors willing to care for and maintain the trees. With a small army of neighborhood volunteers on weekends during the cooler months, the trees found themselves in the ground rather easily. The end result has been quite rewarding, over 120 trees planted in the Irish Channel in four years — including two thirds of the Jackson Avenue neutral ground between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas. In addition to bringing together residents (both as recipients of trees and volunteers), the program has involved neighborhood businesses who have donated money, watering resources, and supplies to the volunteer planting efforts. For me, this whole experience has transformed how I view the Irish Channel, neighborhoods, and the city as a whole. Knowing that neighbors can and do work together for projects such as tree planting, despite their busy lives, I am more confident now in the New Orleans neighborhood model than ever before.

Perhaps the most surprising are the songs, literally Irish ballads about the beautiful ladies of Pontchartrain. One is about a troubled immigrant from Ireland, and a beautiful Creole woman shelters him. He comes to love her, asks for her hand in marriage, but she’s promised to another. In this one, there’s longing for success and for her, but no longing could fulfill his heart more “for the lakes of Pontchartrain.” In this song, the Creole girl is clearly a “dark girl,” and if “it weren’t for the alligators/I’d sleep out in the wood.” She simply offers her simple and “plain” home because “we never turned a stranger out/on the banks of the Pontchartrain.” This is a sweet ballad of love lost to beauty, kindness, and generosity, qualities more than manners on which the Creole culture is based. It is this sense of the genuine exchange that the citizens of New Orleans pour on each other and to strangers annually that beacons repeat visits, along with of course the attraction to the unique architecture, great food and music. It was on one bright March morning I bid New Orleans adieu And I took the road to Jackson town My fortune to renew I cursed all foreign money No credit could I gain Which filled my heart with longing For the lakes of Pontchartrain

St. Alphonsus Church on Constance Street

Irish Channel Folklore

ew Orleans neighborhoods reflect the amalgam of nations represented from its origins through development. Insiders are intimate with Irish influences on New Orleans and its people in obvious and surprising ways, while outsiders may remain mystified. Largely, the Irish were among the wave of immigrants in the early 19th century brought for labor to dig the New Basin Canal. Many of these were Roman Catholics, unlike the northeastern Protestant Irish groups. They fit nicely among an already largely Roman Catholic town, and St. Alphonsus Church on Constance Street, constructed by Redemptorist Fathers in 1855, was the center of religious and cultural forces for the area. This area was actually called the City of Lafayette (annexed in the late 1840s) and was a suburb of New Orleans. Now it is the Irish Channel. Since their arrival as a labor force thousands of Irish came, remained and later brought relatives, contributing cultural influences visible today on St. Patrick’s Day. There still remains a local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians which promotes Irish Channel Heritage. In addition, one Redemptorist priest, Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos who served Irish Channel residents stricken by yellow fever circa 1866-7 was blessed by Pope John Paul II, and his feast day, October 5th is a significant cultural event here. From the New Orleans labor need for stevedores and other port jobs to breweries, the Irish made New Orleans home and mixed with resident Creole and Americans influencing the culture of this city since their arrival. Today, the Irish Channel is a mix of cultures, but the Irish stamp on New Orleans is larger than folks may think. Most notably in our speech, which sounds like a Brooklyn accent when we say “earl” for oil, or “zink” for sink. Listen to those lovely commercials from the Louisiana Restaurant

Association saying, “We don’t eat to live; we live to eat.” That is a folk phrase from the Irish. For years I thought it was a Creole saying, and I’ve quoted my father saying, “We work like we don’t need the money; we love like we’ve never been hurt; we dance like nobody’s watching.” This is from the Irish. My Dad added, “We eat like there’s no tomorrow.” Other examples are little blessings many hear and recognize: May May May May May May

there always be work for your hands to do. your purse always hold a coin or two. the sun always shine on your windowpane. a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. the hand of a friend always be near you. God fill your heart with gladness & cheer.

Another is a blessing for a home: Bless this house, o Lord, we pray. Make it safe by night and day. Bless these walls so firm and stout, Keeping want and trouble out. Bless the roof and chimney tall, Let thy peace lie over all. Bless the doors that they may prove Ever open to joy and love. Bless the windows shining bright, Letting in God’s heavenly light.

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I stepped on board of a railroad car Beneath the morning sun I rode the rods till evening And I laid me down again All strangers there, no friends to me Till a dark girl towards me came And I fell in love with a Creole girl By the lakes of Pontchartrain

I said my pretty Creole girl My money here’s no good And if it weren’t for the alligators I’d sleep out in the wood “You’re welcome here kind stranger Our house is very plain But we never turned a stranger out On the banks of Pontchartrain “

She took me into her mammy’s house And she treated me right well The hair upon her shoulders

In jet black ringlets fell To try to paint her beauty I’m sure ‘t would be in vain So handsome was my Creole girl By the lakes of Pontchartrain

I asked her if she’d marry me She said that this could never be For she had got a lover And he was far at sea She said that she would wait for him And true she would remain Till he’d return to his Creole girl By the Lakes of Pontchartrain

So fare thee well, my bonny own girl I never may see you more But I’ll ne’er forget your kindness In the cottage by the shore And at each social gathering A flowing glass I’ll drain And I’ll drink a health to my Creole girl By the lakes of Pontchartrain

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In another version of this song, there’s direct attention to the work of the Irish in New Orleans, as it begins on “railroad ties and crossings” making a “weary way/through swamps and elevations, . . .tire feet? Strive to meet a Creole girl ‘by the Lake of Pontchartrain.’” In this Irish ballad, there’s “allegators,” and the Creole girl treats the stranger “quite well.” “Her long black hair in ringlets/upon her shoulders fell.” The persona in this version is again denied her love and marriage, for hers is a “lover/and he was on the sea.” While she awaits his return, she would be faithful. This ballad like the other ends in an Irish toast to the Creole girl “By the Lake of Pontchartrain.” O’er railroad ties and crossings I made my weary way, Through swamps and elevations My tired feet did stray Until I resolved at sunset Some higher ground to win. ‘Twas there I met with a Creole girl By the lake of Pontchartrain.

