Healthy Acadiana Seed Library

Healthy Acadiana Seed Library

Healthy Acadiana Seed Library

Team Seed Library

Project Description

The Healthy Acadiana Seed Library is a free program committed to increasing our community’s ability to feed ourselves wholesome food by offering seeds and education. Through the time-honored tradition of seed saving we celebrate biodiversity, nurture locally adapted plant varieties, and foster community resilience, self-reliance, and a culture of sharing.

The Seed Library operates on the honor system. You become a member automatically when you withdraw seeds to plant. We will encourage all members to save their seeds, donate them back to the library, and repeat.

Project Details

Team Leader: Angela Morrison
Funded Date: November 5, 2022
Amount: $2,000
Location: Lafayette, LA

Pitch

Progress

(% completed since funding)

%

Dear Community Letters

Project Updates

Healthy Acadiana Seed Library Update #3

Healthy Acadiana Seed Library Update #3

Dear Community,We are thrilled to announce that Healthy Acadiana's Seed Library has officially launched, and the response has been incredible! We are delighted to witness the enthusiasm and participation of our community members as they embrace the opportunity to...

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Healthy Acadiana Seed Library Update # 2

Healthy Acadiana Seed Library Update # 2

Dear Community,  Team Seed Library checking in again to update you on our progress! With every intention of sounding cheesy- the SEED that was planted at our Healthy Acadiana Coalition meeting back in June of 2022 has really GROWN! We can’t thank all of you...

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Healthy Acadiana Seed Library Update #1

Healthy Acadiana Seed Library Update #1

Dear Community, The Seed Library is growing! We are still in awe of the magic that the 24 Hr. Citizen Project gave to us. Between our conversations with the experts, the community support, and the other amazing teams we are so excited to see what’s to come for all of...

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GPS (Guide to Post Secondary Education)

GPS (Guide to Post Secondary Education)

GPS (Guide to Post Secondary Education)

GPS Project

Project Description

1 in 5 adults in Louisiana have some college credit but haven’t earned a degree. Some reasons adults (or young adults) do not attend or complete college are:

  • Fear
  • Immaturity
  • Lack of guidance/support
  • Academic unpreparedness or
  • Insufficient finances

High school guidance counselors desire to assist in this discovery process, but according to the American Schools Counseling Association, the ratio of guidance counselors to students in Louisiana is about 1:450.

We propose implementing a Guide to Post-Secondary (GPS) Curriculum at Northside High School to guide families through the college or trade school enrollment process. This curriculum includes workshops for parents & students such as:

  • Career exploration
  • Financial planning/management
  • College/trade school
  • Application college tours
  • ACT prep
  • Volunteering enrollment

9-12 grade students and their parents will matriculate through a series of workshops to foster conversations and thought processes about their future and create a clear, purposeful plan with action steps that will lead to a solid decision to attend a 2-year, 4-year college or trade school.

Students and parents who complete this curriculum will develop strong communication with each other, as well as, develop a “village” with other families and support staff who will take the journey with them. The support staff would follow each student and family for at least two years after high school graduation.

Funds received from the 24 Hour Citizen Project will be used to award incentives as students complete each checkpoint. The first 10 students who complete the GPS curriculum will be awarded scholarships.

Project Details

Team Leader: Karen Dugas
Funded Date: November 5, 2022
Amount: $3,500
Location: Lafayette, LA

Pitch

Progress

(% completed since funding)

%

Dear Community Letters

Project Updates

GPS Project Update #3

GPS Project Update #3

Dear Community,  We are very excited to report that six (6) Northside High School students will receive a $350 GPS Scholarship to be given directly to their post-secondary school of choice to assist with books and/or fees.  The GPS team worked closely with...

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GPS Project Update #2

GPS Project Update #2

Dear Community, Since our last update, Team GPS met with Brandon Noah of Unitech Training Academy and Mr. Darby, Northside High School's Senior Counselor, to determine eligibility requirements for three (3) Northside High School Seniors to receive FULL academic...

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GPS Project Update #1

GPS Project Update #1

Dear Community, On November 14, 2022, just two weeks after 24HCP, The U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona released this statement, “It’s time we bridge the divide between our K-12 systems and our college, career, and industry preparation programs, which leave...

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Lemonade Stand

Lemonade Stand

Lemonade Stand

Project Description

We’ve all heard the common phrase “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade”. The Lemonade Stand Project will allow youth to use their lemons to make a difference instead! By combining lessons on entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, basic construction, and quality control, youth at the Granberry Boys & Girls Club will build a lemonade stand brand and use the proceeds to impact local community initiatives.

