Friday, September 11, 2009

Update

For various reasons, I have not kept up with the blog like I have wanted to. I will continue to host it and focus my efforts on issues related to peace as time permits. If you are interested in taking over this project, please send me a comment. I will keep the blog up so that people can link to the resources. Thanks for your understanding.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Reading Tutors Needed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Elizabeth Artigues
(504) 899-0820

elizabeth@scapc.org

STAIR (Start The Adventure In Reading) Announces Tutor Training Schedule

for the 2009-2010 School Year

Children’s Literacy Program Seeks Volunteer Tutors Who are Ready to Step Up and Serve

NEW ORLEANS, La.STAIR (Start The Adventure In Reading), a nonprofit children’s literacy program, is seeking tutors for the 2009-2010 school year. Tutor training begins Wednesday, September 16 through Thursday, October 22 at locations around the greater New Orleans area. Training takes only two hours and no experience is necessary. Tutors volunteer after school or on Saturday mornings at STAIR sites in Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes.

Each year STAIR recruits and trains hundreds of volunteers to work one-on-one with public school second graders to improve their reading and language skills as well as their self-esteem. These students are particularly in danger of academic failure and need extra help to succeed. The program works in partnership with schools to supplement the classroom work. Collaboration with parents, teachers, and principals allows STAIR to target the students who can most benefit from the services STAIR offers. The program has served more than 5,000 young students from greater New Orleans public schools since it began in 1985.

The STAIR program provides each child with professionally-designed curriculum materials, school supplies, teaching aids, new books, healthy snacks, and trained site directors to supervise and lend qualified help at each site. STAIR depends on support from the community to provide this service at no cost to the students.

For more information or to register for the training, contact Elizabeth Artigues at 504.899.0820 or elizabeth@scapc.org or visit www.stairnola.org.

STAIR will train interested individuals on the following dates:

Wednesday, September 16 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1545 State St., NOLA

Saturday, September 19 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

First Baptist Church of New Orleans, 5290 Canal Blvd NOLA

Monday, September 21 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Woodland Presbyterian Church, 5824 Berkley Drive, NOLA

Wednesday, September 23 1:30 – 3:30 p.m

St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 6500 Jefferson Highway, Harahan

Saturday, September 26 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Open World Family Services, 7050 Read Blvd., NOLA

Saturday, October 3 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Chalstrom House, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1101 South Carrollton Ave., NOLA

Tuesday, October 6 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1545 State St., NOLA

Thursday, October 8 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Faith Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 3810 Power Blvd., Metairie

Monday, October 12 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Algiers United Methodist Church, 637 Opelousas Avenue, NOLA

Wednesday, October 14 1:30 – 3:30 p.m

St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1545 State St., NOLA

Thursday, October 22 1:30 – 3:30 p.m

St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1545 State St., NOLA

Refreshments will be served.

Sara W. Woodard, Executive Director

Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR)

1545 State Street

New Orleans, LA 70118

504-899-0820

504-895-2668 FAX

www.stairnola.org

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Not Forgotten

Dear Reades-

I know that it seems that I have dopped off the map. Not so. I was dealing with an injury that is not yet 100% healed. I've lost count of the killings but hope to get some stats from the different parishes in the area when I get back to NOLA. (I'm out of town visiting my grandmother.)

I will continue to count the killings until the end of the year. If anyone is interested in taking over the blog then or before then, let me know. Thanks.

Peace.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Literacy Event Coming Up!



Contact:

First Book-Greater New Orleans

Sara Woodard

swoodard@scapc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Orleans, LA – July 22, 2009

MEDIA ALERT

First Book-Greater New Orleans and Bess the Book Bus Present “Get Hooked on Books!”

WHAT: “Get Hooked on Books!” presented by First Book-Greater New Orleans and Bess the Book Bus, a mobile literacy outreach program from Tampa, Florida. Bess the Book Bus is rolling to New Orleans to deliver nearly 2,000 books to 100 New Orleans area children who need them most. The event will feature a book give-away, celebrity story readers, refreshments, entertainment and more under the big tent. The program has identified 100 local children, ages 4 to 18 years old, who will receive an Access Pass to board Bess the Book Bus to pick the books of their choice.

