Help us reach 1,000 votes!
With only 4 more days in the competition we have 975 votes. Help us finish strong and get us across the 1,000 votes line! Remember, every vote represents an opportunity to positively impact the life of a veteran who needs a 2nd chance.
Vote today and share it on your Facebook wall. Click here to vote!
Helping is as easy as one click!
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We have 11 days remaining in the competition and we need to keep the energy up!!! You can help by encouraging your friends and family to participate! It starts by logging into Facebook everyday and voting. Once you’re done voting, click the red box that says “Post on Facebook.” That will allow your Facebook followers to see that you’re helping a great organization and how they can join in the effort. Think about what the $25,000 will mean – the first safe, stable place for a Veteran who has been homeless for months or longer to sleep; the security of knowing that you can count on 3 meals a day; the hope that a Veteran who has done so much for our country then lost their way can get back on their feet again. This competition is a way to change someone’s life and all of us can play a part in making this opportunity happen. |
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Have you voted to help our nation’s heroes today?
Have you voted to help our nation’s heroes today?
It’s the beginning of week 2 in our challenge to win the most votes in The Home Depot Foundation’s Aprons in Action campaign to win $25,000 for our Veterans Services Program but we NEED YOUR HELP!
With only 19 days left to vote, we need all of our supporters to log on to Facebook and vote for Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans in the Aprons in Action competition. Vote once a day, every day, and tell your friends to join in, too. Please share this posting on your Facebook timeline! With these funds we will be able to help veterans find a stable job, get back on their feet and be proud of who they are!
Your Help will Make the Difference – Vote for Volunteers of America!
If we win the $25,000 grant, the money will be used to renovate our Veterans Transitional Housing Facility.
How to vote:
Go to The Home Depot Foundation Facebook page and click on the Aprons in Action tab to vote. Or, just click here!
Taylor Flies High – Volunteers of America Helps Man with Autism Soar
Taylor Hardouin, a 28-year-old with autism, doesn’t have much to say. In fact, he rarely talks or shows emotion, even to Christy Cachere, his personal care assistant who works with him two days a week in Volunteers of America’s Supported Living Program.
But one thing brings Taylor out of his shell—airplanes and flying. Every Wednesday, Christy takes him to Lakefront Airport where he watches planes take off and land, as part of her committed search for ways to help develop Taylor’s abilities. “He could watch the
planes all day,” she says. “He grins from ear to ear. There’s something about the sound of the engines that gets him excited.”
Yet Taylor remained earth-bound. He had never actually flown. That is, until recently. Christy took Taylor to the airport so often they became a familiar presence to the staff, who spread the word about his dream of flying. Helicopter pilot Brayton Matthews decided to help and gave Taylor the thrill of his life. He took him up for a flight over Lake Pontchartrain and surrounding areas. Taylor sat in the co-pilot’s seat, and was animated and communicative throughout the afternoon. Taylor hopes to fly again soon and expand his horizons.
Helping people with disabilities like Taylor realize their full potential—whatever that may be—is the goal of our Supported Living Program. We help persons with activities that range from accomplishing the tasks of daily living to pursuing interests that unlock their minds. This sometimes is challenging, but it always is rewarding.
Volunteers of America’s services for people with disabilities like Taylor have recently experienced state budget cuts of 3.7 percent. Our challenge is how to financially manage support for persons with disabilities while maintaining the highest quality of services they deserve.
Billy: A Veteran Story
Billy is a New Orleans native who joined the Navy at age 18. After serving three years in the Navy working as a store-keeper, he was honorably discharged and returned home to New Orleans. Billy did not have many career options after returning home, but decided to start school at Delgado Community College. Not long after returning home, he began abusing drugs, dropped out of school and started working odd jobs to stay afloat. His uncontrolled lifestyle eventually led Billy to become incarcerated.
After serving time in prison, Billy returned home and began working at a restaurant in the French Quarter. One evening while at work he was injured. This injury requited surgery and he would be out of work for a while. After recovering, he was unable to find work. This stressful time caused Billy to become depressed, start using drugs again and eventually led to him becoming homeless. Billy felt as though he had truly hit rock bottom. He wanted to change his life, but was not sure how. A homeless shelter he frequented learned that he was a Navy veteran and recommended Volunteers of America as a place where veterans could receive support to rebuild their lives.
With the assistance of the VA, Billy became sober and qualified for the Volunteers of America Veterans Transitional Housing Program. In June of 2012, Billy moved into the Veterans Transitional Housing Facility, which provides housing, job training and supportive services to male veterans. Billy was determined to change his life and took full advantage of the many support services Volunteers of America provides. He maintained his sobriety and was focused on finding a job. With the support of his case manager, Chris Randall, Billy participated in the Work Readiness Program and was relentless in sending out his resume and attending job fairs.
