Photo credit:  Greenpeace USA 2010 on flickr

There is an immediate need for some items and two drop off points for all donations.  If you can help, please bring your items to:

East Bank Location

Jefferson Chamber Office
3421 N Causeway Blvd
Suite 203
Metairie LA

West Bank Location

Gretna Economic Development Assocation
711 Second Street
Gretna LA

The following are the items that the Gulf Response Involvement Team needs:

• Clorox Wipes
• Plastic Measuring Tapes (like ones used for measuring fabrics/sewing)
• Knee-high Rubber Boots
• Duct Tape
• Clear Plastic Storage Bins with LATCHABLE lids
• White Terrycloth Towels
• Solid Foam Camping Mats (for cutting to line turtle cages)
• Yellow Kitchen Cleaning Gloves
• Safety goggles/glasses
• Bug Spray
• Aveeno face sunscreen
• Coppertone spray sunscreen
• Zip Ties/Cable Ties
• Heavy Mil Lawn Trash Bags
• Hand Saws
• Blue Tarps
• Ratchet Straps
• Bungee Cords
• Nets (all shapes and sizes for catching wildlife)
• Ziploc Bags (gallon and quart-double zipper seal for preserving samples)
• GPS Units
• Baby wipes
• Orange soap hand cleaner soap
• Binoculars
• Dry Bags
• Grease Pens
• Mechanical Pencils
• Clickable Sharpies
• Waterproof Paper
• All-in-one Printer & Copiers
• 1″ & 2″ 3-ring Binders
• Printer mailing labels
• Scissors
• Large Ice Chests
• DC to AC Power Inverters
• Paper Towels
• Disposable Blue Shop Towels
• Bolt Cutters
• Box Cutters
• 3 gallon Lawn Sprayers
• Plastic Folding Tables
• Heavy Mil Visqueen Plastic Roles
• Rope
• Dawn soap
• Large Trash Cans with Lids
• Garden hoses
• Leatherman Multi-tools
• Waterproof Digital Cameras
• 2 GB SD memory cards
• Video cameras
• Pliers
• Mustang Lifejackets
• Rain gear
• Chest Waders
• Nitrile gloves
• Gauze pads
• Forceps
• Mini hand-held propane torches
• 8″ x 10″ dry erase boards and markers
• Disposable sterilized scalpels
• Clipboards with internal storage
• Letter Sized File folders
• Backpacks for making field kits
• Mini pelican cases
• Aluminum foil
• Small ice chests
• Small hard-plastic swimming pools
• 300 gal Rubbermade Tanks

I know we have some of the most generous people in our community and I hope that everyone can make some type of donation, no matter how small.  The good folks at GEDA have agreed to transport all donations to the East Bank location, so you don’t even have to cross the river to help out!

We’ve all seen the heartbreaking photos and news footage of the affected wildlife.  Please give.

Unfortunately, while we are surrounded by delicious meal choices every day, there are people in our city who are going hungry.  Every week, almost 42,000 different people use the emergency food services of the Second Harvest food bank.

From the Second Harvest website:

One in eight people in Louisiana is struggling with hunger. An elderly neighbor, a child’s classmate, a coworker or member of your church – someone you know is hungry.

The good folks at Second Harvest run programs designed to fight child Hunger and provide senior nutritional support in 23 parishes across south Louisiana.  But they need help.

I’m sure you’ve seen the news reports that the local food banks are being overwhelmed with requests for assistance at a time when their state funding has been cut, corporate donations are down and the need is higher than ever.

That’s why the West Bank Living Team and the rest of the Keller Williams West Bank office have chosen Second Harvest as the beneficiary of Red Day 2010.  Red Day is our annual community project day, where Keller Williams agents all around the country will be volunteering in their own communities.

We will be out on the West Bank, dropping off grocery bags to be filled and setting up donation boxes wherever we can from May 1st to May 13th. If you have a business that we can put a donation box at – please, let us know. If you are interested in donating privately, we can arrange to pick up from you.  If you see us in front of your local grocery store, please add a couple of items to your list and help a hungry child, family or senior citizen.

Need more information? Call Lisa at (504) 616-6262 or Terri at (504) 258-5178.

We are giving where we live…please join us by doing the same.

Each year, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources builds pens that are filled with discarded Christmas trees in an effort to slow the rate at which our land is being washed and eroded away.  You can do your part by recycling your tree to be used in this valuable project.

Orleans Parish, Unincorporated Jefferson Parish and the Town of Lafitte

Place your tree curbside on January 5th, with pickups scheduled on January 6th, 7th and 8th, 2010.

Remember that flocked or painted trees cannot be used in this project.  Also, you must remove all decorations, tinsel, lights and stands.

