What a whirlwind the past few months have been – and not necessarily in a good way, unfortunately. As a group, we have really been learning about what it is to lead community work that gets people excited but it is hard to find folks offering a real commitment to joining the mission. We have been eager to get things rolling and really had assumed we would have so much to share by this time, so here’s what has been going on:
We had a group who was super excited about the plan and willing to build our art closets free of charge, which was thrilling! We could then use the allotted funding for strictly art supplies. Because it was such a promising lead, we really hung on for probably longer than we should have… passions seem to have shifted a bit for those folks, and we don’t blame them.
We then had another passionate “YES” to being involved and building some closets for us. Similar to the first group, it seems that more important work took precedent.
SO – we have regrouped. If you attended the Big Event last year, you would be familiar with the Art Closet we had on wheels. We have tapped that builder for ONE MORE closet for us, this one being the biggest of the ones we have planned to be installed outside of J. Wallace James Elementary. Speaking of JWJ, they have a new Principal, Ms. Tassin, who has voiced her excitement over the project, too. More info is coming once we get this one going.
We were gifted a closet by School Board Member, Dr. Joshua Edmond, and plan to get this one set up to be partially mobile and housed at the Fightingville Fresh Market, which we are pumped about.
We also have another very talented carpenter interested in helping out with the last few boxes…but you can imagine how we are holding on to this excitement with some hesitancy…!
We are still as excited and determined as ever to bring art to the art deserts, so don’t think this slow slow pace has us down. 2024 is STILL going to be the year of the Acadiana Art Closet!
We hope this message finds you well and enjoying the transition into fall! We are excited to share an update on Team Fais Doo Doo’s efforts to install pet waste stations in Downtown Lafayette. As many of you know, keeping our community clean and enjoyable for everyone—pets included—is a top priority for us.
While we experienced a couple of setbacks over the summer, we’re pleased to report that things are back in full swing. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our team, we’re making significant progress toward having the waste stations up and running this fall. In addition to our efforts downtown, we’ve partnered with our neighbors in the Freetown-Port Rico community to relocate one of our ten pet waste stations to Heritage Park, a popular grassy area across the street from Gary’s. This collaboration will help extend the benefits of clean, pet-friendly spaces to even more of our community.
We’re happy to report that all supplies have been delivered, the waste stations have been assembled, and locations for installation have been marked. The only thing left is for gas lines to be marked so we can safely install the stations.
We’re looking forward to getting these stations operational soon, and we appreciate your patience and support as we complete this project. Together, we’re making Lafayette a cleaner, friendlier place for all! Thank you for being a part of this important initiative.
On the magical evening of April 27, 2024, 24 HCP and Sensory Grooves opened the doors of Wonderland Performing Arts in true red-carpet fashion celebrating our sensory and neurodivergent 8th-12th graders in and around the Acadiana area.
The night began as our Sensory Grooves staff placed a numbered VIP bracelet for each participant to adorn for the evening with a matching number tag given to the caregiver. This ensured that safety was the priority at check-in and check-out. After check-in, the grooviest selfie-station could not be missed. The sparkles and decor made each capture (texted/emailed) a build up to the exciting celebration ahead. Smiles of anticipation grew as each promenaded to the event room passing our professional and fun-loving security officer (Hub Enterprises). A representative from the silent disco headset company, Dohm Collective, eagerly awaited each participant with individualized headsets and instructions to begin grooving into the night. With the beats pumping, prom night officially began!
A groovy volunteer (supporter Owner/Speech Therapist of Let’s Talk, Rhea Dugas) shared her sensory knowledge and kindness with a table filled with radical sensory items to ensure each a personalized sensory experience.
Senses were immediately captured as the smell of fresh popcorn (Lafayette Rental Company) and hot pizza (Little Caesars of Broussard) filled the air. The vision of disco balloon towers encompassed the dance floor and Sensory Groove: Silent Disco Prom projected backdrop (supporters Montz Designs and BWPR) completed the decor.
Dohm Collective’s disc jockeys and Sensory Grooves own DJ Tory Trahan kicked the beats of three different music genres. The dance floor was graced with rhythmic expression by attendees dressed in expressive formal wear grooving their personalized night away. As the smiles grew so did the need for a cold drink. The thirsts were quenched with choice of water, lemonade, sweet tea (supporter Canes #53 – The Hook, Galen Istre), and Pepsi products (Acadiana Bottling). As breaks from dancing were needed, participants visited (supporter and groovy volunteer, Mrs. Marvette Johnson) Lynn’s Captures as she festively captured the evening with a free professional photograph.
No prom would be complete without a swag bag (supporter Cane’s – The Hook, Galen Istre) personally filled each swag bag with Cane’s merchandise and gift cards. Sensory Groove’s own Kathy Ladner extended swag stickers of Live A Great Story philosophy to our grooving participants; encouraging each to become the hero of their own story.