When Chris offered to take Billy to a job fair for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, Billy was eager to attend. During an icebreaker session at the job fair, Billy blew everyone away with a short speech about his past and his goals for the future. Recruiters could tell he was motivated and one manager was so touched by Billy that he asked Billy to interview on the spot for a position in their shipping/receiving department. Billy excelled in the interview and was offered the job a few days later.
After accepting the job with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, Billy moved to Baton Rouge and is thriving. He now has a great job, his own place to live, and his life back. Volunteers of America is incredibly proud of him. The Veterans Transitional Facility provided Billy with the support and stability Billy needed to succeed.
Steve Dooley “Flips the Script”
Steve Dooley in front of his office building at Volunteers of America.
Steve Dooley’s life took many twists and turns before he arrived at Volunteers of America. He went from “zero to hero”, rising up from a tough background to being a social worker with two master’s degrees and as Steve jokes, “a theoretical Ph.D from the streets”. But a couple years ago the harsh economy took its toll on Steve and he “flipped the script”. The counselor needed counseling; the social worker became a client.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Steve stayed close to home for college when he attended Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) and Loyola where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in radio/tv communications. After college Steve joined the military where he was an airman/seaman for 3 years on the USS John F. Kennedy. He discovered his real passion for social work when he entered a master’s program at SUNO.
As a graduate student working towards becoming a social worker Steve participated in several community groups including Total Community Action (TCA), Big Brothers, and the Boys and Girls Club. When Hurricane Katrina hit he lived in a FEMA trailer on the SUNO campus with other hurricane affected students, faculty, and their families. He wanted to bring some relief to the emotional stress the children in the trailer park were facing and so he built a playground for the kids on the SUNO campus. The Louisiana Spirit’s “Unsung Hero” article praising him for his efforts gave him the credentials he needed to pursue another master’s degree in criminal justice.
Steve left for Colorado in 2010 to be with his girlfriend where he stayed until 2011. He was a lead treatment counselor at Shiloh House group home where he worked with traumatized youth (both the culprits and the victims). When his relationship started to wane he started feeling more and more isolated without his family and wanted to come back to New Orleans for their moral support. The kids were sad and crying when he left, but he knew it was time to go home.
Before he got back to New Orleans his mom had died with Alzheimer’s and Steve felt he was on his own for living arrangements. He could not find a job, became isolated for several months and found himself spending lots of time in his truck. Given his education and work experience Steve was shocked that so much time was going by and he couldn’t find any work in New Orleans. He was professional and educated but it just wasn’t happening. After so much searching and no success he became beleaguered with stress, duress, anger, frustration, and hurt. He didn’t need psychological help, he just needed a job.
At this point he turned to Volunteers of America where he was connected to a case worker. His social worker determined he was qualified for assistance as a veteran and he was given housing at Volunteers of America’s Veterans Transitional Housing Facility while he continued to search for work. Program Director of Supportive Services Melissa Haley recognized his abilities as a man of social work and soon hired him as an intake specialist at Volunteers of America’s Supportive Services for Veterans Families program (SSVF). Once again Steve “flipped the script” and is now back on an upswing. As an intake specialist Steve helps other veterans who are homeless to find permanent employment and housing. Although Steve was losing hope little by little during his period of unemployment, his new job has recharged his spirits. Ironically upon his Case Managers Ty’s departure Mr. Dooley replaced her as a Full Time Case Manager for the SSVF program.
Steve advises his clients not to get too caught up in handouts but to stay disciplined, be a go getter, and once you get what you’re looking for, make sure to maintain it. Throughout his low points in life Steve has remained optimistic, driven, determined, and realistic. He is working towards owning his own home, finding a great companion, and advancing in his career and of that he is “absolutely, positively hopeful”.
Roosevelt Finds Faith
Roosevelt stands in front of the Veterans Transitional Housing Facility with the leaf blower he donated.
Roosevelt grew up in a religious family in St. James, Louisiana, but his life took a dark turn before he returned to his faith many years later.
Roosevelt joined the military right out of high school. He worked as part of the Airborne infantry, parachuting out of planes and providing defense from the skies. He was a good soldier, but his anxiety and depression fueled his increasing craving for drugs and alcohol and once the structure of the military was no longer part of his life, he gave in to his temptations.
Drugs took over his life and became his whole reason for living. He was untrustworthy, dishonest, a thief. He still kept a job, but didn’t pay the bills. He lost all sympathy and compassion. His relationship with his wife and daughters took a backseat to his relationship with drugs. Everything was about him.
Years of drug abuse ensued. He “lived to use and used to live”. Eventually his health deteriorated and he ended up in a recovery program at a VA hospital for various medical conditions. He was in recovery for 11 months. Through recovery he discovered a new way of living. He started out in a 12-steps program which instilled in him the spiritual principles he needed to save his life. He then transferred from the hospital to the Volunteers of America Veterans Transitional Housing Program which provides housing and supportive services to veterans trying to rebuild their lives.
