January 2001

"Make a career of humanity - and you will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
Coretta Scott King said, "The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others."

On January 15, 2001, Americans across the country celebrated the Dr. King Holiday as they have for the past fourteen years. Students stayed home from school and adults stayed home from work. But for the Young Leaders' Academy of Baton Rouge, Inc. it was "a day on, not a day off." The Young Leaders' Academy spent the morning of January 15, 2001 at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, Dining Room and Bishop Ott Shelter in service to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

According to the United Way Info. Line's Annual Report, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is one of the top 10 non-profit agencies referred to people in the community for different services. Some services are the Bishop Ott Men's Shelter, day programs for women and children, the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room, the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, toys for needy children at Christmas time, and clothing, furniture and toiletries at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul serves so many people in so many capacities that St. Vincent de Paul Program Coordinator, Pat Davenport said that there is a real need for volunteers to help clean and organize these centers.

A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF!
During Dr. King's lifetime, he sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together as equals to address important community issues. The Young Leaders' Academy was pleased to serve the Society of St. Vincent de Paul along with Karen Witiw and several boys and girls of Boys Hope/ Girls Hope of Baton Rouge. Young Leaders enjoyed talking to the teens and working together to clean, sort donations, and organize the cabinets and pantries of the Bishop Ott Shelter. Young Leaders sort toiletries in the Bishop Ott Shelter in the above photo.


Parents of the Young Leaders played a big role in MLK Day Service. Mrs. Butler, pictured in the photo on the left, was one of the many parents who volunteered her time to serve along with the boys. Siblings of Young Leaders also served, including Roderick Butler, between Carlton Miller and Jeremy Spriggs in the photo on the left. Parents of Young Leaders donated hats, gloves and socks to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. These donations will be handed out to the transient men and women who eat at the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room.

FUN TO THE MAX
On December 16th Mentors/ Mentees and Fathers/ Sons in the Young Leaders' Academy took a trip to New Orleans to see Michael Jordan's inspirational movie at the IMAX Theater.
The movie was about how Michael Jordan overcame the struggles in his life, the blessings he received and the important story of how he made his weaknesses his greatest strengths. As YLA Director of Mentoring and Parenting Services, Grace Alexander said, "This is not a movie about basketball." After the film, the group explored the Aquarium of the Americas. A special highlight of the Aquarium was the new Sea Horse exhibit. In the spirit of competition and learning, Mentor/ Mentee teams and Father/ Son teams participated in a scavenger hunt at the Aquarium. This special evening ended with a dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and a music filled bus ride back to Baton Rouge.

YLA parent, Mr. Short and Young Leaders posed for a quick photo after viewing the Michael Jordan film at the IMAX Theater.

YLA CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
The Young Leaders' Academy held their annual Christmas party at Shiloh Baptist Church's Community Hall this year. The party was a time for Young Leaders, their parents and YLA staff to visit with each other, reflect on the year's activities and sample each other's cooking. Young Leaders and their families enjoyed a table decoration contest and a Christmas ornament exchange. At the end of the evening, "Santa," YLA parent Mr. Frederick Ike, Sr., handed out the YLA's Christmas gifts to each of the boys. The leftover food from the party and the Young Leaders' beautiful table decorations were donated to the Bishop Ott Shelter.

Young Leaders and their parents along with YLA staff dined and visited together at the annual YLA Christmas Party.

HOME | SEARCH | CONTACT US | FEEDBACK FORM | SITE MAP