As Director of Operation Playground for KaBOOM!, I saw a lot in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, but I’ll never forget the first time I saw ‘Play World’ in New Orleans. It was a...
This month for our “Be the Change Spotlight” I’d like to introduce you to High Voltage Youth Camp, an organization committed to providing educational and recreational programs for youth and senior citizens of New Orleans.
How High Voltage Youth Camp...
It’s that time. Red, White and Blue everything. BBQ’s, hot dogs and pool parties. As a kid, all I remembered was hamburgers and fireworks on that day. As an adult, I don’t celebrate the 4th of July. Matter of...
Everyone has their Katrina story. I'm very lucky that mine is not terrible or tragic like so many are. Mine is a tale of inconvenience, more than anything.
When I evacuated on Saturday, August 27, I was headed to my...
This month for our “Be the Change Spotlight” we’d like to introduce you to Communities in Schools of the Gulf South, an organization committed to surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and...
This past year certainly brought challenges no one could have predicted and it's certainly a year that will be talked about for a long time to come. As this year comes to a close, we wanted to take a...
My Living Hurricane Nightmare
Living in a coastal city, all us mommas have to prepare for Hurricane Season. We all joke that we need to get all our hurricane snacks for a “hurricane party,” batteries, and important paperwork in waterproof...
Media Overload
Every election season I get truly overwhelmed at the seemingly constant barrage of political arguments from both social media and mainstream media. Being the fight or flight person that leans very much to flight, around September, I usually...
It’s August 28, 2005.
We watch helplessly as long lines of New Orleanians make their way into the Superdome, clutching pillowcases, suitcases, and small children.
We watch this scene on a small TV screen in New York’s JFK airport, squeezed into...
This month for our “Be the Change Spotlight” I’d like to introduce you to YAYA Arts Center, an organization committed to empowering creative young people to become successful adults.
How YAYA Got Started::
Founded in 1988, YAYA (Young Aspirations Young Artists,...
This month for our “Be the Change Spotlight” I’d like to introduce you to Innocence Project New Orleans, an organization committed to freeing innocent, life-sentenced prisoners.
How Innocence Project New Orleans got started
Innocence Project New Orleans (IPNO) began in 2000...
Disclosure :: This post was created in partnership with our sponsor Toyota.
The Toyota Effect
When you think of the brand name Toyota, you probably think of cars. But did you know that Toyota has a greater mission? Toyota believes that organizations should...
My family has lived in New Orleans for generations. I remember them talking about Betsy all the time, “I didn’t evacuate for Betsy” and “I survived Betsy” blah blah blah. But this storm coming, this storm was different. It...
Let’s face it Louisiana, it’s been a tough week.
Scratch that. It’s been a tough month.
From police shootings to protests and now watching the floodwaters rise and fall while waiting to see which neighborhood the river will consume next has...