Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana, the region’s largest donor and volunteer supported 1-to-1 mentoring network, has launched the Big Defender Fund. The endowment fund was seeded using an unprecedented $1.1 million individual donation from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and is a means to future-proof the organization following the pandemic and years of challenging weather events that disrupted critical services to at-risk youth.

The Big Defender Fund, a designated beneficiary fund created in partnership with the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, will provide BBBS of SWLA with a steady income stream to continually support their mission of creating and supporting impactful mentoring relationships that protect and nurture the potential of youth. The fund will also be used to expand youth safety practices and quality of match relationships, offer support services for parents and guardians, and provide innovative new mentoring programs that reach older youth and young adults.

READ MORE: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/662243908/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-southwest-louisiana-uses-transformative-mackenzie-scott-donation-to-launch-big-defender-fund

REDSTICK C.A.R.E.S. was founded in 2022 and is located at 5475 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA, 70809

MISSION: Committed to building a resilient community by improving the community's behavioral, mental and social health through human connection. 

TOP GOAL: To expand our programming to offer more program options during after work hours. 

LEARN MORE: https://www.redstickcares.org/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/redstickcares

LSU's Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership (CCELL) is an academic department that focuses on connecting undergraduate students with community organizations for service-learning and volunteer opportunities. 

The LSU CCELL has many students who are looking to serve their communities in fulfilling and meaningful ways. If this sounds like something that would be beneficial to your organization, here are a few additional questions for information gathering for their database. The CCELL department shares this information with students to make connections. The questions are listed below:

• Are you offering any form of service for volunteers this Fall? If so, do you have an event list that you’d like to share?

• What are your volunteer needs for the academic year (August 2023- May 2024)?

• Who is the person of contact to list for this organization?

• Does your organization have an email list that CCELL can join? If so, please feel free to enroll our student-led program email (engagedcitizens@lsu.edu) to your list.

If you have any other questions about LSU's CCELL department and what they do, please reach out to them at ccell@lsu.edu. 

MISSION: To prevent brain, spinal cord, and other traumatic injuries through education.

TOP GOAL: To educate our youth on the frequency and seriousness of a brain and/or spinal cord injury, as well as ways to prevent one from happening, so that we may reduce the number of injuries that occur annually.

LEARN MORE: https://thinkfirstlouisiana.org/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/arklatexthinkfirst/

MISSION: To provide effective, high-quality, faith based addiction services, resources and support to women seeking recovery from substance abuse. To offer the necessary support and nurture to those in need, encourage and create an atmosphere in which women can develop into confident, capable, healthy contributing members of our local community. 

TOP GOAL: To enhance employment prospects for residents of our transitional housing program who have been actively participating for at least one year and have successfully maintained one year of sobriety. 

LEARN MORE: https://www.missionheart.org/?fbclid=IwAR3y38DSE_EKs9DurUAb4tR4xJ2uh1XuVLzvihN0A_Q-ChAAdUPuhCr4UMM

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/missionheart.org/

What: This summer, we are recruiting and training Blue Cross leaders in our Baton Rouge and Monroe offices to be great nonprofit board candidates. They will learn the basics of board governance, roles and responsibilities, and fund development duties.

Meet the candidates: We also hosting Meet-and-Greets to introduce trained candidates with local nonprofits who are actively recruiting for board candidates in the area. 

When: Meet and Greets are scheduled for:

• Baton Rouge - July 26, 2023 from 2 -4 p.m.
• Monroe - Aug. 3, 2023 from 2- 4 p.m.

How to Sign Up: Complete our board recruitment survey and check the box for which Meet and Greet you're interested in attending. We will have open spots for as many employees elect to participate.

Not in Baton Rouge or Monroe? We have smaller regional offices in other markets and are often recruiting on rolling basis. Fill out our survey and let us know what kind of skills you need!

Why: We believe our employees can bring some of the most diverse, skilled, and engaging talent to nonprofit boards. We also heavily consider employee engagement when determining where to allocate corporate sponsorship resources.

