Press Releases: * Volunteers Dedicated to Cause * Volunteer Ascension, Ascension Schools Partner with WBRZ's "STUFF THE BUS" Project * School "Work" has New Chief Busy (July 8, 2010) * Office of Lieutenant Governor -- LA Serve (updated July 1, 2010) * Volunteer Ascension's 9th Annual School Uniform Program * Volunteer Ascension's ConnecTeens Kickoff * Volunteer Ascension's Volunteer Awards ~ Great Success! * Volunteer Ascension Recognizes 2009 Dedicated Supporters --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2theadvocate > News > Ascension ASCENSION Volunteers Dedicated to Cause By C.J. FUTCH Advocate Ascension Section writer Published: Jul 22, 2010 GONZALES - By 3:30 p.m. on a recent Wednesday, the piles of school supplies lining the seats of a third Ascension Parish school bus climbed in tandem with the afternoon heat. "It's worse inside the bus," said Sherry Denig, new director of Volunteer Ascension. She had been there since 6 a.m. along with many of her volunteers, packing donated school supplies, mostly from inside the Office Depot in Gonzales, where they were parked. The 13th annual Stuff the Bus campaign, a partnership of Denig's organization and WBRZ, will supply Volunteer Ascension's larger School Tools Program. Last year, the program collected nearly 70,000 items to provide supplies for school children in parish schools. That, she said, was nearly four buses full. "This will give us a great head start," she said. None of it would be as effective without the outpouring of community support, including businesses, private donors and volunteers. "We've had groups coming in for two-hour shifts all day," Denig said, a total of about 125 volunteers, made up of Ascension Parish school groups, Beta clubs, and her own volunteers. One of those, 15-year-old ConnecTeen member David Gagne, emerged from the bus, his face flushed from the heat. He had been there since 9 a.m., alternating between collecting and sorting donated supplies inside the bus and luring potential donors with a stack of Stuff the Bus fliers and the pitch he came up with on the spot. "I tell people, 'every little bit helps.' I would have been here earlier, but I had two job interviews this morning." That's the kind of loyalty Denig has learned to love from her volunteers, and their willingness to brave the heat for a good cause. Free lemonade, tea and chicken fingers provided by Raising Cane's didn't hurt, either. Gagne, who also volunteers with seniors at Azalea Estates, said he does it because he's needed help before, and he likes giving back with his time and energy. "He's one of my best volunteers, I have a great group of kids," Denig said. But their job doesn't end when the buses are packed, Denig said. Once the event ended at 7 p.m., the real work of counting and organizing the supplies began. School Tools will have a final drive July 31 at Ascension Parish Walmart stores, Office Depot and K-mart in Gonzales. "I'll be there for that one, too," Gagne said. When school starts, teachers will send in orders for materials their students are lacking, and Volunteer Ascension will distribute the supplies. To volunteer with the next phase of the program, call (225) 644-7655
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VOLUNTEER ASCENSION, ASCENSION SCHOOLS PARTNER WITH WBRZ'S "STUFF THE BUS" PROJECT
Volunteer Ascension's 13th Annual School Tools Program and the Ascension Parish School Board are partnering for the 2nd year, with WBRZ's "Stuff the Bus" project to collect much needed school supplies for children in need. The School Tools Program was developed to help the students who might otherwise go without basic school necessities. All school supplies collected and "Stuffed on the Bus" on July 14th in Ascension Parish, will be added to Volunteer Ascension's Annual School Tools collection (Saturday, July 31st), and will be distributed throughout the Ascension Parish School system to children in need by Volunteer Ascension through the usual process. For more information or to make a donation contact Volunteer Ascension at 644-7655. How can I participate? Purchase school supplies and bring to Office Depot and Cane's parking lot on Airline Hwy. (Gonzales) and "Stuff the Bus" on Wednesday, July 14th between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. What can I purchase to help out? Essentially, any basic school supply will help, However, we never get enough of more costly supplies such as:
Binders (1" & 2")
Dry Erase Markers
Construction Paper and Dividers
The other more common supplies needed are:
Black & White Compositions
Glue
Pencils/Pens
Book bags (some needed)
Index Cards
Pocket Folders
Color pencils
Loose Leaf Paper (wide ruled)
Rulers
Compass Protractor
Markers
Scissors
These supplies are not as needed:
Crayons
*Children do not color as much; they have art
Notebooks
*Most teachers require binders, dividers & loose leaf paper instead
The children of Ascension Public Schools appreciate your support!
