September

ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Words fromMichelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson

Case Manager/Peer Support

Empower 225

“Normal” is a very relative term. I grew up in a life where it was “normal” for adults to have sex with children. The sexual abuse started when I was an infant; I do not remember a time when it was not happening. That abuse continued into my teenage years. At the age of 16, I left home in an attempt to escape only to be sexually exploited by an older man for food and a place to stay. When I turned 18, I escaped from him and tried to get services because I felt something was wrong with me. Services were denied because I had never asked for help before. Not long after that, I was recruited by a female and coerced into sex trafficking by her pimp. Recovery did not come for me until the age of 24 when the FBI raided the hotel where I was being kept. I was so broken; I had lost all hope of any future. I lost my innocence, my education, and my freedom!

After hearing that everything I experienced was not okay and that there were people that cared and wanted to help me, I discovered a reason to live. I was able to get trauma-focused therapy to undo all the lies and direct services for my basic needs. With the help of Empower225, I started the recovery process of becoming a human being again. I was able to get my GED and driver’s license, two of the many things that were taken from me. Empower225 was also there for me when I had to testify against my trafficker; that was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life. Having the support of others reminded me of why I was doing this, and that what happened to me was not okay!

After standing up to my trafficker and years of healing and successfully working the Hope program at Empower225, I had the opportunity to join the staff when a peer-survivor position opened up. Through this position, I can pour into other victims and survivors to let them know that there is hope and that their lives can be restored. I also help educate those in our state about human trafficking and working with survivors. After two years of being employed with Empower225, I was given the opportunity and felt empowered to enroll in college. I am currently studying to get my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, so I can continue to fight for other victims and survivors of human trafficking. None of this would be possible if not for God, Empower225, and a community of people pouring into me and showing me what I’m really worth!

Women’s Health

WOMEN'S HEALTH BLOG
September 2019

Words from Kimiyo Harris Williams, M.D., FAAP

“Self-Love is Healthy Living”

Whether you’re single, married, a single mom, working wife and mom, business owner, homemaker or the “boss” lady, keeping abreast of current women’s health recommendations is paramount. I must admit, it can be somewhat overwhelming to carve out time to focus on our health and wellness. After all, we as women, have to make sure the kids have clean uniforms, breakfast is available, homework is completed, and lunch is prepared. After the school day, we transport the kids back and forth to extracurricular activities, make sure we have dinner cooked, take care of aging parents, complete a project for work, prepare a presentation for the boss, make it to our church meeting and serve as leaders in our church; not to mention, all of our community service projects and organizational commitments. Therefore, it’s no surprise that our health is often put on the “back burner.” However, I would like to urge the women of Louisiana to practice some “self -love.” Loving one’s self can potentially change health outcomes both physically and mentally.

Self -love is demonstrated when you decide to schedule an annual physical exam. Every woman should have a medical physical at least once a year. Additionally, learning your family history is very important and can help your doctor regarding your individualized medical care. Moreover, regular interaction with your provider develops a healthy rapport and establishes trust. This trust and rapport allows for overall better health care outcomes.

Self -love is demonstrated when you decide to schedule an annual physical exam. Every woman should have a medical physical at least once a year.

As you embrace this idea of “self-love,” don’t get it confused with selfishness. Some synonyms for selfishness are egotism, self-seeking and self- serving. The “self-love” that I am referring to is neither of the above. This self-love is all about caring and loving yourself enough to check-in on your wellness and to work daily in fostering healthy living. I encourage focusing some energy on taking care of “self” so that we can be our best for others. Taking care of our mental and physical health is very important.

A strategy for implementing self -love is required to practice this principle. Every woman has to develop a plan that works best for her. As you establish a blueprint for your journey into self -love, I would like to offer these important recommendations as it relates to preferred health screening guidelines for women with no additional risk factors nor prior abnormal results per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG).

Age 65 years and older:Bone mineral density screening: Every 2 years in the absence of new risk factors.Cervical cytology: Co-test with cytology (PAP Smear) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing every 5 years or cytology alone every 3 years. If age 66 years and older, screening can be discontinued in women with evidence of negative prior screening test results and no history of Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 or higher.Fecal Occult Blood Test: AnnuallyFlexible Sigmoidoscopy: Every 5 yearsColonoscopy: Every 10 yearsDiabetes Testing: Every 3 yearsLipid Profile: Every 5 yearsMammography: Annual or biennial: Begin no later than 50 years.Urinalysis: Annually

Age 40-64yo:Diabetes Testing: Begin at age 45 years and if normal results repeat testing at least every 3 years.Mammography: Annual or biennial starting at age 40 years but no later than age 50 years.Lipid Profile Assessment: Every 5 years beginning at age 45 years.Colonoscopy: Every 10 years beginning at age 50 years; beginning at age 45 years for African Americans.

Age 19yo-39yoCervical cytology:Age 21-29 years: Screening every 3 years with cytology alone.Age 30 years and older: Preferred- Co-test with cytology and HPV testing every 5 years or cytology alone every 3 years.

