On Saturday, October 1 Maryam Kased, an NOCDC intern, held a reception at her home in Kenner for 12 NGO Management women visitors from Saudi Arabia.  The visitors enjoyed an afternoon tea with local women from the community and Mosque.  The Saudi visitors were able to learn about the Arab community in New Orleans and their experiences during Hurricane Katrina.

The visitors spent almost a week in New Orleans meeting with leaders of various non-profit organizations and discussing best practices, the importance of volunteers, and fundraising strategies.  As part of their program, they volunteered during City Park's Super Saturday by helping plant, clean, and water plants. Such an activity is not something typical for their background, but by the time they left the park, the visitors were very proud and enjoyed their volunteer experience tremendously.

Photo used with permission of Backyard Gardeners Network    

Lower Ninth Ward community members  enjoy an impromptu  

break-dance by a professional hip hop artist from  Algeria on October 4   

NOCDC recently hosted an enthusiastic delegation of Algerian musicians and performing artists. The eight visitors met with organizations throughout New Orleans and Baton Rouge during their Engaging Youth through Music program. Ms. Jenga Mwendo-- founder and director of Backyard Gardeners Network--  generously reached out to NOCDC to host a Lower Ninth Ward community event to welcome the visitors to their community on October 4. The evening commenced in the Guerrilla Garden-- one of Backyard Gardeners' projects-- with the All Souls Episcopal Church & Community Center's children's music class's first performance of the season. Afterwards, visitors and community members adjourned to All Souls where they enjoyed a potluck supper and an impromptu performance by the Algerians, which Ms. Mwendo described as "traditional-meets-hip-hop". Senator Cynthia Willard-Lewis of District 2 stopped by the event, where she greeted the visitors and discussed the relationship between Algeria and New Orleans. This community event gave visitors and community members the opportunity to interact on a personal level, forming memories and bonds that will be remembered for a lifetime.

The mission of the Backyard Gardeners Network  

is community building, neighborhood revitalization  

and cultural preservation through urban agriculture.

For more information on BGN  click here! 

Thank You to Our Professional Resources

Thank you to our professional resources, who met with our international guests from September to mid-October, 2011.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - Ms. Julie Thibodaux, Education and Outreach Coordinator

American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter - Mr. Bruce G. Cuber, Director, Community Outreach Department

Artfully AWARE- Mr. Lionel Lombard, Consultant, Mr. Adam Hayden, Consultant, Ms. Hilary Wallis, Executive Director 

Backyard Gardeners Network - Ms. Jenga Mwendo, Founder, Director

Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts - Mr. Mark Richterman, Principal

Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) - Mr. Peter Reichard, Projects Manager

Ethics Review Board of New Orleans Office of Inspector General- Mr. Edouard Quatrevaux, Inspector General

Evacuteer.org - Ms. Emma Herr, Director of Development

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Louisiana - Mr. Joe Threat, Acting Executive Director, Mr. Manny Broussard, Public Affairs Lead, Mr. Mike McCloskey, Public Assistance Division Supervisor, Ms. Gail Lazaras, Lead Historic Preservation Specialist, Ms. Nora Huete, Individual Assistance Section Chief, Mr. Mike Hunnicutt, Mitigation Deputy Section Chief, Ms. Kristy Christiansen, Public Affairs Specialist

Flot Management Group - Mr. Claude Flot, Brass-a-holics Band Manager

Global Green - Ms. Linda Morgano, Green Building Program Associate

Good Work Network - Ms. Phyllis Cassidy, Executive Director

Greater New Orleans, Inc. - Mr. Michael Hecht, President &CEO  

Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra - Ms. Holly Wallace, Administrative Assistant, Mr. Ken Kussman, Managing Director, Dr. Jean Montès, Music Director & Symphony Conductor

