Team Leader: Blair Begnaud Funded Date: November 9, 2024 Amount: $5,000 Location: Lafayette, LA
Progress
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Project Description
Lafayette’s quality of life studies, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure studies, and community anecdotes, indicate a lack of viable cycling infrastructure, particularly end-of-trip bicycle parking in Lafayette. Lafayette isn’t a fully safe, walkable, or bikeable city yet, but cyclists are still here and are in need of support and we believe that community-driven efforts can make substantial progress toward creating a safe haven for cyclists. Many end of trip destinations like schools, parks, grocery stores, and local businesses lack bicycle parking. Installing bicycle parking that doubles as art murals on private and public property at end of trip destinations is a step in the right direction to expand bicycle infrastructure, inspire citizens and businesses to embrace cycling, support local artists and manufacturers, and boost overall ridership in Lafayette.
Phase I of this project seeks to utilize 24-Hour Citizen Project funds to purchase and strategically place Bicycle Rack Art Murals at three key locations—northside, downtown, and mid-town—where cyclists are already present, and bicycle parking is in demand. These bicycle racks, shaped like bicycles and are capable of holding 2-4 bikes, will be painted by local artists through a community art competition. Designed to be replicated, these Bicycle Rack Art Murals will become community art installations that businesses will want on their properties, similar to the popular Pelicans on Parade project. This colorful initiative encourages local businesses to invest in bicycle parking, show their support as bike-friendly establishments, and add vibrant local art to our community.
With pet ownership on the rise and Downtown Lafayette becoming a place where more people want to live, the need for proper pet waste management grows. We are excited to introduce a community initiative aimed at enhancing the cleanliness and appeal of Downtown Lafayette while promoting responsible pet ownership. This project involves the installation of ten strategically placed pet waste stations throughout the downtown area, providing a convenient and hygienic solution for both resident pet owners and visitors.
Project Objectives:
Promoting Responsible Pet Ownership: The primary goal of this community initiative is to encourage responsible pet ownership by providing accessible and well-maintained waste stations. This, in turn, will contribute to a cleaner and more enjoyable downtown environment.
Improving Public Spaces: The ten pet waste stations will be strategically located in high-traffic areas and popular pet-friendly spaces, ensuring accessibility for pet owners while maintaining the overall cleanliness of public spaces.
Community Engagement: The project aims to foster a sense of community responsibility. By involving residents, local businesses, and visitors, we hope to create a collaborative effort in keeping Downtown Lafayette beautiful and pet-friendly.
Project Details
Team Leader: Gabrielle Keaton Funded Date: November 11, 2023 Amount: $3,750 Location: Lafayette, LA
Dear Community, 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...
Hey Lafayette Community! 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...
Hey there, friends! I hope you're all wagging your tails with excitement because I've got some paws-itively awesome news to share about our pet waste station project! I'm thrilled to announce that after discussions and collaboration with the city, we've officially got...
Dear Community, We are absolutely thrilled to reach out to you with boundless excitement and gratitude for the incredible support we’ve received for our project to bring pet waste stations to Downtown Lafayette! From the start, this project has been fueled by the...
The sights and sounds of a festival or any large scale event can be very overwhelming, especially when there’s nowhere to retreat to. Think of a Mardi Gras Parade…you’ve been standing all day, the music hasn’t stopped, you may be hungry, cold…hot…like you want to crawl out of your skin…You don’t want to leave the parade for good but your brain is telling you: I just need a minute!! Or, what if you are in a wheelchair and need to change, but there’s no accessible changing station close by? This is where Team Sensory Safe Spaces comes in.
Team Sensory Safe Spaces will team up with that particular event to provide an inclusive space for ALL to rest, refresh, and decompress before enjoying more of the event. At these designated spaces, there will be sensory tents (hello shade and decreased noise), sensory bags to be given out (think fidgets, sunglasses, earplugs, gum), calming activities (art, sensory bins, and bubble machines) and much more to ensure that those who may be overwhelmed or just need a break can still experience and enjoy their time.
One key (and hopeful) feature of the space will be to provide a changing area for individuals who are in wheelchairs or still have difficulty with bowel and bladder control. There will be a designated tent (not necessarily at the main location) that can still provide the appropriate accommodations and autonomy that everyone else has at an event. We all need and deserve an opportunity to take a break and chill at large scale events. To date, there is nothing like this in our community. The Beluga Project, in conjunction with Festival International, helped create the first space like this at Festival in April 2022. The positive feedback we received throughout and the call to do more of this is apparent, however, we need funding to make this space work over and over, not just one time. From durable tents, to filling the sensory bags, we need our community to help make this happen…one inclusive event at a time. Thank you 24 Citizen Project for helping make this happen!
Project Details
Team Leader: David Pilon Funded Date: November 5, 2022 Amount: $3,000 Location: Lafayette, LA
Dear Community,We're still tired, yet feeling grateful. WOW! Festival International just ended as you know. We saw many of you there which was freaking awesome. Without you, we wouldn't have a safe space (Zone Detente) at festival. Without 24CP, we could not have...
Hello community! We are still so grateful for the support that we have received for this project. The relationships are connections we’ve been able to establish and harness is more than inspiring. We are happy to announce we will be partnering with the city of...
Dear the (coolest, funkiest and most supportive) community members, First of all: THANK YOU. Thank you all: the backers, our team, the other teams, the 24 hour citizen/civicside team, YOU, to those you’ve told, et al. We are so grateful. We learned and will continue...
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
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 -...
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”....
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...
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...
The Oasis Pantry will serve as an alternative food resource for the Oasis Community. Constructed in an easily accessible location within the neighborhood, this unit will feature cool items, nonperishables, and fresh fruit and vegetables. The pantry will also include a Dropbox for area residents to give donations throughout the week. While we welcome all community members to partake and participate in this initiative, its centralized location will allow safe and easy accessibility to our community’s most vulnerable population, children under the age of 14.The food pantry would not only be a way to curb hunger but to show love & compassion. We at Oasis believe that we can help the problem by becoming the internal solution. Being proactive in this time is critical and needed. Showing love and hope is not only rewarding but appreciated by the ones receiving. It is our hope that this pantry will also be a cycle of hope in our community in that when families utilize the resources of the pantry and are able to get back on their feet, they can invest back into the pantry for other families in need.The oasis food pantry is not only a way for us to give back to the community, but for the community to give back to itself. Our hope is that this initiative will spark community engagement, pride and unification.
The idea for constructing this neighborhood pantry is not only for needy families in our community but for the homeless population existing in our community. We have a heavy presence of homeless people in our community and the pantry is to be the hand up they need, continuing the restoration in our community. We desire for our residents to see Oasis Pantry as a reservoir and source of hope, healing and restoration.
Project Details
Team Leader: Valerie Lewis / Josh Edmond Funded Date: November 6, 2021 Amount: $2,500 Location: Lafayette, LA
Dear Oasis Community, It’s happening. IT’S HERE! The Oasis Food Pantry started as a vision to sow into our community and serve as an additional resource to our residents. We wrote the vision, made it plain, pitched our plan, got funded – and pushed forward to the...
Dear Community, We’re gearing up for an exciting summer in Oasis! In addition to multiple activities planned by local and government organizations for our community in the coming months, we’re moving full steam ahead with the Oasis Food Pantry. Our vision is for the...
Dear Community, Great things are on the horizon for our Oasis Community. Despite our Coterie’s limited visibility since the onset of COVID-19, we’ve not lost sight of our commitment to our community. Many of you may recall providing us with valuable feedback as to...
