Reflecting on the Fifth Anniversary of Katrina
It's hard to believe that 5 years have passed since hurricane Katrina devastated St Bernard Parish on August 29, 2005. So much has happened since then - families have returned, schools have been rebuilt, businesses have reopened. The Community Center is proud to have played a role in helping the resilient and determined residents of St Bernard Parish rebuild their lives and their communities during these years of struggle and renewal.
We are very glad that the Center is now able to help more than 6,600 residents yearly with basic necessities like food, clothes, medical care, legal aid, financial literacy, and much more right in their own parish. We're grateful to our partner agencies who work with us to bring resources from across the greater New Orleans area to our "one stop shop" here in St Bernard. We're thankful to our volunteers - more than 1,500 every year - who generously give their time to come from all around the US and internationally to lend a helping hand. And we are inspired by our clients, who continue the day-to-day work of rebuilding their lives in the face of tremendous obstacles like hurricane Rita, hurricane Gustav, the national economic crisis, and now the Gulf Oil Spill.
But as far as we've come, it is clear that much more remains to be done before the recovery in St Bernard Parish is complete. And now the Community Center of St Bernard needs your help and support if we are to continue our work. Even before the BP Gulf Oil Spill, our building was crowded to capacity on our busiest days, and the huge increase in the need for services since the spill began has strained our facility to the limits:
It is vital that the Center raises at least $500,000 to purchase a larger building by October 31 so that local families in need will not have their access to critical Community Center programs and services disrupted because of lack of adequate space for the Center to offer its services. More information about the Center's urgent need for a new facility is available in the interview that Executive Director Iray Nabatoff recently gave to Channel 26 news reporters: ABC 26 This Week
In commemoration of the K-5 Anniversary, here are 5 ways you can help right now to ensure that the Community Center of St Bernard is able to continue assisting local families through 2010 and beyond:
1. Make a secure donation with paypal or a credit card using this secure paypal link:
Or send a donation to the Community Center of St Bernard, 1107 LeBeau St, Arabi LA 70032.
2. Download a petition in support of the Community Center from www.ccstb.org/images/petition.pdf. Sign it and pass it on to family, friends and neighbors who may be interested for their signature as well. Then bring it to the Community Center or mail it to the Center at 1107 LeBeau St, Arabi LA 70032 . You can also fax the petition to 916.675.7827 or attach it to an email and send to postmaster@ccstb.org.
3. Write to the St Bernard Parish Council at 8201 W. Judge Perez Dr, Chalmette, LA 70043 and ask them to support the Community Center. A list of the Council Members is at the Parish Council webpage or available by phone from
(504) 278-4228.
4. Buy a t-shirt, a hat, a mug or a bumper sticker! There are a lot of great items to choose from for all tastes and budgets at the Community Center's online store www.zazzle.com/billyccstb, so support the Center while you show off your sense of style!
5. Organize a fundraising event - a garage sale, fundraising dinner, raffle, craft fair, silent auction or other event! If appropriate, the Center's Executive Director Iray Nabatoff would be glad to travel to your location to do a presentation about the effect of Katrina in St Bernard Parish, and the vital role that the Community Center is playing in helping local families recover from this catastrophe.
Thank you for your support!
The Community Center is here, ready to aid St Bernard residents in need, in any way we can. But we can't do it alone. Please help us now so that we can continue to provide essential services like food and clothes to families during this ongoing crisis.
Welcome!
Even though it has now been nearly 5 years since Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005, the devastation in St Bernard Parish remains overwhelming. Entire blocks of homes and businesses still stand empty and derelict, marked for destruction. There are no hospitals here now, and the population is only about half of what it was before the disaster. Yet the rate of child abuse in St Bernard Parish is up by 150% compared to pre-Katrina values, and the rate of elder abuse and neglect has risen by an incredible 335%.