MISSION:  To feed the hungry in Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes by providing food and educational outreach through faith-based and other community partners. With community support, we have served the hungry in our 11-parish service area for more than 35 years.

MAIN GOAL: To provide food to over 100 partner agencies in our 11-parish service area. We source, acquire, inventory, house and distribute food to serve those in need in our community. We currently have a 17.2 million meal gap in our area, so the need remains great.

LEARN MORE: https://brfoodbank.org/

The next Competitive Grant Cycle opens on August 1. Community Foundation is offering three Grant Applicant training sessions for all applicants. Training is optional but is highly encouraged for first-time applicants.

• Session 1 - July 19 at 10 a.m.
• Session 2 - July 25 at 10 a.m.
• Session 3 - July 27 at 10 a.m.

Reservations are required and can be made with the link below. All sessions will be held in Community Central at Community Foundation. 401 Edwards Street, Suite 125, Shreveport, LA 71101.

SIGN UP HERE

IMPORTANT DATES Grant Applicant Training Session 1 Wednesday, July 19 at 10 a.m. Competitive Grant Applications Open August 1 at 8 a.m. Grant Applicant Training Session 2 Tuesday, July 25 at 10 a.m. Grant Applicant Training Session 3 Thursday, July 27 at 10 a.m. Competitive Grant Applications Close August 21 at 4 p.m. cfnla.org/grants

Emergency Disaster Relief 

In response to the recent power outages, the LSUS Institute for Nonprofit Administration & Research would like to gauge the current needs of area nonprofits and provide support to help you deliver your essential services. Please fill out this questionnaire if your organization needs assistance (volunteers, supplies, or another type of need) or can help other organizations in need. https://survey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8uo3PsJB5lyCKHk

Please distribute this survey to your network as well.

Arklatex Emergency Support Resources

Power information and reporting

Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, 318-861-0812 or https://damage.la.gov

Caddo Parish Office of Homeland Security, 318-675-2255

SWEPCO, https://www.swepco.com/outages/report/

Water outages, 318-673-7600 or text 318-383-2658 or email storm@shreveportla.gov

Attorney General to report price gouging, 866-801-2549

Emergency text alerts from Caddo/Shreveport: https://member.everbridge.net/371776664109115/new

Updates and other city services: https://www.shreveportla.gov/

Updates from SWEPCO: https://www.swepco.com/outages/storms/details?stormName=Severe+Weather+Update+-+June+2023

Outages status: https://data.shreveporttimes.com/national-power-outage-map-tracker/

Or add your power outage status here: https://shreveportdisastermap.com

Assistance

United Way 211 hotline for 24 hour assistance connecting with nonprofits and resources

Red Cross, 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) 24 hour assistance and https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/power-outage.html

SNAP and EBT cards have emergency funds

Community Centers and Transportation

SPAR-Pools and Community Centers, 8:30am-7:30pm, 318-673-7727, https://www.ksla.com/2023/06/17/spar-recreations-hours-extended-help-citizens-cool-off-following-power-outage/

SportTran, https://www.sportran.org/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SporTranBus

Cooling Centers, http://www.caddo.org/CivicAlerts.aspx

Nominations for the 2023 Baton Rouge Area Volunteer Activists awards are open NOW through Monday, July 10th.

Submitted nominations should include details of individuals’ volunteer activities, including which organizations they have volunteered with and how their service has impacted the community. All nominees’ volunteer service should be separate from their employment, and the individual may not be a current elected official or a close family relative of an Emerge Board Member. To view a list of past honorees, click here.

All nominations should be completed online through the Baton Rouge Area Volunteer Activists 2023 Nomination Form and submitted by Monday, July 10th.

If you encounter an issue completing the nomination form or have questions about the Baton Rouge Area Volunteer Activists awards luncheon, please contact Ashley McDermott at amcdermott@emergela.org or 225.663.6914.