“Good evening, fair maiden, My money does me no good. If it wan’t for the allegators I’d stay out in the wood.” “You’re welcome, welcome, stranger. At home it is quite plain For we never turn a stranger From the lake of Pontchartrain.”

She took me to her mother’s home And she treated me quite well; Her long black hair in ringlets Upon her shoulders fell. I tried to paint her picture But, alas, it was in vain So handsome was that Creole girl By the lake of Pontchartrain.

I asked her if she’d marry me She said that ne’er could be; She said she had a lover, And he was on the sea,

She said she had a lover It was true she would remain, Until he returned for the Creole girl By the lake of Pontchartrain.

Adieu, adieu, fair maiden, You ne’er shall see me more And when you are thinking of the old times And the cottage by the shore And when I meet a sociable With a glass of the foaming main I’ll drink good health to the Creole girl By the lake of Pontchartrain.

Although there may be official boundaries of the Irish Channel as defined by the City Planning Commission and the Historic District Landmarks Commission, long-term residents of the city of New Orleans display the Irish influence in the sayings we learn, in the blessings we love, in parades of green beer, in Irish pubs (yes we have some) and in our hearts, daily on our lips, our Irish “woild.”

By: Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, Author and Folklorist, Professor of English at Dillard University, founding president of the 7th Ward Neighborhood Association. She writes for those who don’t or can’t tell Creole cultural stories.

NEIGH SPOTBORHOOD LIGHT T

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NEIGH SPOTBORHOOD LIGHT T 16

he Ir Chan ish nel

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surrounding area. Second was the re-branding of the riverfront area below the Channel as the Lower Garden District, which effectively disbanded the “Riverside Swath” theory. In the face of this neighborhood shifting, the New Orleans City Planning Commission set the boundaries of the Irish Channel as: Magazine Street to the Mississippi (this set of boundaries was never in much dispute, although occasionally through the years prior, the Magazine Street boundary would shift riverside to Constance or lakeside to Chestnut or Camp) and settled on the downtown boundary as First Street and the uptown boundary as Toledano. These boundaries are still the official city boundaries to this day. The reason for this is that Toledano and First coincided with ward boundaries and made things a little easier on the bureaucratic end of things. In 1974, the Neighborhood Improvement Association of the Irish Channel (which would become the currentday Irish Channel Neighborhood Association) formed and increased the area of the Channel several blocks by defining the boundaries as Jackson and Delachaise. One reason they wished to include Louisiana Avenue in their boundaries was so that they could participate in the conversation being held at the time about constructing another Mississippi River bridge off of Louisiana Avenue. The Magazine-Mississippi River-JacksonDelachaise boundaries were subsequently approved when the Irish Channel was approved as a National Registry of Historic Places National Historic District in 1976. Those boundaries were once again validated in 2002 when it was designated by the city as a historic district with preservation restrictions. The Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association has organized in the meantime, claiming the block between Louisiana and Delachaise, so in deference to their uptown neighbors, the ICNA has revised its definition of the Irish Channel to end at Louisiana. Where the name, “Irish Channel” comes from is another mystery. One story backs up the “Adele Street” theory, in that Adele flooded so badly when

it rained, that it appeared to be a channel to the Mississippi. Another story is that it was a metaphor for how the Irish immigrants “channeled” into the city. Although the Irish immigrated to New Orleans in droves in the 1830s (to build the New Basin Canal) through the New Orleans’ Irish immigration peak in 1854, the name “Irish Channel” does not appear in historical records until after the Civil War. The “Times-Democrat” in 1893 was the first to mention it in the historical records. However, the context heavily implied the name had been in use for some time. The Irish Channel became significantly less Irish in the 1950s-70s, where it succumbed to the “white flight” that was in full effect all over the city at that time. During these years, a heavy influx of immigrants from Honduras, Cuba, and Ecuador moved into the area. What’s not in dispute is that the still legendary St. Patrick’s Day Parade started in the Channel in 1947. Parader’s toss cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and other fixin’s for corned beef and cabbage (except for the corned beef), and local walking clubs, like the Irish Channel Corner Club, carry hundreds of paper carnation and give them to pretty lasses along the parade route in exchange for a kiss. Since the Irish Channel was built on the original high ground by the river it escaped the catastrophic flooding from the Katrina levee break, but did suffer intense rain and wind damage. The Lyons Community Center is just now getting rebuilt after post-storm damage. Today, the shops and restaurants on Magazine Street between Jackson and Louisiana are numerous and thriving and those blocks are a destination for locals and tourists alike. Parasol’s Restaurant and Bar, an Irish Channel institution since 1953 is still thriving despite recent changes in ownership. Tracy’s bar up the block is a beer, po-boy, and sports watching destination. The block between the two establishments is the epicenter of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the Irish Channel. The ICNA has worked hard over the years to address blight, crime, and community activities, and to make it a great neighborhood to live in.