As they undertake one of the most daunting disaster recovery efforts this nation has ever seen, the people of St. Bernard have very practical needs. They need laundry facilities so they can keep themselves and their children clean. They need phones so they can maintain contact with family members scattered across the country. They need internet connections so they can find information about rebuilding their businesses and their homes. They need a centralized location for services so they can receive donated supplies and assistance easily and with dignity. And they need a place to come together to enjoy a hot, nutritious meal and share their ongoing frustrations and successes with their neighbors. The Community Center of St Bernard is dedicated to providing hurricane survivors with the recovery resources they need in a safe and all-inclusive setting.
Vote For Iray
The Community Center is proud to announce that Executive Director Iray Nabatoff has been nominated for the 2010 Jewish Community Heroes Campaign. The Jewish Community Hero Award honors those making strides to repair the world, starting in their own communities. The campaign, organized by The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), celebrates the selflessness and courage of those who put others before themselves.
Over the next 3 months, ending October 8, 2010, anyone across North America can go online, submit nominations and vote for the real candidates they believe best embody the spirit of the award. The Hero of the Year will be provided with grant to be used as an investment in their community project or non-profit effort via his or her local Jewish Federation, or another recognized 501(c)3 charitable entity or Canadian equivalent, and he or she will be invited to and recognized at the 2010 JFNA/Federation General Assembly in New Orleans.
The remaining four finalists will receive a smaller amount to be used as an investment in their community project or non-profit effort via their local Jewish Federations, or recognized 501(c)3 charitable entities or Canadian equivalent.
You may cast one vote per Hero every 12 hours from now through October 8, so please take a moment to vote now at:
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/iray-nabatoff/
and then pass on the link.
THANK YOU for your vote and support!
Donations Needed!
The Community Center welcomes donations of canned foods, used clothing and books, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and baby care items for free distribution to local residents through our Mustard Seed program. All items should be in good condition and food should not be opened or spoiled. For more information about making a donation, please contact Mustard Seed Distribution Manager Krystle Johnson at 504-281-2512.
Donations of new or used books are also always appreciated. And for those of you who have extra time, keep in mind that there are also many hands-on volunteer opportunities available at the Community Center in the office, kitchen, and distribution areas. To learn more, please go to www.ccstb.org/images/volunteers.pdf or phone the Community Center Office at 504–281–2512.
Finally, we are trying to obtain a donation of tshirts for volunteers and staff to wear during Community Center events so that visitors will know who to talk to if they have any questions or need assistance. We would ideally like to get 200 shirts in assorted sizes, with the Community Center logo on them. If you know of an organization or business that could donate these items, please let us know! We'll be glad to provide a receipt for tax deduction purposes.
Andrew Jackson Lodge No 428 F. & A.M. Honored
The Community Center of St Bernard is very proud to present our first Community Service Award to Andrew Jackson Lodge No 428, F.&A.M. Since 2006, the Lodge has graciously made Old Hickory Hall available for use as the Center's main facility. Thanks to this remarkable generosity, the Community Center and its many partner agencies have been able to serve more than 5,000 local families with everything from hot meals to medical care to legal aid, Road Home assistance, food stamp enrollment, dinner dances, clothes, afterschool events and more. We are very grateful for this wonderful expression of community spirit on the part of the Lodge, and we thank them wholeheartedly for their outstanding efforts to give back to the community.
From left to right:
Claude Rome, member, Andrew Jackson Lodge No 428, F.&A.M. and Board of Directors of the Community Center of St Bernard ; Christopher Andry, Vice President, Board of Directors of the Community Center of St Bernard; Iray Nabatoff, Executive Director, Community Center of St Bernard; Daniel J. Ledet, P.M., Senior Warden, Andrew Jackson Lodge No 428, F.&A.M.
From left to right: Iray Nabatoff, Executive Director, Community Center of St Bernard and Daniel J. Ledet, P.M., Senior Warden, Andrew Jackson Lodge No 428, F.&A.M.
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