Volunteer to Help with the Jefferson Parish Christmas Tree Marsh Restoration Project 2010

Volunteers with shallow draft boats are needed to place Christmas trees into pre-constructed shoreline fences in Goose Bayou, near the town of Jean Lafitte on the following Saturdays:

• January 9, 2010*
• January 16, 2010*
• January 23, 2010*
• January 30, 2010*

*If inclement weather (rain or high winds), please call (504) 731-4612 to check if a scheduled event has
been cancelled.

Volunteers will meet at 8:00 a.m. at Cochiara’s Marina, 4477 Jean Lafitte Blvd., Lafitte.  Volunteers must be 17 years of age or older. Recommended: layered clothing including long pants, long sleeved shirt and closed toe, sturdy shoes, hats and sunscreen.  Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Please contact the following for more information or to volunteer:
Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs
4901 Jefferson Highway, Suite E
Jefferson, LA 70121
Phone: (504) 731-4612   Fax: (504) 731-4607    email: jpenvironmental@jeffparish.net

Let’s let the giving spirit of the Christmas season continue and help us help ourselves.

That’s why continued research and education is needed – and these things require massive amounts of funding to work.  Fortunately, there is no lack of local volunteers that are willing to help.

This Saturday, from 2 pm to midnight, the West Bank Relay for Life will be taking place at the Gretna Market (corner of Huey P. Long Avenue and 3rd Street).  A fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, there will be a special survivor’s walk starting at 2 pm.  I’ve attended the Relay before and to see families and friends walking in support of someone currently battling cancer or in remembrance of a lost loved one is a powerful thing, especially as the night wears on, the crowds thin and the walkers just keep going and going.

There will be live music, food vendors and an opportunity to cheer on those individuals and groups who are taking the time to participate and/or volunteer.  Come on out and join us for this very important event.

More information about Relay for Life

This Saturday, Algiers’ residents will be cleaning up all the trash along the batture, going down river from the ferry terminal. The “fun” will start at 8am, weather permitting, until about noon or whenever you have had enough. *ALL* help gratefully appreciated!

If it is raining, we’ll try for Sunday morning. We also need to clean the batture behind Mardi Gras World. I spoke to “T.K.” Kern lunch time today and she will try and get her dumpster emptied by them so that we can throw all the trash in there, saving us a trip to the dump or leaving it piled up for the garbage men to pick up (or not…depending on their mood). We are also getting two guys from the Levee Board with a truck to help us. Al Schmitt will have his snowball machine there!

This effort will make Algiers look more attractive to visitors coming off the ferry and double as a beautification process before the two day Riverfest music festival and the APA’s Porch Sale of the Century the following weekend. This will be a community effort so we are relying on everyone from *ALL* organizations to help out.

As the tide is now higher that I would have liked, sensible footwear should be worn as well as long pants and long sleeves. Tough guys in shorts and T-shirts are also welcome! Please bring your own tools – rakes, spades, gloves, machetes. We are looking to clear some of the undergrowth on the batture so *particularly looking for volunteers with branch trimmers and chain saws* to carry out some of the heavier work. We will *_NOT_* be cutting down any trees!!! The APA will provide water and bags.

Look forward to seeing y’all then,

Many thanks in advance,

Kevin Herridge – “*Bat*(ture) *Man*”.

If you are interested in becoming part of the Algiers community, contact the West Bank Living Team.  It would be our pleasure to help you find the perfect Algiers home for sale.

The meeting started out with a short introduction by the president of FOBP, Aylin Maklansky.  After she spoke, I was thrilled when Aylin used my video about helping to restore Brechtel Park.  (see the video below) This same video has already made it’s way to a Boy Scout troop in New Jersey who is planning a spring trip to New Orleans and has Brechtel on their list for clean up sites!

By the time that City Council President Jackie Clarkson and Councilman Arnie Fielkow spoke, every seat was taken. The council has committed to help FOBP get the funding that was approved by voters several years ago and to work with the Friends to guide us through the maze of city funding and politics.  Additionally, representatives from Parks and Parkways, West Bank Redevelopment and the Algiers Economic Development Foundation were in attendance and offered their support and assistance as well.

New members were signed up, new board members were drafted recruited, and some great ideas for park functions and improvements were suggested.  In an example of how everyone brings something to the table in this group, a local resident brought a photo of an alligator that was seen in the pond at the park.  Before the meeting was even underway, the Wildlife and Fisheries had been contacted and had promised to send someone out to “relocate” the alligator.  Hmmm…I wonder where relocated alligators go?

It is only through the efforts of members of the community that we can restore the park to the vibrant meeting place that it once was – and can be again.  Become a member of the Friends of Brechtel Park today.