What’s not in dispute is that the still legendary St. Patrick’s Day Parade started in the Channel in 1947.

By: Nora McGunnigle, Local History Editor, NPN

The Irish Channel

NEIGH BORH SPOT OD LIGHO T T

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Where Is It, & How Did It Get Its Name?

ossibly no other New Orleans neighborhood location and moniker has inspired more debates than the Irish Channel. The ever shifting definition of the Irish Channel’s boundaries only vaguely correspond with the increasing Irish immigrant population in the nineteenth century. Richard Campanella dedicates an entire chapter to the wildly divergent history of the Irish Channel location and name in his book, “Geographies of New Orleans: Urban Fabrics Before the Storm.” In the chapter titled, “Where Was The Irish Channel?” he writes of the difficulty to pin down the origin of the neighborhood name, as well as “the province, epicenter, boundaries, [and] even the extent to which the neighborhood was genuinely Irish.” The most geographically limiting theory is the “Adele Street Theory,” which holds that the Irish Channel, when named at some point in the mid-

nineteenth century, only included the two blocks of Adele Street between St. Thomas and Tchoupitoulas Street. Even limiting the channel boundaries doesn’t mean that everyone agrees on who lived there at the time it was dubbed the Irish Channel. Some say all homes on those two blocks were occupied by Irish immigrants, some say half were Irish and half were German, and others have recalled that Adele Street had Irish and Scots living there. Others expand the theory to include a few blocks surrounding Adele, but are vague about which ones and why. The “Tchoupitoulas Street Theory” argues that although Adele Street housed many Irish immigrants, it didn’t matter because Tchoupitoulas, as a busy bustling port and stretch of shops and businesses, was really the lifeblood of the area at that time. The “Riverside Swath Theory” includes the riverfront area between the French Quarter and the plantations uptown, with very vague definitions of boundaries beyond that. The twentieth century saw determined strides to lock in specific boundaries, as it was a time of concentrated urban planning and development in New Orleans. The rise of two new communities altered the city’s and residents’ perception of the Irish Channel’s location. First, the building of the St. Thomas housing project which started in 1938 effectively encompassed Adele Street and took it out of the Irish Channel, as well as the

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

Petcetera

Pet Shop, Groomer, Bakery, Community Advocate & More

By: Diane Lundeen, Owner, Petcetera

Petcetera combined the best of all the pet industry’s products and services the partners had seen around the world. Petcetera currently focuses primarily on cats and dogs in addition to pet-related items for people. Petcetera has always been the destination in New Orleans for unique gifts and natural products. As an artist and designer, Lundeen developed the store to be a venue where local artists could sell their hand crafted items like bowls, clothing, collars and beds.

etcetera furthered this goal by adding pet photography and pet portraits to its services. Petcetera’s business I’m going to philosophy is to provide great Petcetera for customer service and product knowledge to customers in a relaxing, my Barkus, dog community environment. Petcetera is a parade outfit! destination place. We love our customers, and we want them to come in and visit us whether or not they need to buy something. They are like our extended family. When something good or bad happens in their pet’s or their own life, we usually get a call or visit. This familial relationship is the foundation on which Petcetera’s pet sitting, dog walking, and grooming businesses are built. It is important for people to know and trust the person who is caring for your pet’s well being. Petcetera is a small, local business, and customers have the opportunity to get to know the people who are serving their pets. For being a very small store, Petcetera has a surprisingly diverse and eclectic mix of products that fit every budget. We want people to get a boutique experience, whether their budget is $0.99 or unlimited. People expect us to be very expensive, but we are often told that on pet food and other items, we have better prices than even the big box stores. Plus, our merchandise is typically designed to last. In addition to covering all of your pets daily needs, we also do a lot of work for the community, like pet adoptions and biscuit eating contests. We host and sponsor animal rescue events off site, with our premier one being “Bad to the Bone: Rescued on the Runway.” “Bad to Bone” is a charity event held around Halloween designed to help local shelters get their dogs adopted through a costumed runway show. For now, the store is in full carnival mode. Costumes hang on the walls and in every cubby in anticipation of Barkus, New Orleans’ dog parade. Lundeen is also feverishly working on one of a kind costumes for the pets who don’t want to wear “off the rack.” Visit Petcetera at 3205 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from 12-6 p.m., or take a cyber tour of a sampling of Petcetera’s offerings at petceteraneworleans.com

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But that is after I get my bath and bow dry!

NPN and NOLA TimeBank Partner Up NEIGHBORHOODS

PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

By: Nora McGunnigle, Local History Editor, NPN

Coming soon - a new way for NPN members to pay off their NPN Volunteer Hours while helping the larger community and earning the opportunity to have volunteer help for themselves!

NPN Puts ‘Parents First’ & Gives Families a Voice

n 2013, NPN will use the current online structure of NOLA TimeBank, a nonprofit website that posts and facilitates opportunities to provide and receive volunteer hours. This will assist NPN in publicizing and tracking all volunteer hours pledged in lieu of membership fee. As discussed and agreed upon by the Membership Committee, the proposal to integrate this system into NPN’s volunteer program is as follows: Individuals of NPN Member organizations would have the opportunity to sign up under the auspices of their organization, and respond to volunteer for: any NPN-posted volunteer opportunity (committee meeting attendance, event assistance); OR, any call for volunteers created by other NPN members (for example, assisting with the Gentilly Fair, or helping NSCAN do a neighborhood cleanup.) That individual would bank hours on behalf of their sponsoring organization, and

would be able to reap the benefits of using volunteer hours for themselves or for the member organization. Of course, we would encourage our member organizations to post their volunteer needs on the NOLA TimeBank as well! The February 18 Membership Committee meeting will focus on training the committee members on the TimeBank system and training them to participate in trainings. We invite any NPN members who are interested in getting involved with the process from the beginning to attend and learn! Soon thereafter, NPN and NOLA TimeBank will begin conducting hands-on trainings for updating the NPN website and using the NOLA TimeBank site. These trainings will be required in order for the user account to be activated (this is a TimeBank policy). These meetings will be capped at five people (due to technology limitations of the combined efforts of NPN and NOLA Timebank) and will be staffed by both TimeBank and NPN volunteers.