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School 'work' has new chief busy
GONZALES - Volunteer Ascension Executive Director Sherry Denig started work in May, just in time to gear up for the organization's big back-to-school campaigns: School Tools and Stuff the Bus, two programs that provide school supplies to Ascension Parish students, and the school uniform recycling drive.
Originally from Tangipahoa Parish, Denig, a Prairieville resident since 1994, is relatively new to the world of nonprofit work, if not to volunteer work. "I worked in real estate, starting in 1989 until last year," Denig said. The economic slump hit home when she was laid off, she said. "I started looking around then (in September of last year), and that's when I heard about this job," she said. Denig has volunteered on her own for several years, she said, but it was a stint working on a corporate volunteer initiative with Braveheart, an organization that collects and distributes supplies to children who have been removed from their homes as part of child-welfare cases, that opened her mind to the possibilities of nonprofit work. "It's just one of those things," she said. "I can remember thinking to myself when I was working on that, 'How great would it be to do this kind of thing all the time?' I sent Volunteer Ascension my information, and it all kind of went from there," Denig said. Since then, she's had to jump right into action. Stuff The Bus, a partnership between Volunteer Ascension, the Ascension Parish school system and ABC-affiliate WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge, is scheduled July 14 in the parking lot of Office Depot, 703 N. Airline Highway, Gonzales. Volunteers will be on hand from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. to accept monetary donations and donations of purchased supplies, Denig said. The bus, provided by the parish school system, serves as both an attention-getter and a way to transport donated goods back to Volunteer Ascension's offices. Donations then will be inventoried, divided and distributed as part of the School Tools campaign. One thing that has made Denig's transition easy, she said, is the enthusiasm of the Ascension Parish community when it comes to giving back. Area teachers are especially enthusiastic about this project, she said, in part because Volunteer Ascension asks them what they need. Before the program got started 12 years ago, teachers often had to pay out of pocket to provide basic supplies to students without the means to buy them. While Stuff the Bus is one of the more public drives, Denig said, blue collection barrels will at Walmart locations in Gonzales, Prairieville and Donaldsonville, and Kmart and Office Depot in Gonzales on July 31. As of last year, the program collected and distributed more than 69,000 items to area classrooms. For information, or to donate, contact Volunteer Ascension at (225) 644-7655, or visit its website, . They're looking for any basic school supplies, especially more expensive items like 1- and 2-inch binders, eraser board markers, construction paper and dividers. Other needed supplies: --Color pencils --Markers --Pocket folders --Wide-ruled loose leaf paper --Compasses, protractors, rulers --Black and white composition books --Glue, scissors, pens and pencils --Index cards --Book bags
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Office of Lieutenant Governor -- LA Serve (updated July 1, 2010)
Thank you for your continued patience as we continue to identify areas where volunteers can be deployed. We appreciate deeply the nation's outpouring of support and the many offers of assistance. Because oil is a toxic substance and dangerous if handled improperly, only specially trained responders may clean it up or dispose of it. BP is paying contractors to do this work. Volunteers at this time will not be assigned to oil-touching activities.
If you have not already done so, please register at www.volunteerlouisiana.gov to receive updates and information on any volunteer opportunities as they are identified. The registration form is found in the red boxed area on the homepage of our website. Please make sure you add laserve@crt.state.la.us and jpace@crt.state.la.us to your mailbox addresses so our updates are not returned. We do not have the staff capacity to individually respond to notices asking us to qualify ourselves.
While there are still limited environmental response activities today, we are working with conservation groups who are developing a strategy for what will be a long recovery effort. At the same time, the human services volunteer opportunities continue to grow. Visit HandsOn New Orleans to see these opportunities: http://tinyurl.com/25b5tm6 and Catholic Charities of New Orleans: http://www.ccano.org/?p=662
Many people's lives have been impacted by this event.
We continue to receive an increasing number of calls and emails from individuals and businesses wanting to donate goods or financial support to assist nonprofits responding to this event. While we are not asking you to donate, unsolicited donations may be offered in the following manner: for donations with an estimated cash value up to $10,000, submit the offer through the National Donations Management Network at www.aidmatrixnetwork.org by clicking on LA on the map. For offers that exceed an estimated cash value of $10,000, please go to http://labeoc.org/offer. This public/private partnership manages large donations during all hazards emergencies.