Sensory Grooves: Silent Disco Prom was promoted through social media, community calendars, direct emails to local school administration, doctors, therapists, and flyers (Lowry’s Printing) placed at locally owned stores; new friendships were forged as sixty groovers came from as far south as Houma and the surrounding Acadiana area. This majestic evening, one that most did not ever think they would be able to participate in, was graciously funded by the backers of 24 Hour Citizen Project for 100 participants. Our first year was a true learning experience. Sensory Grooves is extremely blessed and thankful to 24 HCP and backers for the opportunity to create and host such an evening. With that said, we have learned many groovy lessons as a team. We encountered bumps and obstacles with our team not truly grasping the number of hours dedicated to such a project. And with that we lost team members which handed down responsibilities onto others; but we made it work with dedication to the members of the community we created this evening for. Budget was another obstacle as our team knew what our participants needed and deserved. Without in-kind donations from our community supporters, we would have not been able to accomplish all that we did for the grooviest evening. April 27, 2024, was a brilliantly successful evening dedicated to the sensory and neurodivergent community. Sensory Grooves: Silent Disco Prom looks forward to hosting this spectacular event annually.
We’ve just started work again after our summer heat break! I hope everyone was able to stay somewhat cool over the summer. We’re excited to start planning our fall gardens and the changes we’ll be implementing for next spring season.
Unfortunately we were not able to find any more vets in the neighborhood that were interested in receiving our boxes, many simply don’t have the space to install any of the items (save for a few potted plants on porches which we give for free anyway). That being said, those fortunate to have space available have very much enjoyed watching their spaces grow around them. And 2 have developed quite the gardening habit, so we know the mission is working. Just not at the speed at which we hoped. Our plan is pivot and start offering a modified box with whatever the vet feels they need making the kits more accessible with things like small tools, starts, worm castings, etc. As well as reaching out to those outside the neighborhoods. It seems like this will be a little more popular. Luckily we will have a booth at black pot festival this year where we will have a B6 display with free plants and items we’ll be able to give away to veterans on the spot! With the changes to the equipment and contents of the box, we feel that we can have the rest of the kits distributed by the end of the fall season!
Another development I would like to highlight this year, is absolutely thanks to the spotlight that 24 hr gave us. We applied in the spring to have an adjudicated lot in Freetown or the northside donated for us to house our teaching gardens and urban habitats on. Unfortunately this was pushed now to January. But this will be a way for us to have an established location in the community that we can grow the B6 project from. Without the initial support and visibility we gained from the 24hr citizen project, we wouldn’t have been able to grow enough this year to even dream of being able to take over a lot! Thank you all.
As we gear up for the warmer months ahead, I’m excited to share some fantastic news regarding our 24 Hour Citizen Project ––especially for our furry pals and their humans. With the green light from the city, we are now setting our sights on getting these stations up and running just in time for the peak of summer. Imagine strolling through our vibrant downtown area, knowing that convenient and accessible waste stations are at your service whenever your furry companions need to answer nature’s call.
These strategically placed stations are designed to provide convenient and accessible locations for pet owners to dispose of waste responsibly. Each station will be equipped with waste bags, a disposal bin, and informative signage, making it easier than ever for pet owners to clean up after their pets while enjoying the heart of our city. By promoting responsible pet ownership, we aim to foster a cleaner and healthier environment for everyone to enjoy.
As we eagerly await the installation of these pet waste stations, I invite you all to continue spreading the word and championing responsible pet ownership in our downtown area. Thank YOU –– our amazing community –– for your unwavering support and enthusiasm. I can’t wait to see you all out there with your furry friends by your side!
Warmest regards, Gabrielle Keaton of Team Fais Doo Doo
Hello again everyone! We have exciting news from the Abby’s Acre team. We have completed all the kits and have started distributing them! We have given our first one to a gulf war era veteran here in Freetown! We have 4 more scheduled this week to 2 post 9/11 army vets and 2 Vietnam vets. We are also talking to the HERO program in Opelousas to receive several kits after we have given the initial 15 to put on their campus.
We have had our share of difficulties throughout this process. We had 3 different rebuilds after having some issues with our initial designs, as well as finding it difficult to find veterans who are interested in this program. Through our growing network of veterans we have had a recent spike in interest. One of the biggest challenges is coordinating installation of the garden and the boxes. Fortunately we have several volunteers available to help me install these!
The biggest change to our design is the change from a wooden vermicomposter to a plastic one. We had continuing issues with the wooden boxes leaking even with plastic liners. Although its not the most eco friendly option. We feel that the ease and convenience will encourage people to continue using it.
We are excited to grow this program over the summer and offer these kits all over Acadiana! Thanks again for your continued support. We’ll be tagging you our upcoming B6 posts!