Please contact Nora McGunnigle at 504-940-2207 or nora@npnnola.com for more details or for a list of upcoming web trainings.

By: Julia Kahn, Associate Neighborhoods Editor, NPN

hen I was in a new teacher training program several years ago, my instructor was clear about the need for parent involvement. “If you don’t get the parents, you’ll struggle all year,” she said. Even as a new teacher, I knew that these words were true, even self evident. With my early confidence, I was sure that I would not make the mistake of not fully including parents and guardians. In my first years of teaching, there were many things that turned out to be much harder than I anticipated and effectively engaging parents as equal partners was certainly one of them. The difficulty did not stem from a change in my idea of parent involvement, nor was it that parents didn’t want to be involved in their children’s education. The problem that both families and teachers face is a systemic lack of institutional structures to facilitate conversation, cooperation, and collective decision making. While many schools do have Parent Teacher Associations, in my experience these are often poorly attended (by parents and teachers) and poorly integrated into the workings of the school at large. The result is that parents are isolated from teachers and administrators, isolated from other organizations and institutional supports, and isolated from each other. The current situation means that for the most part parents – who have the most invested in their children’s future and are the most knowledge about their children’s needs – rarely have a significant voice in decisions that impact their children at a school, neighborhood, or city level. New Orleans is currently undergoing a major overhaul of programs that effect children, and great progress has been made in many areas. However, if parents continue to be left out of the conversation of reform and development, children will continue to struggle.

In an effort to assist parents to become more engaged in the institutions that affect their children, the Neighborhoods Partnership Network has created the Parents First Campaign, which is designed to network parents and help them more effectively advocate for their children. In regular monthly meetings, organized by neighborhoods, parents will be able to meet together and discuss the factors that most influence their children’s lives, and collectively create action plans about how to improve the city for all children. As a group, parents will have the access to leaders and policy makers that individuals would rarely have. In addition, parents will be able to utilize the resources and connections of NPN to most effectively advocate for their issues. NPN believes children’s wellbeing is influenced by the overall health of the neighborhood they inhabit. To this end, parents need not only be concerned with their school, but with all aspects that make neighborhoods healthy environments for children. These advocacy groups, therefore, are situated in several neighborhoods, starting with Central City, Broadmoor, and Village de L’Est. This allows distinct groups to focus on local concerns. Furthermore, the influence of community starts long before students enter the public school system. The Parent First Advocacy Groups are neighborhood based and focused on parents with children under five years old. These groupings will allow parents to take part in a wide range of issues that affect children’s lives, including improving street safety, augmenting community and recreational activities, and investing in schools. By engaging parents of young children, families will be directly involved in issues that affect children at their most vulnerable ages, and will start addressing systemic problems in schools and other institutions before they have the chance to fail children again. Equipped with the advocacy techniques, data, and support of other families, parents can be life-long advocates for their children.

NPN believes children’s wellbeing is influenced by the overall health of the neighborhood they inhabit.

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

Beauty Shop Talk By: Christy “CeCe” Chapman

Hey Ladies, I hope you all ware ready and excited for 2013, the positive changes, fresh beginnings and all that’s in store for you. As you know “Beauty Shop Talk” is a corner for only us, considering we cater to spouses, kids and careers daily. One of our readers posed a really great question: “ How do I know if he is cheating?” This is something that women deal with daily all over the country, women of all races and demographics, it’s something “relatable.” Wouldn’t you agree? So go ahead grab your cocktail, light a candle and reflect. It may be hard to figure that out, especially considering the ups and downs of life that men and women deal with. Life can be hard at times and that will strain relationships. But being cheated on is a hurtful for anyone. There are so many thoughts that cheating brings on. It occupies time mentally and emotionally in such a negative way. As women we ask questions like: What did I do wrong? Why doesn’t he love me? What does she have that I don’t? The real answer is that “he” is the involved party with the problem, not us. According to People & Relationship About.com there are a few warning signs if you feel that your partner may be cheating. If he starts saying “I love you, but I am not in love with you, take heed. Cheating spouses develop a hormone-induced amnesia. These hormones make the cheater feel filled with passion in their new relationship and can cause “blocked” thinking. Sudden needs for privacy raises at least one eyebrow. You will at a point start being accused of snooping or trying to control your spouse. These are the biggest “behavior and habit changes.” Pay attention to unaccounted time during the day, not being where he is expected to be, and a major factor within a relationship: money that is not accounted for. If you find yourself trying to convince yourself that “they would never cheat” that is a warning sign against yourself. Your intuition will let you know if something is wrong. If you feel that your mate is cheating you have every right to investigate. Make sure you have hard, cold proof, no room for “maybe” or “I thought . . .” Then discuss what you have found in a calm manner, ask for honesty, expect to hear lies. Remember ladies you control how you are to be treated. Love yourself, body, and mind first.

