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Dear Friends,
I recently visited some programs of Volunteers of America Texas. It was very inspiring to talk with some of the consumers of their services and learn how Volunteers of America has affected their lives in such positive ways. It reminded me that all of you create miracles each and every day in the work that you do. Sometimes we call it success stories, but a better way to put it is life-changing stories. You are the ones responsible for this. I can not thank you enough for what you do every day to uplift the lives of some of our community’s most vulnerable people.
One of our family groups—our Supportive Services Program—was just honored by Unity of Greater New Orleans as the “Outstanding Homeless Program of the Year.” The staff of this program goes above and beyond the call of duty to reach out to homeless individuals in our community and they produce some amazing results that change the lives of people who we are called to serve.
I am so glad that Supportive Services received this recognition. I am only sorry that this same type of recognition does not come to every one of our program services and to every one of you for all the amazing things that you do. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, God bless you and keep up the outstanding work that you do.
Until next time, take care and God Bless,
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Supportive Services Team Honored by Unity
Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans Supportive Services team is this year's recipient of the CoC's Outstanding Homeless Program of the Year Award. The award was presented on April 25th at Unity of Greater New Orleans 24th Annual Meeting and Luncheon. The award was given in recognition of our organization's outstanding major role in maintaining functional zero in Veteran homelessness and our great work housing the chronically homeless and keeping them housed through our Permanent Supportive Housing services.
The Supportive Services team was in attendance to receive the wonderful honor.
Pictured left, l-r, Unity of Greater New Orleans Executive Director Martha Kegel, Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans Executive Vice President Voris Vigee and Supportive Services Program Director Melissa Haley
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Staff Recognized for Service Milestones
At the new employee orientation meeting in April, seven employees were recognized for a combined 45 years of service, helping America's most vulnerable through their work in the Greater New Orleans area. Receiving service awards for five years of service were Nanette Caster in Supportive Living Services, Lakeisha Gibbons-Macon and Robin Gray in Veteran Services, and Vanessa Levine with Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation. Honored for ten years of service were Kelly Barnes and Nikita Thirsty with Supportive Living Services and Elaine Lane with Supportive Services. Congratulations to all for their dedication and commitment!
Pictured below, left photo, l-r Nanette Caster, Human Resources Director Brandy Winchester; right photo, l-r Lakeisha Gibbons-Macon, Winchester
 
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Earn $100 for a Hired Referral!
Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans employees can earn extra income by participating in the all-new Employee Referral Bonus program. If you know someone who has what it takes to be a Direct Support Professional, tell them about our organization and encourage them to apply for employment. If the referred applicant is hired and successfully completes 90 days of employment, you as the referring employee will be paid $100.
There are a few guidelines to follow:
- Employees are prohibited from encouraging an applicant to place their name on the application if they have, in fact, not recruited that individual. The recruited employee must cite the referring employee’s name on the Referral Source Field of the employment application.
- If an applicant is not hired within 90 days of the completion of the application, no referral fee will be paid.
- To be eligible for the award the referring employee must an active employee of Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans at the time payment will be made. The Director of Human Resources must certify active status.
- The hiring decision is at the sole discretion of the hiring official.
- Paid after completion of 90 days of employment.
- Applicant must list current employee on application.
- Applicant credited to other source not eligible.
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Oscar J. Tolmas Veterans Center Dedicated
Supporters, staff and affiliates of our organization gathered April 13 for a dedication ceremony commemorating the opening of the Oscar J. Tolmas Veterans Center. Located in New Orleans at 3801 Pitt Street, the facility provides transitional housing and rehabilitation services for 20 homeless Veterans in the Greater New Orleans area.
Participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony l-r are Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust Trustees Lisa Romano and Vincent Giardina, our President and CEO Jim LeBlanc, Veterans Services Program Director Gerald Rooks, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, New Orleans City Councilmember (District B) LaToya Cantrell, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System Director and CEO Fernando Rivera and National World War II Museum Consultant Bill Detweiler.