Depending on your locations and availability, you may also want to reach out to www.volunteermississippi.org , www.servealabama.gov or www.volunteerflorida.org to see what volunteer opportunities they may have. While you await news of opportunities on the Gulf Coast, we encourage you to look within your own communities to work with organizations that could use your willing heart and passion to benefit local citizens.
Janet Pace Executive Director Louisiana Serve Commission Office of the Lieutenant Governor www.volunteerlouisiana.gov
Office of Lieutenant Governor Responds to Oil Spill
Thank you for your interest in helping our coast during this massive oil spill. An aggressive cleanup operation is under way to secure the source of the spill, recover the spilled oil, and protect environmentally sensitive sites. Oil is a toxic substance and dangerous if handled improperly. Only specially trained responders may clean it up or dispose of it. We ask volunteers to avoid any site where the spill has made landfall and keep children and companion animals safely away. The initial response will aim at stopping the leak and containing the spill. It might appear to the public that a response has not been initiated but these sequential steps minimize the risk that areas already cleaned might again be contaminated. Please register at www.volunteerlouisiana.gov to receive updates and information on any volunteer opportunities as they are identified. You may also register with Gulf Response Involvement Team (GRIT) for some beach mitigation efforts: www.lagulfresponse.org There are now some oil spill-related opportunities emerging in the New Orleans region. For a listing of these opportunities, please visit http://tinyurl.com/25b5tm6 . Please note that some of these opportunities will help with individuals affected by the oil spill. Many people's lives have been displaced by this event. While you may be interested primarily in environmental issues, please consider the human services opportunities as well. NOTE: Volunteers must betrained before participating in any direct contact oil spill response. You must be at least 18 years old, able to follow both written and oral directions, and meet both the training and physical requirements for the role you would fill. BP is providing all of this training. Volunteers must be trained to rescue and care for the injured wildlife. Unauthorized individuals can, even with the best of intentions, harm irreparably the affected animals, some species of which are not accustomed to any kind of human interaction. We appreciate deeply the nation's outpouring of support and the many offers of help. Working with the Unified Command and our partners in the communities, we can recover our shorelines and communities and maintain the safety and security of our volunteers as well as the general public. Depending on your locations and availability, you may also want to reach out to www.volunteermississippi.org , www.servealabama.gov or www.volunteerflorida.org to see what opportunities they may have. LA Serve will continue to keep volunteers updated as the situation changes. Again, thank you for your interest. Janet Pace Executive Director Louisiana Serve Commission Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Volunteer Ascension's 9th Annual School Uniform Program
Please join Volunteer Ascension as we once again collect recycled uniforms for distribution to local Ascension Parish students in need (K-8th grades). Starting May 21st and continuing through July, barrels will be in place for clean, repaired and gently used uniforms to be dropped off at the following locations during normal business hours: The Athletic Center, Dutch's Cleaners, LeJeune's Cleaners, Uniform Post, Salvation Army and Kean's the Cleaners. Over 7,000 uniform pieces were recycled and distributed to these students through Volunteer Ascension's 2009 program. Due to generous monetary donations from Ascension Parish residents and businesses, some new uniforms were also able to be purchased through St. Vincent DePaul's "Uniforms for Kids" program. Please participate by gathering used uniforms and dropping them off at a designated location today! For donations to purchase new uniforms to bridge the gap between donated uniform supply and this year's need: Volunteer Ascension School Uniform Program, P.O. Box 1564, Gonzales, LA 70707-1564. To volunteer to prepare recycled uniforms or help with distribution, please contact Volunteer Ascension at 644-7655 or www.volunteerascension.org. Volunteer Ascension, where Volunteers are Changing Lives, is a local not-for-profit service organization that strives to positively impact the needs of Ascension Parish by promoting and developing volunteerism. The organization touches an estimated 14,770 individuals in our community through its volunteer based programs such as Community Services, ConnecTeens, Make A Difference Day, School Tools and School Uniforms. Our Patron funders are Parish of Ascension, Atmos Energy Corporation, St. Elizabeth Hospital, EATEL and Whitney National Bank. Volunteer Ascension is a member of the Points of Light/Hands on Network and receives funding from the community and local private sector.
Volunteer Ascension's ConnecTeens Kickoff
Thursday, May 27th - 6:00 pm at the Ascension Parish Library Gonzales - ConnecTeens will sign up new members (12-17 years of age) and announce their 2010 Summer Volunteer Calendar!