“ How do I know if he is cheating?” If you would like to ask a “Beauty Shop Talk” question email beautyshoptalkNPN@rocketmail.com

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THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

The New Orleans Fatherhood Consortium Community Spotlight I saw my daddy and his co-worker sitting on a bench and I was so happy from then on,” Gipson said.“It’s such a blessing to be able to be there with my son and be able to go to his games.” As a product of the New Orleans Recreation Department, he is extremely passionate about giving his time back to the young boys and girls of New Orleans. “It is really important to me because I am sometimes, the father figure to over 20 young men and women. I always said that when I got older, I would coach and give back to the kids,” Gipson explained. With a father who was very present in his life, he is a firm believer that you cannot put a number to the value of fathers in the lives of their children. Some of the advice he received from his father has helped him to be a better father as well as a better coach. To this day, he still seeks advice from his father and uses it. To Gipson, the most important lesson he learned from his father is to treat others as you want to be treated. He gives his children as well as his players a healthy mixture of love and discipline. He makes every effort to be of support to his son, daughter, and the many sons and daughters he has adopted from the playgrounds. His home has become ground zero for playground fund-raising. “Fish-Fry’s” and “Can Shakes” are the preferred method of fundraising. It is his belief that exposure is important for the development of the young players in order for them to gain skills to allow them to be better athletes and better people. It shows the young boys and girls the connection between hard work and success. “We take inner-city kids and let them travel for education and fun. I made a comment to one parent that Shreveport or Memphis is “around the corner” for us since we travel so much.” That is simply a testament to the passion Gipson has for giving these youth opportunities they otherwise would not have. He also understands the sacrifices he has to make in order to be the best father he can be. From the example set by his father, he learned the importance of being committed to your children. The front two rooms of his home are the hangout spots for the fish-fry dinners that fund the trips his players take during the summer. He goes into coach mode as he rattles off a typical agenda, “We take them to tour the city - maybe a school. Then we play the games and go out to eat afterwards. Then we are back on the road coming home.” This holiday season, we need to be thankful for fathers in our community just like Waldorf Gipson, III – men who selflessly give their time and energy to make the lives of the community just as healthy as the one he creates for his own family. We should be thankful for these fathers and father-figures for they are truly gifts to us all. These men are so often overlooked because their contribution is not properly valued in society. We so often attribute the ills of society to their absence or negative influence so at the New Orleans Fatherhood Consortium, we are proud to partner with the Neighborhoods Network Partnership to highlight the story of Waldorf Gipson, III and formally congratulate him on his induction into the 2013 class of New Orleans Favorite Fathers.

The New Orleans Fatherhood Consortium Community Spotlight

To Gipson, the most important lesson he learned from his father is to treat others as you want to be treated.

Coach Waldorf Gipson, III and team

“Lessons of Coaching and Fatherhood” Waldorf “Gip” Gipson, III By: Gregory Rattler, Jr.

Burke Playground– Waldorf Gipson, III – “Gip” as he is affectionately known, goes about the daily business of teaching young boys and girls how to be great athletes, but more importantly, great people. For the past 22 years his focus has been getting his players to reach their fullest potential and to be competitive on the court, the diamond, in the classroom, and the community. He found that some lessons of coaching helped him to succeed in fatherhood while some lessons of fatherhood helped him to succeed in coaching.

is ability to relate to his players stems from his commitment to his own two children. As he describes the differences and headaches in raising a daughter and then a son, he acknowledges the senseless violence that continues to take the lives of so many young black males in New Orleans. Gipson said, “I thought raising a daughter would be much tougher but with the way things are today, the challenges have flipped on us.” He experienced the typical concerns of a father who has a daughter but never truly found himself concerned about her safety as he does with his son. “When I first started coaching, I only had my daughter. Everywhere I would go, I would have my daughter sitting in the car seat behind me”, Gipson recalled. After a 10 year gap, the birth of his son gave him a special sense of pride as he was able to pass his name on and continue the tradition of the name that was given to him. He added, “Passing on that tradition is very important. We have to keep this thing going.” He was full of joy being able to raise his son and watch him grow up in sports, progress through the NORD system and become a successful high school athlete at Eleanor McMain High School. To Gipson, fatherhood is a tremendous honor that has a deeper appreciation for when considering some of his own experiences as a child playing sports. With his father working to support the family, Gipson’s mother was often alone at his games. However, on instances that his father was able to attend games, it made an impression on him that lasts to this day. “I will never forget the feeling of being at the plate (to bat) and seeing that Schlitz truck.

He also understands the sacrifices he has to make in order to be the best father he can be.

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“Teaching My Sons to Have Fun and Enjoy Life” By: Gregory Rattler, Jr.

hirty-seven-year-old Trey Bornmann is the IT Director at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and a former assistant basketball coach. He worked diligently with other coaches and community members to create some structured recreation for youth at Burke Playground following Hurricane Katrina. “When I look back at pictures, I am proud that we were able to make an impact on the lives of some of those young men. There was nothing else for them to do and that was an ideal space for trouble so we created the basketball league,” he explained. Although he is proud of his work as a coach, the most dynamic aspect of Bornmann’s life is being a father to his two sons – 10-year-old Joey and sevenyear-old Beau. Fatherhood came as a bit of a shock to Bornmann with both of his sons. He was a single man with few intentions to give up the bachelor lifestyle. “For different reasons, I was not expecting either of my sons, but I learned valuable lessons from both of them coming to my life,” he said. As a young man growing up learning from an active and involved father in his life, Bornmann learned the value of family at an early age. “I was a military brat. My dad was in the military when the family moved with the soldiers. So we traveled quite a bit,” he explained. “That taught me the value of your core family. Think about it, when you are living in Germany and you don’t know many people, your family becomes very important to you.” He appreciates being in his sons’ lives because he gets to see them grow. “I find it amazing to see them learn and understand life lessons, their school work, musical instruments, or sports skills. I’m just proud to be there to see it,” said Bornmann. He has a daily chance to help them learn from the mistakes they make in life. More importantly, he gets to teach them about mistakes he has made to prevent his sons from making the same mistakes. Trey has not had the smoothest road on his journey of fatherhood. He honestly recalled, “Some of my struggles have been self-inflicted and some have come from the fact that I have two boys from two different relationships.”