There are nearly 1,500 nonprofit organizations listed in Lafeyette alone. Those organizations serve missions rooted in education, youth development, homelessness, hunger, and plenty of other meaningful services. Today, youth struggle to identify where to fit into the equation and how to make an impact while gaining useful skills in the process. The Lemonade Stand Project will allow youth to do just that! The club will partner with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Louisiana Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Center to deliver lessons and mentorship to participating youth to teach them important skills to develop their lemonade brand and business. Youth will then implement those lessons to pitch three lemonade stands across Acadiana on National Lemonade Day! 30% of each sale will remain in business to purchase supplies for the next year. Our teams of kids will spilt 10%. The last 60% will be donated to a community organization determined by participating youth. The first step of the project will be to devise a business plan for the lemonade stand. In the process, youth will gain valuable business skills, earn some money, and make a difference all through this project!

Project Details

Team Leader: Micah Nicholas
Funded Date: November 6, 2021
Amount: $3,315
Location: Lafayette, LA

Pitch

Progress

(% completed since funding)

%

Dear Community Letters

Project Updates

Lemonade Stand Final Update

Lemonade Stand Final Update

Jackie Unit - Lemonade Stand 12 participantsFunds raised: $706.40 (353 cups of lemonade)Charity of choice: The Outreach Center of Lafayette (Contact-Director, Bruce Gilcrease) 75% to The Outreach Center of Lafayette - $529.80 25% to kids for group celebration -...

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Lemonade Stand Update #3

Lemonade Stand Update #3

September 1st 2022 Dear Community, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana is launching a month-long entrepreneurship program at our two Lafayette Clubs, thanks to the 24-Hour Citizen Project. One of our premier programs at the Boys & Girls Club is “Career Launch”....

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Lemonade Stand Update #2

Lemonade Stand Update #2

Dear Community, We have been very busy since our last update! We were able to begin planning for our big day: August 20! Our kids are eager to get started and begin partnering with businesses to promote our lemonade stand. We will begin the entrepreneurship classes...

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Team Lemonade Update #1

Team Lemonade Update #1

Dear Community, Our club kids and families are still riding the excitement of being funded! It was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of our year. Over the last few weeks, we have made progress on our project in preparation of the August 22nd event. We’ve shared...

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Mad Thinkers

Mad Thinkers

Mad Thinkers

Project Description

Our team is creating a traveling, interactive theatre workshop that provides a performing arts outlet for youth in our community. This workshop will be 3 hours long, and includes a solid curriculum covering an introduction to theatre, along with a Mad-Lib style original play that explores important topics like bullying, self-esteem, and team-work! Our team is equipped with trained professionals to execute this project and we can’t wait to get started!

This project is two-fold.    For the children: Theatre activities provide an interactive, creative & immersive gateway for kids to express themselves & learn about the world around them. Theatre artists make observations and use life experiences to perform their realities, hopes, dreams, and ideas. Being part of a theatre activity can give a child the tools to be collaborative and creatively problem solve within a group. This project would be an attempt to expose youth to these skills in a fun and effective way!

For the professional theatre artists living in this community:   Too often, theatre artists work for free, especially in Acadiana. This leads them to leaving our area to seek paid work in their field. One of my goals, as a citizen of Lafayette, is to create job opportunities for our local performing arts talent. This is one small project, that if executed with care, can grow into a program that impacts children and supplies theatre professionals with jobs in future years.        Performing arts programming is often the first line item removed from school budgets. This negatively impacts both the children and theatre professionals in our area. This project will bridge the gap in performing arts offerings in our community by being accessible due to its mobility. With this project, teaching artists will travel to students who will benefit greatly from this experience.

Our team wants to share our knowledge of why theatre is important, what we can learn from theatre, character development, relationships, and storytelling with children in our community. Our hope is to introduce these concepts to children to give them a creative writing and performance outlet. First, the kids will be led through improv exercises that build self-confidence. Then they will become part of creating a story, giving them ownership and a sense of pride in their work. Volunteers from the group of children will be allowed to become our actors for the play we create together! They’ll dress up in costumes and use special props to aid them in acting the story out while the story is narrated by the instructors. Those not performing the piece will be part of our interactive audience. The instructors will give them cues in the script to listen for, and various things to do (make a sound effect, clap, stomp, etc) when certain things are said by the actors on stage. This demonstrates that all jobs in theatre are important, even being an audience member!

Project Details

Team Leader: Allison Brandon
Funded Date: November 6, 2021
Amount: $3,600
Location: Lafayette, LA

Pitch

Progress

(% completed since funding)

%

Dear Community Letters

Project Updates

Mad Thinkers Update #4

Mad Thinkers Update #4

Dear Community, Our second workshop on July 12, 2022, was a success! We partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana this time! We had about 12 kiddos participate, and we had a blast doing improv exercises, learning...

