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Kingsley House eNewsletter
February 2008
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Mardi Gras 2008 at Kingsley House
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King and Queen of the Crew of Ka Royal Court reigned supreme at Adult Services' lively Mardi Gras Ball.
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Early Head Start and Head Start children marched down Magazine Street during the Kingsley House Mardi Gras Parade.
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Children from nearby El Yo Yo Head Start school were on hand and got plenty of beads from their Kingsley House friends. |
Head Start and Early Head Start children's donned costumes ranging from Mardi Gras Indians to Cowgirls. |
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"Give Families a Voice" town hall meeting
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On January 23, Kingsley House hosted the Marguerite Casey Foundation's Equal Voice for America's Families town hall meeting. More than 350 citizens had the opportunity to voice opinions about a variety of issues including affordable housing in the community, education, child care, employment, health care and homelessness. A panel of guest speakers addressed the meeting-goers, followed by small group discussions on how to improve the lives of families throughout the city.
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Photo: "Don't smoke, drink in moderation and eat healthy," advised Dr. Corey Hebert at the town hall meeting. |
As part of a nationwide campaign, Equal Voice for America's Families is an effort to build support for a national family-issues platform created and advanced by families to fight against poverty. The campaign will culminate in multi-city conventions held in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Birmingham in September 2008. For more information, go to www.equalvoice2008.com. |
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A Letter from the Front Lines |
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In response to their handmade greeting cards, youth in the Kingsley House Afterschool program received a letter from Ms. Lida of the U.S. Army National Guard 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. She expressed sincere gratitude for the colorful messages the children sent last month, a powerful reminder of the boost a simple greeting card can bring to our nation's troops.
In the letter, Lida offered a glimpse into the daily routine of U.S. soldiers as they train at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The youth also learned a few things about Iraq, its people, and its culture - lessons that the battalion is learning as they prepare for deployment in March. Ms. Lida explained the different food they eat in Iraq, the different types of clothes people wear, and the differences between American and Iraqi culture. For example, while we in America commonly flash the "OK" or "thumbs-up" gestures with our hands, Iraqis see this as being extremely rude.
With the notable differences between life in America and in Iraq, perhaps the most valuable lesson for the Kingsley House kids is recognizing that Iraqi children are not much different than themselves. They like to play, laugh, and they like to learn. By learning and understanding the people of Iraq, Lida's letter emphasized the importance of making friends with people of different backgrounds and how it helps them work together towards a peaceful world.
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Kingsley House Grows: |
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The Kingsley House Youth Services program has launched a new partnership with Benjamin Franklin Elementary in Uptown New Orleans to provide on-site tutoring and homework assistance to students after school. The program is the first Kingsley House Afterschool Program provided on site at a school and approximately 75 children have already enrolled. Five Kingsley House staff members facilitate educational and recreational activities Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 6:00pm.
Kingsley House Health Care For All and Family Life Services programs have expanded operations to a new office in New Orleans East. They offer Medicaid, LAChip and Food Stamp enrollment assistance, as well as individual and family counseling. The office is located at 5640 Read Blvd., Suite 610 on the 6th floor and is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Appointments must be made by calling (504) 523-6221 ext. 177. |
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Kingsley House, Inc.
1600 Constance Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130-4641 |
504.523.6221 telephone
504.523.4450 fax
www.kingsleyhouse.org
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About Kingsley House |
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Kingsley House, nationally accredited and renowned as the oldest Settlement House in the South, has served more than half a million people since it was founded in 1896. Today, we serve over 8,000 people per year in a wide variety of capacity building programs. We continue to devote all of our energies and resources to our mission to “educate children, strengthen families, and build community” as we work towards the successful recovery and rebuilding of our city, state and region.
Kingsley House is a United Way Partner Agency
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Kingsley House