ConnecTeens is a Volunteer Ascension program that matches young volunteers with areas of need throughout the parish. The program was developed to provide volunteer opportunities to parish youth in order to foster an ethic of community service that will last a lifetime. In its ninth year, ConnecTeens will again help with Special Tuesdays, the Ascension Parish Library, the Fellowship Center, the Salvation Army, Volunteer Ascension's School Tools and School Uniforms, AND MORE!
In 2009, the teens participating in 156 different projects, and they logged over 730 volunteer hours. The continued success of the program is directly linked the positive responses from the agencies that are served as well as the teens who participate in the program.
Volunteer Ascension, where Volunteers are Changing Lives, is a local not-for-profit service organization that strives to positively impact the needs of Ascension Parish by promoting and developing volunteerism. The organization touches an estimated 12,914 individuals in our community through its volunteer based programs such as Community Services, ConnecTeens, Make A Difference Day, School Tools and School Uniforms. Our Patron Level funders are Parish of Ascension, Atmos Energy Corporation, St. Elizabeth Hospital, EATEL and Whitney National Bank. Volunteer Ascension is a member of the Points of Light/Hands on Network and receives funding from the community and local private sector.
Come to the Gonzales Library at 6:00 pm May 27th to sign up - or call Volunteer Ascension at 644-7655 for more information!
Volunteer Ascension's Volunteer Awards ~ Great Success!
Volunteer Ascension celebrated National Volunteer Week in Ascension Parish, hosting their exciting 12th Annual "VOY" (Volunteer of the Year) Awards Fundraiser. The awards show, which recognized volunteer nominees in four categories, was held on April 20th at Holiday Inn in Gonzales. Guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres while Cajun Comedian, Kent Gonsoulin entertained during the "Evening of Comedy". Mr. Gonsoulin's hilarious act wrapped up with assistant, Matt Pryor (Master of Ceremonies) and another volunteer to provide a musical finale that still has the guests wondering, "What was that!"
Mr. Pryor, opened the night by stating, "Let me tell you, you are in for a real treat tonight, because this event is unlike any other award show you've been to." He was right. The program, which was a take-off on the Oscars, was packed with transition from podium presentations by past winners, to cameos by the event sponsors, to an interactive, audience participation comedy show.
Excitement generated by Volunteer Ascension's 2nd Annual LIFETIME "World of Difference" Award, culminated with Ms. Bobbie Blanchard taking the prestigious honor. After guests listened in awe to brief summaries of the nominees' years of volunteer service to the community, they gave her a standing ovation on her many great accomplishments over the last 48 years. "The support from family members, friends and leaders throughout the parish who came to honor this worthy group meant a lot to the volunteers. Their volunteer activities provided much needed services throughout the community to those in need, and they certainly deserved the accolades," says Volunteer Ascension Board President Bill Martin.
Along with the certificate of recognition and pin from Volunteer Ascension, nominees (and guests) were given a commemorative program showcasing each nominee's awe-inspiring volunteer services. Executive Director, Audrey Boudreaux stated, "What a night! Each year I am amazed at how many volunteer hours these giving people provide our community. I also sincerely appreciate our Corporate Sponsors who insure our fundraising event is a major success: Atmos Energy Corporation, BancorpSouth Bank, Pujol & Pryor-Attorneys at Law, and St. Elizabeth Hospital!"
This year's winners:
The Youth Volunteer of the Year, Mr. Trevor Vampran ~ Trevor has been volunteering for 2 years, 30-40 hours per month raising much needed funds for cancer research.
Education/Youth Services Volunteer of the Year, Gasper Chifici. Mr. Chifici spearheaded a mentoring program for "at risk" students at the Ascension Parish Alternative School. He volunteers 10-20 hours per month focusing on students that are in great risk of dropping out.
Community Volunteer of the Year, Mr. James LeBlanc ~ Mr. LeBlanc has been a volunteer for over 30 years, and is the face of Emergency Response in Ascension Parish for the past 25 years. He has also served in numerous other volunteer capacities throughout the community with an estimate of 1,096 hours of volunteer time each year.
The 2010 LIFETIME "World of Difference" Volunteer, Ms. Bobbie Blanchard ~ Ms. Bobbie Blanchard, who volunteers approximately 1400 hours per year, became a volunteer 48 years ago, when a fellow classmate in a wheelchair needed help getting around. Continuing that passion, Ms. Blanchard started "Beau Porta Special Tuesday", which provides to the disabled of all ages, educational, recreational, and social opportunities in the Ascension community and surrounding parishes. In addition to "Special Tuesday", Ms. Blanchard is actively involved in countless other volunteer opportunities which were highlighted during the program.