WHEN: Friday, July 24th, 3-6 PM

WHERE: 5501 Read Blvd. (Greater St. Stephen FGBC parking lot)

WHY: First Book-Greater New Orleans is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in school-based and community based programs.

Delivering books to children nationwide has always been a dream of Bess the Book Bus creator Jennifer Frances who started the program in 2004 in honor of her grandmother Bess O’Keefe who taught her the joy and importance of reading at a young age. New Orleans is the 32nd city Bess the Book Bus has visited as part of its nationwide “Summer of Good Reads and Good Deeds” tour in which children all over the country receive books. The bus is scheduled to visit 52 cities in 68 days this summer. The event is sponsored by Chevron and superpages.com.

DETAILS: First Book-Greater New Orleans is hosting Bess the Book Bus. Since August 2007, First Book-Greater New Orleans has conducted 4 grant cycles and awarded book grants to more than 75 literacy programs (after school programs, daycare centers, classrooms, nonprofits, etc.) totaling 35,000 brand new books serving over 6,000 children from low-income families in the Greater New Orleans region. First Book-Greater New Orleans also is announcing that its Fall book grant application deadline is September 25. Visit www.firstbook.org/nola for more information and to download the application or call 504-287-1952.

Sara W. Woodard, Executive Director

Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR)

1545 State Street

New Orleans, LA 70118

504-899-0820

504-895-2668 FAX

www.stairnola.org

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Stabbing takes a life

Man stabbed to death Friday night on Elysian Fields Avenue

by The Times-Picayune
Saturday July 11, 2009, 9:34 AM

New Orleans police are searching for a suspect in the stabbing death Friday night of a man in the 1700 block of Elysian Fields Avenue.

According to investigators, authorities responded around 10:30 p.m. to a call of "male down" and found the victim on the sidewalk with multiple stab wounds to his chest, Officer Janssen Valencia said in a news release.

Emergency medical technicians transported the victim to a local hospital, where he died a short time later, he said.

Investigators did not immediately know the identity of the victim or the motive for the attack, Valencia said.

Homicide Detective Timothy Bender Morton is in charge of the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll free at 877.903.7867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn up to $2,500 for tips that lead to an indictment.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Murders in Metarie

Leads sought in triple shooting at Metairie apartment

by The Times-Picayune
Friday July 10, 2009, 5:33 PM

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators worked Friday to identify a robber who shot three men at a Metairie apartment complex.

The victims were taken to LSU Interim Medical Center in New Orleans and are expected to recover, said Col. John Fortunato, a Sheriff's Office spokesman. "Nobody had any life-threatening injuries," he said.

The shooting occurred Thursday just after 10 p.m. in the parking lot of an apartment building at 6215 Riverside Drive. The victims were getting out of a vehicle when the robber approached with a revolver.

He demanded their wallets. When the men said the had none, he fired randomly at them and ran off, Fortunato said.
. . . . . . .

Anyone with information about the shooting may call the Sheriff's Office investigations bureau at 504.364.5300 or Crimestoppers Inc. at 504.822.1111 or 877.903.7867. Callers to Crimestoppers do not have to give their names and testify to earn $2,500. Tipsters may earn an additional $1,000 for information that leads to the recovery of the gun.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Double Murder in Iberville

Two people shot to death in Iberville housing complex; another shooting near Lakefront

by The Times-Picayune
Tuesday July 07, 2009, 1:21 PM

Police are on the scene of a double murder in the 1400 block of Iberville Street, near the French Quarter, in an apartment of the public housing complex. Officers say a man and a woman were shot to death in the incident, but gave few other details.

An unrelated shooting resulted in a wounded person appearing at the Walgreens Drug Store at 1100 Elysian Fields Ave., and authorities are at the business. An employee of the drug store reported that the shooting victim was alive and came to the business after being shot elsewhere.

Other details on the shooting incidents weren't immediately available.