Green Coast Enterprises - Mr. Will Bradshaw, President

Green Project - Ms. Phyllis Jordan, Executive Director

Hip Hop for Hope - Mr. Ben Brubaker, Founder and Director

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Band of Excellence - Sheriff Newell Normand, Ms. Renee Washington, Administrator

Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL) - Mr. Ethan Ashley, Staff Attorney

LA Green Corps - Ms. Suzy Mason, Program Director

Laura Plantation - Mr. Norman Marmillion, Owner

Louisiana Army National Guard - Lt. Col. Thomas 'Mark' Turner, LTC, EN, LAARNG

Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association - Mr. Richard Metcalf, Director of Environmental Affairs

Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions - Mr. Sidney Seymour, Chief Examiner  

Louisiana Restaurant Association - Ms. Pam St. Pierre, Executive Director

Louisiana State University Aquaculture Research Station - Dr. Lucina Lampila, AssociateProfessor, LSU AgCenter, Dr. Robert Romaire, Professor, Aquaculture Research Station

Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation (MQVN CDC) - Mr. Daniel Nguyen, Environmental Justice Coordinator and Viet Village Urban Farm Project Manager

New Orleans African-American Museum of Art, Culture, and History (NOAMM) - Ms. Ashanti George-Paulin, Education and Outreach Coordinator

New Orleans City Park - Mr. Steve Ryman, Volunteer Manager

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) - Mr. Brian Hammell, Director of Communications

New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness - Mr. Collins Simoneaux, Emergency Manager

Office of the Commissioner, Division of Administration - Dr. Steven Procopio, Assistant Commissioner Management and Finance

Operation Hope - Mr. Oliver Bell, Market Vice President  

Preservation Hall- Mr. Benjamin Jaffe, Creative Director

Public Integrity Bureau - Ms. Arlinda Westbrook, Deputy Chief

River Birch Landfill - Mr. Tom Nicholson, General Manager, Mr. Vic Culpepper, Technical Director

SGS New Orleans - Mr. Peter Legemaate, Director

Sidcat Strategies - Mr. Sidney Arroyo, CEO

Southern Food & Beverage Museum - Ms. Liz Williams, President

Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) - Mr. Jerry Hingle, Executive Director

Southern University Baton Rouge Band Department - Mr. Lawrence Jackson, Director of Bands

Tekrema Center for Art and Culture- Ms. Greer Mendy

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, Inc. - Ms. Shanna Hudson-Stowe, Development Associate

The Times-Picayune - Mr. John Gin, Money Watch Columnist   

The Women in Search of Excellence Program - Ms. Melanie Defandell, Facilitator

Tulane University Law School - Mr. Onnig Dombalagian, Professor  

Tulane University School of Architecture - Ms. Alexandra Stroud, AIA, Director, Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development

United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana - Mr. Michael Magner, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Crisis Management Coordinator, Ms. Laura Orth, Paralegal Specialist

University of New Orleans - Ms. Pat Evans, Professor

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Ms. Carol Wittkamp

Thank You to Our Hosts!

Thank you to all who welcomed visitors with home hospitality
from September to mid-October, 2011.

Mrs. Rosemarie Fowler - hosted eight visitors from Nigeria studying Democracy and Good Governance in the US for a reception at her home and hosted Mr. Emiliano Carlos Respighi from Argentina.

Ms. Machelle Lee Hall, Mr. Keith Hall, and Ms. Nathalie Bastin - hosted seven visitors from China studying food safety for lunch.

Ms. Maryam Kased - hosted 12 visitors from Saudi Arabia studying NGO management for an afternoon tea.

Ms. Jana Napoli - hosted Mr. Michal Moniuszko from Poland for dinner.

Ms. Lois Simpson and Mr. Martin Simpson - hosted Ms. Paulina Dejmek from Sweden for dinner. 

Backyard Gardener's Network and All Soul's Episcopal Church & Community Center - hosted 10 visitors from Algeria studying Engaging Youth through Music for a potluck dinner.