Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana

Big shout-out to The Hershey Company for helping to make a difference in the lives of those we serve through our Supportive Services Street Outreach. Thanks to a $1,000 grant and these wonderful volunteers, our Homeless Outreach team now has 110 more bags of essentials to share with those who need them for daily survival. Your kindness and generosity will go a long way in helping those in need!

We are so thankful to the people of Cenla! Thanks to YOUR GENEROSITY, Family Resource Center Program Specialists Yolanda Graves and Brigid Hampton distributed school supplies and uniforms to 31 families at the Alexandria Housing Authority. This school year, Cenla VOA has provided school supplies and uniforms for 66 families in all!

VOASCLA President & CEO Dave Kneipp just returned from Washington, DC where he, along with other leaders from VOA's Louisiana affiliates met with Louisiana legislators, like Senator Bill Cassidy. Their mission is to share details about VOA’s programs and services throughout the state and address the critical funding and legislation needed to support our work. We are very thankful for the support of our lawmakers!

See for yourself how VOASCLA and our partners are positively impacting lives EVERY DAY!

Volunteers of America - Summer Newsletter Find Out How YOU are Changing Lives A Message from President & CEO, David K. Kneipp   Welcome to our new fiscal year 2024-25! As we reflect on our agency’s impact over the previous 12 months, we ar

Have a car, boat, or RV you want to donate? You can help those most in need by donating it to VOASCLA. Simply call 1(833) 300-5737 or go to https://buff.ly/3WtJvyF to learn more. Your life-changing donation is also tax-deductible!

Big SHOUT OUT to former VOASCLA Board Member and two-term Board Chair LaDonna Butler Williams. After 13 years of dedicated services to our local organization, she was recently named to VOA National's Board of Directors! Thank you LaDonna for your years of service. We know you'll do great things for VOA on the national level too! Congratulations!

VOASCLA in Cenla's "Strengthening Families" program is kicking off soon! Click on the link below to check out this commercial running on KALB right now for more information and contact our Cenla offices at 318-227-6183 to register. Classes begin August 13th!
https://buff.ly/3WET13d

Our Cenla School Supply and Uniform Drive has been extended through the end of this month so there's still time to donate! Check out this story from KALB with details on how to donate! https://www.kalb.com/2024/03/15/volunteers-america-hosts-diaper-drive/

Our Back to School Uniform & Supply Drive continues in Cenla and the support for those in need in the community is so heartwarming! A special thank you to the wonderful folks at Sacred Heart Catholic Church for their generous donation!

You can give and change a life by donating your used car. It's easy, pick up is free, and your donation is tax deductible! Call 1(833) 300-5737 or go to https://buff.ly/2VSGadG

VOASCLA in Cenla is extending its school supply & uniform drive in the Alexandria area through the end of July. So there's still time to help! Donations are welcome at our Coliseum Boulevard office now through July 31st! Check out the flyer for more information!

Happy 4th of July! Today, we commemorate independence and freedom. However you choose to celebrate, we wish everyone a safe and memorable time surrounded by friends and family.

July is National Ice Cream Month! All month long, VOASCLA hopes everyone, regardless of age, indulges in a sweet treat to cool off the summer heat!

A BIG THANK YOU to the Central Louisiana Juneteenth Association, Inc. for allowing VOASCLA to participate in the Juneteenth Empowerment Summit LAST WEEK! We look forward to working with the other organizations that participated in addressing the most pressing issues in Alexandria!

World Music Day, la Fête de la Musique in French, is a day of celebration of music that takes place every year on June 21, the first day of summer, and is synonymous with the summer solstice. It’s a day when people around the world come together to celebrate music in all its forms. We hope you have a musical day!

Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. In observance of Juneteenth, VOASCLA' offices will be closed today.

Happy Father’s Day! VOA hopes today is filled with quality time and special memories with all the father figures in your life.

A big Father's Day weekend THANK YOU to the wonderful Mary Jones and UCFM Artistic Hands Ministry for creating and delivering these handmade cards for the many Dads in our VOASCLA programs. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness in making this special day even brighter!

VOASCLA in Cenla is hosting a school supply & uniform drive in the Alexandria area all this month. Donations are welcome at our Colisuem Boulevard office now through June 30th! We'll even pick them up if you need us to! Check out the flyer for more information!

Our Partnerships in Childcare team participated in the East Baton Rouge Ready Start Network’s Family Child Care Conference at Crestworth Early Learning Center over the weekend. This was a fun-filled informative conference for Family Childcare Centers hosted by Family Childcare Providers in partnership with EBR Ready Start Network. Participants were engaged in training opportunities, along with panel discussions, and each provider received free materials to take home to enhance their child care business.

Congrats to all 29 of our 2024 Teacher Institute graduates! On Saturday, June 1st, many of them received their Louisiana Early Childhood Ancillary Certificates as part of our annual program. We are so proud of their incredible accomplishment and can’t wait to see what their futures hold!

June is National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month. VOA reminds all who have experienced life-altering events – frontline workers, first responders, veterans, and many others – that you are not alone. Our comprehensive and supportive mental health services are ready when you need them most. Find a program near you: https://buff.ly/3V7IeMP

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈 VOA joins the LGBTQIA+ community in celebrating authenticity and belonging, remembering the trailblazers who advocated for equality. We remain committed to fostering a world rooted in inclusivity and equity where all people can show up as their authentic selves.

Today, we remember the heroes who lost their lives fighting for our country and protecting our freedom. We are forever grateful for their sacrifice.

A BIG THANK YOU to the Zeta Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. for their generous donation to our ongoing Hydration Drive in the CENLA area. We appreciate you so much!

We're following up on Early Ed Day at the Capitol to remind everyone how important it is for Louisiana lawmakers to restore the $24.3 million cut from the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). CCAP provides an opportunity for our children to arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed, for their parents to be productive in the workforce, and for our economy to thrive.

Today is the start of National Emergency Medical Services Week. VOASCLA appreciates all the individuals who engage in life-saving care across the nation.