Other amazing nominees in the categories were: Youth-Shelby Jones, Brookelyn LeBlanc, William Knight, and St. Amant High School NJROTC; Education/Youth Services-Mr. Randy Denham and Mr. Chip McCorkle; Community Services- Mr. Dustin Hughes, Mrs. Carmen Jackson and Mrs. Johnnie LeBlanc; LIFETIME - Mr. James LeBlanc. According to Boudreaux, the judges as always, had a difficult time judging all the worthy nominees, with only one or two points separating them. "Volunteers spend many hours away from their families each year. This recognition is only a small way to show how much we appreciate the difference they make in our community," says Boudreaux.
Volunteer Ascension, where Volunteers are Changing Lives, is a local not-for-profit service organization that strives to positively impact the needs of Ascension Parish by promoting and developing volunteerism. The organization touches an estimated 12,900 individuals in our community through its volunteer based programs such as Community Services, ConnecTeens, Make A Difference Day, School Tools and School Uniforms. Our Patron Level funders are Parish of Ascension, Atmos Energy Corporation, EATEL, St. Elizabeth Hospital and Whitney National Bank. Volunteer Ascension is a member of the Points of Light Institute/Hands on Network and receives funding from the community and local private sector.
Volunteer Ascension Recognizes 2009 Dedicated Supporters
Volunteer Ascension held their Annual Recognition Lunch at The Carriage House on February 24th, honoring dedicated supporters of the organization. Board of Directors President, Dr. Bill Martin and President-Elect, Sarah Zeringue handed out certificates of appreciation. These dedicated supporters provided the necessary funding and in- kind services that made it possible for Volunteer Ascension to provide over 1.1 million dollars in services and volunteer hours to those in need in 2009.
"As a not-for-profit in this economy, this support is very significant in assisting us to carry out our mission, and we sincerely thank each of them," states Audrey Boudreaux, Executive Director of Volunteer Ascension. Ms. Boudreaux also introduced the group to the Executive Director in-waiting, Sherry Denig, who will be replacing her in May of this year.
Volunteer Ascension, where Volunteers are Changing Lives, is a local not-for-profit service organization that strives to positively impact the needs of Ascension Parish by promoting and developing volunteerism. The organization touches an estimated 12,900 individuals in our community through its volunteer based programs such as Community Services, ConnecTeens, Make A Difference Day, School Tools and School Uniforms. Our Patron Level funders are Parish of Ascension, Atmos Energy Corporation, EATEL, St. Elizabeth Hospital and Whitney National Bank. Volunteer Ascension is a member of the Points of Light/Hands on Network and receives funding from the community and local private sector.
Those not attending include: Air Products & Chemicals Inc., Layne's Jewelers, CF Industries, The Fellowship Center, Motiva Enterprises, Price LeBlanc Toyota, Oreck, OxyChem, Ralph Sellers, St. Elizabeth Physicians and Couriers, United Community Bank, BancorpSouth Bank, Addicted to Chocolate, Ascension Storage, LLC, Athletic Center, Baton Rouge Title Co., Bee Line Graphics, Bernadette's French Restaurant, Dutch's Cleaners, Glazer's Distributing Co., Gonzales Art Guild, Harpist-Ms. Latreta Wilbert, Household of Faith, Houmas House Plantation, K-mart ~ Gonzales, Kean's the Cleaners, La. Pottery @Cajun Village, LeBlanc's Food Stores, LeJeune's One-Hour Martinizing, LSU Athletic Dept., Marchand's Custom Framing, Office Depot, Pelican Point Golf Community, Raising Cane's, Roussel's, Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul's "Uniform for Kids", Uniform Post, Wal-Mart ~ Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Prairieville, and Wright's Furniture.
2010 ConnecTeens Volunteer Ascension ~ Program Registration
Teenagers (12-17), register for volunteer opportunities on Thursday, May 27th at 6:00 - 7:00 pm at the Gonzales Branch of the Ascension Parish Library. This summer program is geared to introduce young adults to volunteerism, and the needs of their community. ConnecTeen activities will be held in June and July introducing them to volunteering, community, and giving to those less fortunate. Please contact the office for registration forms at 644-7655.
