Lake Charles Programs are Hosting Lunch-to-Go on Friday, July 30th!

Only $6!  Pre-orders are required.

Click here for more info.

National Charity League Makes Quick Work of Scholastic Book Donation!

On June 26, volunteers from the National Charity League woke up early, headed over to the Blue Cross Blue Shield warehouse, donned safety vests and dug into a huge box of books.  The new books were a donation from Scholastic Books made through Volunteers of America's national office.  National Charity League volunteers pulled the books out, sorted them by age range, then counted and packed them into smaller boxes so they could be picked up and delivered to our programs.  The books will be given to children in our programs who, because of their families' financial situations, do not have access to books in their home.  The teens and moms worked quickly and were able to sort and pack all of the books in a little over an hour!  Thanks again to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana for allowing us to use their warehouse space!

Girl Scouts Help Oak Park Plaza Celebrate June Birthdays!

Girl Scout Troop #424 knows how to throw a party!  On June 13, the girls hosted a birthday party for all of the residents at Oak Park Plaza and celebrated everyone who had a birthday in the month of June.  As part of the festivities, the volunteers led a game of BINGO and gave out gifts and prizes.

Volunteer groups are needed on a monthly basis to host birthday parties at our Oak Park Plaza and Dumas House programs.  All residents are aged 62 or older and have low incomes.  Many do not drive or do not have family nearby, so volunteer-sponsored parties may be the only chance they get to celebrate their birthday!  Groups provide refreshments and cake, party supplies and entertainment. Hosting a birthday is a perfect opportunity for church groups, student organizations, civic groups, fraternities and sororities and more!  View Current Volunteer Opportunities by clicking here.

New Ministers Commissioned at National Conference in Seattle

On June 6, 2010, Volunteers of America commissioned two new ministers from the Greater Baton Rouge office.  Stacie Comeaux, ACA Coordinator for our Juvenile Day Programs in Lafayette and Opelousas, and Effie Toliver from our Partnerships in Child Care program in Baton Rouge received minister's stoles from National President Charles W. Gould and Vice-President of Ministry Development Harry Quiett after participating in a year-long course of study.

Congratulations also go to volunteer Bessie Senette who was already a Constituent Minister and completed an additional, more rigorous course of study to become an Ordained Minister with Volunteers of America.

Volunteers of America is an interdenominational church with a distinctive ministry of service.  Our ministers come from a wide variety of Christian faith traditions.  Employees who pursue the opportunity to become a minister make a commitment to Volunteers of America the church and make a deeper commitment to the agency.  By becoming ministers, they take the extra step to minister to staff and participants in our programs on another level. 

Human Resources Director and Minister Rosanne Acampora, who mentored Effie Toliver throughout her course of study said, "I was excited and honored to see Effie receive her stole because I know how much Effie will bring to the ministry and the value she will bring to our Greater Baton Rouge office."  Community Resource Developer and Minister Debra Williams was thrilled when Stacie Comeaux originally expressed an interest in the ministry. Debra, who served as Stacie's mentor, said, "Stacie's heart is in working with families, prison ministry and street ministry.  She is a blessing as a minister, colleague and friend." Stacie and Effie will be formally installed at the local level during Employee Recognition ceremonies at the end of July.

For more information on our ministry of service, please click here or go to our national website, www.VolunteersOfAmerica.org.

Photo, left to right: Charles W. Gould and Stacie Comeaux

Photo, left to right: Charles W. Gould, Effie Toliver, and Harry Quiett

This year's Celebration for Change event was a great success!  Board members and supporters invited friends, family and colleagues to learn more about the positive change that can be made in South Louisiana by supporting the services of Volunteers of America.  The highlight of the program was a video showcasing a single dad of three young girls who were saved from the brink of homelessness by our Supportive Housing program.  This family is determined to stay together at all costs but challenges, such as not having a family car, are holding them back.  After the video, Jane Shank, President and CEO made a surprise presentation to the family of a 1999 Honda Accord that was generously donated by a donor who had already heard their story and wanted to help.  There were very few dry eyes in the audience!  Thanks again to everyone who attended!

What Our Celebration for Change Guests are Saying...

"Absolutely the nicest fund raising event I've been to in a while"

"Truly a successful event, the speakers spoke from the heart"

"I haven't cried since my son was born, but I cried that night watching the video"

"My guests said that they really enjoyed the event and we impressed by the size and scope of Volunteers of America"

"I made a donation and didn't even plan to"

"It was a very moving video and then to meet the family- It was really great to see"

'I truly enjoyed it!"

"I can't say enough about what I learned about the organization.  I cried the whole time"

"The video was very touching, very effective, heart-warming.  It was great to see them get that car"

"The thing I remember was when Jason, Jordan, Jesse and Jaden were on stage and all I could hear were people sobbing and sniffling."

"The event was fabulous.  Great locale, food and social climate.  The program was outstanding."

"It was a nice touch being able to see the family there- I got chills!"

"It was my first time attending Celebration for Change.  The event was so touching, I want to become a volunteer!"

Senior Residents Get Healthy at Oak Park Plaza

On April 22, the residents of Volunteers of America's Oak Park Plaza program were able to meet with local health organizations and providers to get tips and services that promote healthy living.  The program has been hosting this Health Fair annually for the past 10 years.  Among other services, residents had their vision checked thanks to Sam's Club Optical, got a blood pressure check, picked up some healthy snacks and received nutrition information from Southern University's Cooperative Extension program. 

Pauline Melvin, Service Coordinator, said that the annual Health Fair is an important event for the program because many residents do not drive and have difficulty accessing off-site services or don't know what services are available in the community. Resident Helen Kleinstiver  (pictured at left picking up some snacks) was able to get access to much needed assistance at the Health Fair two years ago.   Mrs. Kleinstiver lives with macular degeneration which makes it difficult for her to see her computer screen.  One health fair vendor helped her get a zoom program that makes the images on her screen larger and easier to view so that she is still able to use her PC.

Oak Park Plaza provides 100 units of affordable housing
for low-income seniors over age 62.

Seeing is Believing!  Take a Program Tour Today!

Taking a quick tour of our programs is a great way for donors and volunteers or people who want to get involved with our organization to get to know us better.  Come see our services in action and meet some of the people we serve.  Tours generally last one hour.

To take a Baton Rouge Program tour, Click Here

To take a Lake Charles Program Tour, Click Here

To take a Lafayette Program Tour, Click Here