Supporting Communities In Schools & LightHouse Programs
Volunteers of America North Louisiana (VOANLA) has been awarded a $500,000 competitive grant to support its Communities In Schools and LightHouse programs. This grant is made possible through several legacies, including the Travis White Fund at the Community Foundation of North Louisiana.
Mr. White served during World War II, where he received a Special Commendation for his service as Commanding Officer of Minesweepers. After the war, he returned to Shreveport and worked as a trust officer for Commercial National Bank. His successful business career never overshadowed his commitment to the community. Travis was a member of every City Charter revision committee from the 1950s through the 1970s and played an important role in shaping Shreveport’s current City Council form of government. He had a particular concern for the “forgotten” people of Shreveport and believed that education could empower the disadvantaged.
Liz LaBorde, chief grants officer at the Community Foundation, stopped by the VOANLA annual Board of Directors meeting to share the unexpected news, “As you know, we have been partners for a long time,” LaBorde continues, “And just to give you a sense of that partnership, since we’ve been awarding grants to Volunteers of America, we’ve awarded over $10.6 million dollars to support this work and strengthen our community.”
This generous support enables us to continue delivering attendance, behavior, and course performance support to the more than 6,000 students we will serve in the upcoming school year.