Roosevelt took advantage of every good thing Volunteers of America had to offer. Before he was agitated and anxious and didn’t know what his next move was going to be. But he started living in the present, taking control of his life and making things happen for himself instead of waiting for help. Even though the government said he had a disability, he still found a job that he could perform with his capacities. He got away from the bickering and self-pity that had kept him back for so many years. He diligently worked, went to his AA meetings, and never missed an appointment with his counselors at the veterans facility. He was incredibly grateful to his friend Jeff, a community leader at the facility, who taught him how to write a resume on the computer and helped him acquire a laptop.
Just as Jeff helped him, Roosevelt is now helping other veterans as a community leader at Volunteers of America. Roosevelt counsels recovering veterans with a special empathy that comes from living through similar struggles. He gives hope and lift spirits with his weekly readings. Although Roosevelt doesn’t preach, he advises according to what worked for him. As Roosevelt says, “Have faith. God’s will is the way, the only way. If you’re a child of God change will come.”
What have pulled Roosevelt out of despair are his blessings of generosity, compassion, kindness, understanding, and reliability. He gets the most joy from helping other people and has learned that giving away makes him feel better than acting selfishly.
The leaf blower that Roosevelt bought for the Transitional Housing Facility symbolizes all the values that Roosevelt has obtained over the years. He saw that the facility needed new equipment so he took the initiative to provide what they needed and extend a helping hand.
Although he still visits the facility as a community leader, Roosevelt thought it was time to go back to St. James and take care of his elderly mother. It has been a long journey towards spiritual awakening, but now that he has truly accepted Christ, Roosevelt has decided to get baptized in his hometown. Roosevelt says at his baptism his mother will be overwhelmed and overjoyed. He can’t wait to see her eyes light up when they enter the church together.
GolfStar Classic Golf Tournament 2012: Sponsor a Hole or Donate an Auction Item to Raise Money for Adoption Services
Volunteers of America’s 2012 GolfStar Classic Golf Tournament will be held on March 6, 2012. The event will be hosted again at the beautiful PGA Tournament Players Club (TPC) golf course.
In the brochure below is more information about how you can sponsor a hole on the course for $200 or play in the tournament for $250. We expect to host 144 golfers from all over the Greater New Orleans area. Our golfers are local businessmen, executives, board members and community leaders.
During the tournament’s after-party we will host an auction featuring items from local businesses. Sponsoring a hole or donating an auction prize is a great way to get your name in front of some of our area’s top corporate decision makers.
One hundred percent of all revenue from the GolfStar Classic Golf Tournament goes to the Adoption Program of Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans, Inc. Licensed Master’s level social workers work with pregnant women considering making an adoption plan. We counsel and educate all women who seek our services. We help women ensure a healthy pregnancy, regardless of whether they choose to parent their child, or place the child for adoption. The program also offers support groups for birthmothers and adoptive parents, placement of older children in state’s custody, and services for families seeking to adopt. Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans, Inc., is licensed as a child placing agency in Louisiana and Mississippi.
To learn more about how to sponsor a hole or donate an auction item please visit the Volunteers of America website or contact the tournament director, Al Kohorst at (504) 482-2130 or akohorst@voagno.org.
Clay Flourishes with the Help of Supportive Living Services
Clay was on and off the streets and living with his parents before Volunteers of America entered his life. Clay was not working at that time and he would wander aimlessly around the city, causing him to get into trouble. Clay started receiving services from Volunteers of America’s Supported Living Services program 14 years ago. Since then he has grown a lot.
A key aspect of Clay’s positive transition has been his Personal Care Assistant (PCA), Elsa. Clay went through a number of PCAs until Elsa came to work with him 14 years ago. Elsa recalls Clay’s loneliness at the time. When he wasn’t on the streets, he would hide in his dark bedroom with the windows shut and the blinds drawn. He was unhappy with his former PCA, but when Elsa came she was able to draw him out of his shell, help him to communicate better with others, and become self-sufficient. Elsa has taught Clay how to take care of his own medical needs and how to practice good personal hygiene. Most importantly, with Elsa’s guidance Clay does not get into trouble anymore.
After Clay proved his excellent work capabilities as a volunteer he was hired on as a permanent employee at Dorignac’s grocery store in Metairie. He is now able to afford his own apartment and has held a steady job at Dorignac’s for 13 years. When Clay is not working he likes to spend time reading at Barns and Noble and shopping for rock band t-shirts. Clay is particularly fond of classic rock and listens to a lot of radio. Clay loves drawing and painting, especially store fronts from places he has visited. Take a look at some of Clay’s art above.
