Celebrate 25 years of LightHouse services!
Twenty-five years ago, Volunteers of America of North Louisiana merged with the LightHouse and made a special commitment to help children escape poverty.
Please join us the week of Sept. 8-12 to officially celebrate the anniversary of our merger with the LightHouse with an open house, volunteering and other events.
Here are some of the highlights:
- 5 p.m. Sept. 9 – Open House at 802 Travis St., Shreveport. The three original founders of the LightHouse will be present and we will reflect on the impact of the program and its future.
- Sept. 10 – Birthday parties at the LightHouse sites. Each of the community-based and school-based sites will have a birthday party for the LightHouse as part of their program.
- All week:
- We encourage community members to donate 25 minutes of time to one of the sites. You can show up at any of the sites between 3:30 and 5 p.m. to read to a child, help with homework or play a game!
- Children in the program will be asked to perform 25 random acts of kindness and they will be tracking that throughout the week.
Since the merger, the LightHouse has been a flagship program of Volunteers of America. We currently serve about 600 children in three community-based sites and three school-based sites.
For the 2013-14 school year, the average GPA was 2.9, and 99 percent stayed in school. As well, 99 percent of children avoided any involvement in teen pregnancy or the juvenile justice system.
The program focuses on academics first with homework help, tutors and enrichment activities meant to reinforce what they are learning in school. From there the staff emphasizes enrichment, character and service.