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

He described the strain placed on his current relationship when Joey came to live with him and his girlfriend. That challenge was compounded by his concern as a father and his discomfort with the environment his son was living in. “The situation was not the best for my son and it was really frustrating dealing with his mother and grandmother,” he added. “They created so many obstacles to prevent me from being with my son but I was persistent in wanting to be in my son’s life.” He frequently finds himself struggling to strike the balance between letting his sons grow into the men they will eventually be and being a protective parent. “I try to teach my boys to have fun and enjoy life. I want growing up to be fun for them,” said Bornmann. In our society today we don’t have to go far to see the effects of fatherlessness on our children, families, and communities. We encounter men like Bornmann far more than we think. These are men who teach, coach, mentor, and guide children without the recognition of their presence ever being a motivating factor. These are the men who are proud to fill the role of father or father-figure in their homes and in their communities. Their importance and value can never be overstated. Bornmann sums it up in one statement: “Boys don’t figure out manhood if they don’t see a man to model after.” Our challenge is to not be conditioned to believe that fathers want nothing more than to be relieved of their responsibilities to their families. We should be intentional about supporting and acknowledging men who quietly live their lives being fathers and father-figures in the families of our communities. The New Orleans Fatherhood Consortium acknowledges the many different ways men come to the responsibility of fathering children – biological or otherwise. We thank them all for sacrificing so that their families and communities can have an example to follow. Take some time to hear the fatherhood story of some fathers that you know so that you can see how his sacrifices may have affected your life.

A Healthy Heart Column by Dr. Daphne P. Ferdinand, PhD, RN

Shop Smart and Eat Healthy on a Budget

ost people know how important it is too eat nutritious, wholesome foods to maintain good health. However, when you are living on a tight budget, the actual thought of preparing healthy meals on a regular basis can be a little overwhelming. Research studies demonstrate that foods lower in calories, such as whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and fruits and vegetables are more expensive compared to foods higher in calories with poor nutrient content, like sweets, fats, and sugary beverages. Consumers, particularly low-income families, may find financial barriers to adopting a more healthful diet, which may explain why obesity and overweight continue to be observed in groups with limited income. Becoming a smart shopper can help slash your grocery cost without sacrificing food quality in your home. Consider these helpful strategies below:

Before Going to the Grocery Store, to Save Time, Money, and Prepare Easier Meals: • Plan weekly meals with the family. Shop knowing what meals you will prepare during the week. • Make a grocery shopping list based on the family meal plan. • Look for ads in the newspaper and at the store on food sale items. • Check Sunday’s newspaper for food coupons. • Make fresh foods at home instead of using ready-made, prepared items such as frozen entrees. Fresh foods are label-free foods, like apples and oranges. • Teach your family how to shop for groceries. • Make a monthly food budget. A budget is a plan for the amount of money you can afford to spend.

Know Your Grocery Store Shop at the store with the lowest prices for the items you need. Map out your walk through the store in. Find the sections where most foods are grouped together to make your food selection easier, like the MyPlate food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, milk (calcium-rich foods), and meat and beans (protein-rich foods). Also, local farmers markets are a great place for purchasing fresh healthy produce for great deals. Remember that convenience stores and neighborhood corner stores have higher prices and less variety than supermarkets.

• Convenience items can cost more, such as canned beans, boneless chicken breasts, precut vegetables, prepared package meals. Make it from scratch. • Do not shop hungry. Eat a balanced meal before you grocery shop to reduce junk food consumption and impulse buying. • Shop alone when possible or simply take charge of your shopping. Family or friends may influence you to purchase items you do not need. • Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. • Buy only the amount of food your family can use, even if a larger size costs less. The “buy one get one free” ad is a strategy to get you to buy twice as much as you really need. • Watch for errors at the cash register. Sometimes sale items do not ring up on sale. • Look for cheaper store brands. They are usually just as nutritious as more expensive name brands. • If shopping with the kids, make sure they are fed and well rested. Negotiate healthy snacks for the kids prior to store arrival.

Purchase food items that are quick, easy to cook, and kind to your wallet. Beans are a very good source of dietary fiber, and whether canned or dried, make nutritious meals. When beans are combined with whole grain brown rice, you have an excellent source for a complete protein meal. Brown rice is another good source of dietary fiber, B vitamins, iron, manganese, selenium, and nutrients that lower cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease, and diabetes. Although slightly more expensive than white rice, the nutritional payoff is well worth the purchase. Whole wheat pasta, likewise, is quick and easy to prepare, and can be combined with vegetables, meat, or a fresh salad. It is low in sodium and fat, and high in complex carbohydrates – good fiber food. Eggs are a healthy bargain, averaging $2/doz, with good quality protein, essential vitamins, and anti-oxidants. There were concerns about the amount of cholesterol in the egg, but in 2011 a USDA report, from a new analysis, found 14 percent less cholesterol in eggs and 64 percent more vitamin D. The American Heart Association recommends limiting dietary cholesterol to <300mg/day for the overall population; the average egg yolk has approximately 213mg of cholesterol. However, individuals with diabetes and major risk factors for coronary heart disease are recommended to limit dietary cholesterol to <200 mg/day. So read your labels and monitor your daily cholesterol intake as suggested by your health practitioner. Frozen vegetables and fruits are second choices to fresh, especially when certain items are not in season. Frozen veggies are inexpensive; retain most of their nutritional value, and accessible (grab a bag out the freezer). Again, be a label reader; avoid added salt, sodium and preservatives.