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Minister's Message by Guest Minister Melody Pritchard
At age 53 with three children eleven and under, I am constantly aware of the affects my actions have on them. Two of my children are high-spirited and one would prefer to live on a desert island with just Elsa from the movie “Frozen.” I have heard the songs from “Frozen” incessantly—“Love is an Open Door” about 400 times and “Let It Go” 4,000 times, give or take a few. I try and look at the bright side. My whistling at work repertoire has grown from The Backyardigans and Dora to songs that I secretly like and that have great messages for all of us.
My children have a morning meeting every day at their school. They spend a few minutes with announcements, but the majority of the time is spent singing songs like “What a Wonderful World,” celebrating their accomplishments and discussing ways they can be better friends, citizens and human beings. The children are challenged to live up to the core values that their school, Morris Jeff Community School, has adopted:
• Caring
• Open-minded
• Knowledgeable
• Principled
• Reflective
• Risk- taker
• Thinker
• Balanced
• Communicators
• Inquirers
These values are written on banners that I see every day. We talk about them at home and students of the week are chosen from each class according to who exhibits the core value for that week. Yet, I still have a hard time remembering all of them.
Imagine (yes, that’s a song by John Lennon) if we lived up to these core values in our professional lives. Imagine if we had a morning meeting to encourage each other to talk about our mission as not only an organization but as individuals. Imagine if we let the words to “Let It Go” sink in and we really applied that message to our daily lives.
My challenge is to apply these core values at work and at home. Be reflective, a risk taker, a thinker, an inquirer and knowledgeable. Be balanced and principled. Communicate better and be open-minded, but, most of all, be caring.
As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
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Annual Staff Appeal Helps Us Continue Our Mission
As the staff of Volunteers of America, we give our hearts, minds and energy every day to those in need. This journey comes at a tremendous cost to the organization, and we look first to our most dedicated family members, YOU, to help by giving generously to the annual staff appeal.
The campaign will run May 30 through June 10. In May, Lisa Wagnon will be reaching out to departments asking for volunteer team captains to help distribute pledge forms for payroll deduction or outright gifts.
Look for announcements from your captains about prize drawings, and every department that has 100% employee participation will receive a pizza party.
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Volunteers Make RSVP Recognition Event A Success
It takes volunteers to recognize volunteers and our North Shore staff knows how to do it right. Led by our RSVP Program Coordinator Dee Wild, staff hosted an annual recognition luncheon for our RSVP Program volunteers on April 16. In celebration of National Volunteer Week, the volunteers were recognized for more than 43,000 hours of community service in 2015, representing more than $1 million of value in their time.
Pictured bottom row, l-r, Penny Vegas, Dee Wild, Crystal Releford; middle row,l-r, Wanda Bonnett, Lonzetta Burris, Jeannie Bryan; top row, l-r, Don Wild, L.J. Vegas
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And the Raffle Winner is...
Ken Gautreau is the lucky winner of the 2016 Mercedes CLA250 raffle held in conjunction with our 24th GolfStar Classic.
Ken is pictured receiving his new car keys from Volunteers of America Board Member and GolfStar Classic Committee Co-chair Paul Graff as (l-r) Volunteers of America Board Member and GolfStar Classic Committee Co-chair Christy Howley Connois, his wife Aimee and Jim LeBlanc look on.
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Corporate Compliance Hotline | Our corporate compliance hotline is available to employees, or interested parties, to report suspected criminal, illegal, or unethical conduct occurring within the corporation in the event other resolution channels have been ineffective or if the caller wishes to remain anonymous. Employees are encouraged to address issues through the proper chain of command, but it is understood that anonymity is sometimes important to an employee. | Hotline #: 1-800-862-8482
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100% OF YOUR DONATION
STAYS IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA
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©2015 by Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans, 4152 Canal Street, New Orleans LA 70119
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