One of the people we met with in New Orleans said that her city is more like “the Little Difficult than the Big Easy” but we found in our jam-packed week there that there is a lot to be hopeful about in the Crescent City. We were all in New Orleans about 6 months ago and it just felt like a different city then. This time we met with 4 powerful after-school and extra-curricular youth development programs at both the middle and high school levels. Charter schools now represent 85% of the city’s public education system and for the most…
Fifth Anniversary – Katrina
Our hearts are especially full this week, remembering our brothers and sisters of New Orleans who have gone through so much. A city, a region, and its people still need our help…Aid is Still Required.
Green Ways to Cleap-up an Oil Spill
We’ve all been inundated with the news, more news, live feeds, and contentious debates surrounding the oil spill (gush?) in the Gulf of Mexico. Since we can’t all sell our belongings and relocate to help clean up the mess there are some things we can do (alongside Kevin Costner’s nifty little invention, of course)! And, some interesting things to know when having those pesky debates about whether or not those (toxic?) dispersants are necessary…. Alternative #1 Donate your hair, your pet’s hair, or go on hair collecting missions around your city! Yep, it’s true, our hair collects and retains oil…
Father’s Day Pledge
At Aid Still Required, part of our mission is that fathers everywhere have the resources to provide for their families. Would you help? Honor your dad and Be an Angel – pledge $10 monthly minimum – and receive our All-Star CD as a gift. Purchase the Deluxe Eco–Edition CD for $15 plus tax and shipping. Download the CD June 22nd from iTunes/Amazon and other digital retailers.
From New Orleans
We have left these people behind. New Orleans is a very depressed city today and has a vacant feeling to it. I haven’t been here in years, but this town used to be flowing with life. The Lower Ninth Ward, once a fully populated neighborhood, is now a large field of weeds mixed with rubble from old foundations. There’s barely a building standing and only a few new homes started or completed. 90% of its population has stayed away. Frankly, we’ve given them little or no reason to come back.