• Nationally advertised products usually cost more than store brands and local brands. • Advertisements target certain ethnic groups who have been known to be very loyal to certain brands despite cost. Carefully note advertisers use popular themes focusing on family, health, sex appeal, humor, appearance, or famous people to influence your decision to purchase products you don’t need and can’t afford. Ask a few questions the next time you open your wallet because of an appealing advertisement: • Do I really need it? • Can a cheaper product serve the same purpose? • Did I read the nutrition label and compare it with an item that costs less? • Am I buying the product because the ad says it will make me look better or help me lose weight? • Am I buying it because I have a coupon or it’s on sale? • Can I afford it? Advertising also helps consumers learn more about different products prior to purchase. However, understanding how the ads influence your buying power contributes to being a smart shopper.

Shopping Matters® The Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project (HHCPP) is interested in consumers becoming more informed about shopping smart on a limited budget to stay healthy. The HHCPP will be conducting three free in-store shopping tours between January and April, teaching low-income families four key food shopping skills: buying fruits and vegetables on a limited budget, identifying whole grains, comparing unit prices and reading food labels. The tours are between 60-90 minutes long and are led by trained facilitators. The HHCPP is able to provide this program as a result of funding from Share our Strength, Shopping Matters® which offers extensive tools and resources to help families make healthy and affordable choices at the supermarket. Please contact Dr. Daphne P. Ferdinand by email (daphnep@healthyheartcpp.org) or phone (504.534.8231) to participate in the Shopping Matters® program to get the most nutrition for your food dollars. WIC families are also invited. Remember, “Healthy Families lead to Healthy Communities.”

Resources:

Nutrition.gov (http://www.nutrition.gov/shopping-cooking-meal-planning/food-labels The Ultimatest Grocery List! (www.grocerylists.org) The American Heart Association (www.heart.org/HEARTORG) Dr. Mehmet Oz. Time Magazine, What To Eat Now, TheAnti-Food-Snob Diet, 12/2/12. NHLBI. Eat Healthy, Save Money, (www.nhlbi.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/news-events/matte5.htm)

Food Advertising • Remember food advertising is big business costing billions of dollars. Food ads play a significant role in your food-buying decisions. • Note fancy, eye-catching packaging. Advertisers use these techniques to influence consumers to buy certain products.

At the Store: • Only buy what is on your list. You are likely to buy more than what you need if you don’t make a list. • Be an avid label reader. Learning to read food labels helps to make healthier choices and find the best value for your dollar.

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

Algiers Point Association Every 1st Thursday of the month @ 7 p.m. Location changes each month www.algierspoint.org Broadmoor Improvement Association 3rd Monday of every other month @ 7 p.m. Andrew H. Wilson Charter School Cafeteria 3617 General Pershing St. New Orleans, LA 70125 http://www.broadmoorimprovement.com Bunny Friends Neighborhood Association Every second Saturday of the month Mt. Carmel Baptist Church 3721 N Claiborne Ave Bywater Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Holy Angels Cafeteria 3500 St. Claude Ave. www.bywaterneighbors.com Carrollton Riverbend Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Thursday of the month Parish Hall of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Corner of Carrollton and Zimple Carrollton United Every second Monday at 5:00p.m. every other month St. John Missionary Baptist Church, corner of Leonidas and Hickory Central City Partnership Every last Friday of the month @ 1 p.m. Allie Mae Williams Center 2020 Jackson Ave. http://www.centralcitypartnership.org

Neighborhood Meetings

Central City Renaissance Alliance (CCRA) 1809 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. http://www.myccra.org Chapel of the Holy Comforter Every 4th Thursday of the month @ 6:30p.m. 2200 Lakeshore Drive Claiborne-University Neighborhood Association Quarterly Meetings, time and date TBA Jewish Community Center 5342 St. Charles Ave Downtown Neighborhood Improvement Association (DNIA) Every last Tuesday of the month @ 7p.m. Joan Mitchell Center 2275 Bayou Road (the corner building on Rocheblave and Bayou Road) DeSaix Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Saturday of the month @10a.m. Langhston Hughes Academy 3519 Trafalgar Street http://danadesaix.org East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Committee (ENONAC) Every 2rd Tuesday of each month @ 6 p.m. St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church http://www.enonac.org Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association Quarterly meetings, time/date/ location TBA http://fdna-nola.org

Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Board Meeting: Every 2nd Monday 7p.m. Holy Rosary Cafeteria 1638 Moss Street General Membership: 3rd Wednesday, every other month 6:30 p.m. Black Gold Room at the Fairgrounds http://www.fsjna.org Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association Every 2nd Thursday of the month @ 6:00p.m. True Vine Baptist Church 2008 Marigny St. Filmore Gardens Neighborhood Association (meet the 4th Thursday of each month) Rouse’s Food Market (Leon C. Simon & Franklin Avenue) 6:30p.m. to 8:00p.m. (No meetings in Nov. and Dec.) Garden District Association 1 annual meeting per year, time/date/ location TBA Gentilly Civic Improvement Association (GCIA) General Membership- Every 3rd Saturday of the month 10am Board Meeting - Every 3rd Wednesday of the month 6:30p.m. Edgewater Baptist Church 5900 Paris Ave. Gentilly Heights East Neighborhood Association Every 3rd Monday of the month @ 6p.m. Dillard University Dent Hall – Room 104 Gentilly Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association Every 3rd Monday of the month @ 6:30p.m . VOA – 2929 St. Anthony Ave. (meetings on hold until further notice)

Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Improvement Association Every 2nd Wednesday of the month @ 7pm Gentilly Terrace School 4720 Painters St. http://www.gentillyterrace.org Hoffman Triangle Neighborhood Association Every 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 5:30 p.m. Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Church 3327 Toledano Street Hollygrove Neighbors Association Saturdays at 12:00 (noon) St. Peter AME Church 3424 Eagle St. (Eage St. and Edinburgh St.) www.neighborhoodlink.com (type in 70118 and click on “Hollygrove Neighbors”) blog us at http://www. hollygroveneighbors.blogspot.com/ Holy Cross Neighborhood Association Every 2nd and 4th Thursday @ 5:30 p.m. Center for Sustainability, Greater Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church 5130 Chartres, Lizardi and Chartres http://www.helpholycross.org Irish Channel Neighborhood Association 2nd Thursday of the month at 7p.m. Irish Channel Christian Fellowship 819 First St. http://www.irishchannel.org Lake Bullard Homeowners Association See website for meeting schedule Cornerstone United Methodist Church 5276 Bullard Ave. http://www.lakebullard.org Lake Catherine Civic Association Every 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 7p.m.

Get connected to the Neighborhoods Partnership Network. Post news & events for your organization at NPNnola.com 30

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

Lake Willow Neighborhood Every 2nd Saturday of the month @ 10 a.m. St. Maria Goretti Church Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood Empowerment Network Association (NENA) Every 2nd Saturday @ 12 noon NENA – 1120 Lamanche St. http://www.9thwardnena.org Melia Subdivision Every 2rd Saturday of the month @ 5 p.m. Anchoren in Christ Church 4334 Stemway Drive Mid-City Neighborhood Organization General Meeting – Second Monday of every month @ 6:00 p.m. meet-and-greet @ 6:30 p.m. Neighborhood Meeting Warren Easton High School 3019 Canal St. http://www.mcno.org Milneburg Neighborhood Association Chapel of the Holy Comforter 2200 Lakeshore Dr. 6:30 p.m. Monthly meetings are every 4th Thursday of the month

Oak Park Civic Association Every 3rd or last Tuesday of the month Paris Oaks/Bayou Vista Neighborhood Association Last Saturday of every month @ 4p.m. Third District Police Station 4650 Paris Avenue Pensiontown of Carrollton Neighborhood Association Every 1st Saturday of the month @ 2p.m. Leonidas House Community Center (under renovation) 1407 Leonidas St. Temporarily housed at St. Paul AME Church, 8540 Cohn St. (corner of Leonidas and Cohn) Pontilly Association Pontilly Disaster Collaborative – Every 3rd Wednesday of the month General Meeting – every 2nd Saturday of the month http://www.pontilly.com Rosedale Subdivision Last Friday of every month @5:30 Greater Bright Morning Star Baptist Church, 4253 Dale Street

Ask City Hall

Seabrook Neighborhood Association Monthly meetings are every second Monday Gentilly Terrace School 4720 Painters Street Tall Timbers Owners Association Semi-annual meetings: Second Wednesday of October & April 7p.m. Board meetings: Second Wednesday of every other month 7 p.m Tunisburg Square Homeowners Civic Association, Inc. Every 2nd Monday of the month @ 6:30 p.m. http://tunisburg.org Village de l’Est Improvement Association General Meeting - Every other first Tuesday of the month @ 7pm Einstein Charter School 5100 Cannes St West Barrington Association 1st Tuesday of every month @ 6p.m. Holiday Inn Express 70219 Bullard Avenue

Send your neighborhood meeting details to: melissa@NPNnola.com

Neighborhoods Partnership Network 4902 Canal Street • #301 New Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 TheTrumpet@npnnola.com

THE TRUMPET | JANUARY/FEBRUARY | 2013

District A Susan G. Guidry City Hall, Room 2W80 1300 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 658-1010 Fax: (504) 658-1016 Email: sgguidry@nola.gov District B LaToya Cantrell City Hall, Room 2W10 1300 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 658-1020 Fax: (504) 658-1025 lcantrell@nola.gov District C Kristin Gisleson Palmer City Hall, Room 2W70 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658-1030 Fax: (504) 658-1037 Email: kgpalmer@nola.gov District D Cynthia Hedge-Morrell City Hall, Room 2W20 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658-1040 Fax: (504) 658-1048 E-mail: chmorrell@nola.gov District E Ernest F. Charbonnet City Hall, Room 2W60 1300 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 658-1050 Fax: (504) 658-1058 E-mail: efcharbonnet@nola.gov Council Member-At-Large Stacy Head City Hall, Room 2W40 1300 Perdido Street Phone: (504) 658 -1060 Fax: (504) 658-1068 Email: shead@nola.gov Council Member-At-Large Jacquelyn Clarkson City Hall, Room 2W50 1300 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 658-1070 Fax: (504) 658-1077 Email: jbclarkson@nola.gov

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