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Mad Thinkers Update #3

Mad Thinkers Update #3

Dear Community, We held our first workshop in partnership with New Hope Community Development Center on April 5 & 6, 2022. The workshop consisted of 2 fun-filled days including a crash course in theatre, improv exercises, team building, creative writing, script...

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Mad Thinkers Update #2

Mad Thinkers Update #2

Dear Community, Our program development has taken off in a big way! Danielle Moroux, recipient of 24 HCP 2017 funding for "Pop Up Kids Theatre" has joined forces with The Mad Thinkers for our creative writing process. Brii Simmons and I are working closely with...

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Mad Thinkers Update #1

Mad Thinkers Update #1

Dear Community, Mad Thinkers are moving and grooving in our process of creating our interactive theatre workshop. We are currently in “scheduling mode,” meaning we are scheduling our writing sessions, and our first workshop with Big Brothers Big Sisters. During 24...

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Saturday School

Saturday School

Saturday School: The EdD Series

Project Description

Saturday School is an academic project that will support the continued efforts of the Lafayette Parish School System to academically advance students. The project will specifically focus on core subject to ensure students are at grade level, pass EOC and graduate high school. The goal of the program is push students to new academic heights as we encourage them to be lifelong learners who share their knowledge and skill set with other Lafayette residents. This program has the potential to: improve student academic performance, which will allow student’s to be on grade level and increase the number of students who are graduating from high school with a traditional high school diploma.

Currently, there are a number of failing or lack of academic progress schools within Lafayette Parish. These schools range from elementary to high school, with all of the schools being within the Transformation Zone. The Transformation Zone is an area within Lafayette Parish that receives additional funding to support the academic and professional growth of students and educators. Although there is a clear effort from the school board to support academic growth within the transformation zone, many students are more than one grade level behind, which makes it difficult to obtain academic success with in the school year. My idea is to support the efforts of the transformation zone as we focus on developing student’s academic skills in a smaller and engaging learning environment. I would like to begin Saturday School by diagnosing students’ area of weakness to provide student’s with additional academic support to ensure they reach grade level standards and pass their end of the year state exam.

In order to ensure participation and academic growth, the Saturday School session will be four weeks. The schedule will be as follows:

Week 1: Diagnostic Week. Students will be tested to determine their area(s) of weakness. This test will determine where they will be placed for the remanding three Saturdays.

Weeks 2-4: Teachers will develop students’ academic skills through a supportive and engaging learning environment. Students will be able to take up to two core classes a Saturday. Courses that will be offered are: Science, Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts.

Certified educators who have been trained to provide engaging activities for at risk students will provide academic support. The activities will be directly aligned to the states educational standards for each grade level to ensure academic growth.

Working together as a community to provide students with additional academic support will help to improve the academic performance of our students, the schools performance score and the removal of the transformation zone stigma. Education is the key to improving the number of Lafayette residences, who graduate high school, receive post secondary education or training and become employed within the state of Louisiana. Programs such as Saturday School will allows students to feel supported as we encourage their commitment to learning.

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Project Details

Team Leader Brandi Clay
Funded Date November 9, 2019
Funding Amount: $3,500
Location: Lafayette, LA

Pitch

Progress

(% completed since funding)

%

Dear Community Letters

Project Updates

Saturday School Update #5

Saturday School Update #5

Dear Community, As I mentioned during my prior Dear Community Letter, we were happy to announce that we successfully completed the GOT IT (Saturday School) program where we were able to provide a variety of educational programs to juniors and seniors. I also mentioned...

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Saturday School Update #4

Saturday School Update #4

Dear Community, Through your generosity and support, we were able to complete GOT IT (Saturday School) successfully. GOT IT (Saturday School) was able to support numerous seniors and graduating juniors through multiple effective educational programs. First, GOT IT...

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Saturday School Update #3

Dear Community, The past ten months have been filled with uncertainty. COVID-19 has changed the lives we once led and has redefined our actions and routines. As we continue to navigate our new normal, one thing is for sure; The EdD Series team is still dedicated to...

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Saturday School Update #2

Saturday School Update #2

Dear Community, As a team member of The EdD Series and program leader of G.O.T. I.T., it has been my pleasure to plan and prepare for several juniors and seniors at Northside High School. Our goal is to ensure we increase the number of students who graduate from...

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Saturday School Update #1

Saturday School Update #1

Dear Community, We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the supporters of Graduate On Time with Individualized Teaching (GOT IT) Program. Your support of GOT IT has allowed this educational program to become a reality. Without the generous support of...

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