If you don’t think that your voice makes a difference, please watch this video that shows some of the repairs that are necessary to bring back Brechtel Park.  It is only through the involvement of Algiers residents that the city will be aware that we are united in supporting our local parks….

Copyright 2008.  Lisa Heindel and West Bank Living.  All rights reserved.

I try to keep up with what’s going on with the park through newsletters from the Friends of Brechtel Park.  When my newsletter arrived this week, I was shocked to find out that there is no money (as in zero, zilch, nada) being budgeted by the New Orleans City Council for improvements to the park.  In both 2000 and 2004, Brechtel Park was included in bond issuances approved by New Orleans voters.  To date, no capital improvements have been made and now there are no funds being allocated for the next FIVE years.

I remember when I was a teen and in my early 20s, the park would be jam packed on the weekends with people picnicking and grilling, fishing, playing baseball or softball and children running up and down the “hills”.  I have pictures of my oldest son, who is now 23, fishing with a cane pole from the banks of the lagoon.  I have memories of kite flying contests and frisbee games and getting up early on a weekend morning to be sure that we could get a “good spot” to spend the day at.

Curiosity got the better of me after reading the newsletter, so I took a drive through Brechtel this afternoon. It’s a beautiful day…sunny, mild temperatures…perfect for being outside.  I can’t begin to express how sad I was that I saw only a handful of people in the park.  One family was walking, one was packing up from lunch and playtime and the only person using the baseball field was the gentleman practicing his fly fishing technique.  My husband (who used to be a New Orleans police officer) remarked that years ago, there were regular police patrols through the park on the weekends because there were so many people crowding in.  That certainly is no longer the case….

From a distance, it’s still just as beautiful as it ever was, even though many of the old trees were lost during Katrina.

Up close, the tell-tale signs of neglect are evident in picnic tables that can’t be used, benches overlooking the lagoon that are overgrown with vines, rusty pipes that used to hold BBQ grills, the old sand lot that is covered in weeds, and the single port-o-let that serves as the restroom for the entire back section of the park.

The original master plan for the park included a butterfly garden, a water park, additional restrooms, a bird viewing tower, a jogging and biking trail, a multi-purpose center and more.  After today’s visit, I’d be happy to just see the badly needed repairs done.

What can you do to help?

First, consider joining the Friends of Brechtel Park – volunteer your time or your talent on one of the 13 committees that desperately need a helping hand.  There is currently an opportunity to apply for a $50,000 grant from the KABOOM organization to add playground equipment to the park and assistance is needed with the grant application.

Second, contact James Carter (District C Councilman), Jackie Clarkson (Council-at-large) and Ann McDonald (Parks and Parkways Commission) and advocate for funding for the park.

Third, make a donation!

I have already volunteered to join the board – won’t you join me?

Copyright 2008.  Lisa Heindel and West Bank Living.  All rights reserved.

What a lot of people don’t know is that he is also a diabetic.  And he’s not alone. 

Over 20 million Americans, both children and adults, suffer from diabetes and another 54 million are pre-diabetic and fighting against crossing that line.  My grandmother was diabetic, as was my mother.  I’ve witnessed first hand the toll that it takes on people, especially those that are working so hard to control it every day.  Finding a cure requires education and research.  Education and research require funding. 

So, as part of the Step Out to Fight Diabetes walk being held November 8, 2008 in Audubon Park, Robert is asking for help in raising funds to support the American Diabetes Association. 

Donate to support Robert’s walk here

Sign up to walk with Robert’s team here

Every donation, no matter how small, helps to reach the goal of eradicating this disease.  Won’t you take a moment to help?  I want to see him keep rocking for many years to come…

Copyright 2008.  Lisa Heindel and West Bank Living.  All rights reserved.

Some fantastic volunteers spent this past weekend helping clear trails, installing signs and putting up wood duck nesting boxes.  But the work is not complete.  The call is out for more volunteers and for donations to assist with continuing the clean up and improvement efforts on National Public Lands Day (September 27th) from 9 am to 1 pm. 

Donations of the following items are needed:

• Auger
• 100 one gallon plastic pots for repotting seedlings
• Potting soil
• Limestone
• Brush mower
• A volunteer that can do small carpentry tasks

Volunteers should wear closed toe shoes and bring their own work gloves.  Lunch for those who pre-register is being donated by the Wal-Mart Foundation.

• Sign up to volunteer
• Directions to Woodlands Trail

Given the importance of the wetlands to the Louisiana coast and to the survival of these migratory birds, I hope that some of you can give just a few hours of your time!

Copyright 2008.  Lisa Heindel and West Bank Living.  All rights reserved.