Testimonials
Home for Homework
- “I knew from the beginning there was a spirit to our program that was unparalleled to anything I had ever done.”
- Eliza Wells, Ph.D., Home for Homework volunteer 1998-2002 - “At first I wasn’t really jumping for joy when Tiffany [Rogers] tried to advertise Home for Homework to me. Tiffany said that it was a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of kids, but it was located in the St. Bernard Projects. I listened to her talk about this volunteer project, and eventually I get sucked in. It was really hard not to.
Tiffany and I along with several of our other friends attended an information session and training, where we were introduced to Kyshun Webster and Nicole Payne, the founder and co-founder of A Home for Homework. After I heard about Kyshun’s background and all of his accomplishments, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this program in any way I could.
The name A Home for Homework pretty much says it all. It was a home that the kids could come to and yes, we would help them with homework; however, we took them out of the projects too, to events the kids were not able to take part in or had never done before.
All in all, Home for Homework was a family. I would always look forward to tutoring the kids; it was the highlight of my day. Although I was there to inspire the lives of children, volunteering—to my surprise—ended up inspiring me.”
- Melissa Lopez, original Volunteer Coordinator - “Knowledge Garden teachers are caring, loving, and nurturing. My daughter’s language skills have increased tenfold in the last five months. Additionally, the activities such as painting, drawing, and coloring have inspired us to create more art projects at home.”
- Mandy, mother of Francesca - “Before we found the Knowledge Garden we had nightmare experiences with nannies and other child care facilities. So we were more than a little nervous when we registered our toddler with the Knowledge Garden. But, as it turns out, we had nothing to worry about! The staff at the Knowledge Garden made us feel comfortable from day one, and within the first week our little one was excited to go to ‘school.’” We tell everyone we know how secure we feel with the Knowledge Garden staff, and after our experiences before, we’re just so grateful to have found a place where our child can grow”
- Valerie, mother of Finn - “The Center is great at addressing children’s needs and parents’ concerns.”
- Vadim, father of Karina and Anita - “We really felt empowered since we get to make all the decisions about where the money goes and how it will be used. It feels good to have students from different backgrounds and lifestyles come together to be able to effect change and give their time to empower other young people in the region.”
- Youth Advisory Board member - “When I do start to apply to schools, I’ll know what to look for and where I’ll be comfortable. Most of all, I learned it’s never too early to start preparing for college.”
- Alexis Davis - “Operation REACH gives me the opportunity to make an impact in the community. It allows me to not only address social, political, and economic issues, but to do something about them.”
- Kayla Butler - “In the end, the GYAC was an opportunity for me to make an impact on the community, and at the same time learn from my experience as a volunteer. I learned tolerance and creativity and, most of all, to give back.”
- Kayla Butler - “My participation in the GYBP has enriched my life by giving me the skills, support, and concepts that I can use throughout my career. As a twenty-year-old lifelong New Orleans resident and the mother of two beautiful daughters, I have embraced this project not only in order to improve my job skills, but also to provide an environmentally sustainable future for my children. The experience that I gained with the GYBP began while I was a participant in the pilot training session and continued as I helped them develop the social enterprise portion of the program. I learned about environmental awareness, community leadership, the chemistry behind biodiesel, public speaking, and how to run a small business. Moreover, while working on developing the social enterprise I was able to gain office skills that I can use for academic and professional purposes. The GYBP gave me the motivation to continue and push forward with my dreams, and I will.”
- Arreina Goudeau; After the program, Arreina found employment with the Alliance for Affordable Energy and enrolled at Delgado Community College.
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Knowledge Garden
GYAF
- “A kid can make an impact in the world. If they can put enough focus and effort into it they can do anything. As a child we all have so much potential. We can pretty much do anything we want.”
- Youth Advisory Board member - “I feel happy. I feel good about it. It’s now not just the world where adults make a decision.”
- Youth Advisory Board member
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College Bound
GYAC
GYBP