Revisit them regularly to make sure you are loving yourself enough to have them done. Share them with your family and friends with the goal of fostering a mindset of wellness and good health. We are our sister’s keeper as we love ourselves enough to be intentional about healthy living.

ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Poem by Megan

This is a poem written by Megan, a 16-year-old girl who was rescued from human trafficking and became a resident of Metanoia Manor. While at Metanoia, she wrote this poem. The First Lady asked if she could read it to people, and Megan said, “Yes, but read it to big groups of people who will help.”

She was the girl who took showers at the school gymnasium lockerroom at 6:30 when it opened.She was the girl who held the blame for a family that was broken, and adaughter of a man whose kid wasn’t what he hoped for.She was the girl whose favorite place seemed to be in the principal’schair,She was the girl who didn’t worry, she was the girl that didn’t care.

She was the girl who cried herself to sleep, while holding on to a secretthat wasn’t hers to keep.She was the girl who got anxiety, at the sound of any man’s voice.She was the girl in 1st grade who already knew about boys.She was the girl who grandma loved, but couldn’t understand cause shedidn’t comb her hair or pull up her pants.She was the girl who was a clown, in the middle of class,she was the girl that was okay if anyone happened to asked.She was the girl who held her pain behind her smile as a mask.She was the girl that needed help but didn’t feel worthy enough to ask.She was the girl who hoped and prayed someone would notice when shepast.

She was the girl who had friendships that never seemed to last.She was the girl who held her pain in the form of a pipe of glass, she’dsmoke her worries away but for only a little while would last.She was the girl that learned to hate by the time that she was 8, who washungry for true love but was provided nothing on her plate.She was the girl used for an example of what not to be.She was the girl who always hid but didn’t play hide and seek.

Louisiana National Guard

Deployment of the 832nd

Engineer Utilities Detachment

Louisiana National GuardDeployment

The recent overseas deployment of the 832nd Engineer Utilities Detachment, a Louisiana National Guard unit headquartered in Plaquemine, is a reminder to all of us that our support of the Nation’s war fight continues. Since 9/11, over 18,750 Louisiana Guardsmen have deployed in support of the Global War on Terror. Currently, over 700 LA Guardsmen are deployed overseas and another 450 are pending deployment. For nineteen years now, Guard units continue to perform admirably, professionally, honorably, and return as heroes. To those Guardsmen currently deployed and to their families, we say God bless and God speed.

The National Guard remains vital to the success of our Nation’s objectives abroad as well as the safety and well-being of citizens here on the home front. The role of the Guard is as critical today as it ever has been. Whether we are looking at the overall force structure and posture of our Nation or the emergency preparedness of our State, the National Guard is a key component in the successful mission outcome for the task at hand.

Community support for the National Guard remains outstanding. Louisianans have a long standing history of patriotism and for supporting the US Armed Forces and they are undoubtedly a “silent partner” for the Guard. Community support is the base, the very foundation for a local National Guard armory and those community ties are essential to the success of that unit. One of the unique qualities of the National Guard is that its members come from the same communities that they protect. Certainly, all hazards and disaster response missions have brought the community and the Guard together and the relationship is as strong as ever.

The Louisiana National Guard motto, “Protect What Matters”, is a reminder to all of us that we need to safeguard and protect each other and never tolerate anything less than respect and honor in all that we do.

A child waves American flags as Louisiana Air National Guardsmen return from a deployment overseas, October 11, 2012. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dan Farrell)

Louisiana Air National Guardsmen return home to excited family and friends after a deployment overseas, October 11, 2012. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dan Farrell)

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards stands for the National Anthem with the Louisiana National Guard command team during a deployment ceremony for the 225th Engineer Brigade, Oct. 18, 2017. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Noshoba Davis)

Leslie McMichael

Owner

Lesco Productions

Leslie McMichael
Owner, LesCo Productions

Leslie McMichael founded LesCo Productions LLC in 1996 as a full-service events and marketing Production Company. Her dream was twofold, one, to create the most uniquely interactive marketing experiences for her clients, another to fashion a career that would allow her to eventually be both a businesswoman and a full time mom. By 2001 both of these dreams had come true for Leslie. LesCo Productions was producing events across the country and at home in Louisiana. Leslie was also raising her two amazing daughters Macy and Mollie McMichael.

Under the ever-meticulous eye of Leslie, LesCo Productions has created unforgettable events custom-tailored for her clients across the corporate and private spectrum. LesCo Productions has excelled in producing many large-scale promotional events including the 2008 Starbucks employee incentive street festival for 11,000 people and 19 consecutive years of Sugar Bowl events.

Leslie has also given back to the community through her business. One particular highlight was her production of the Pro Bono Project’s 2015 Justice For All Ball. LesCo Productions not only donated the entire event design and management, Leslie also produced the Justice For All Ball’s 2015 video, which helped further promote their cause.

Today, Leslie happily and successfully juggles her business, LesCo Productions LLC, and her three daughters (Raleigh 2011) without skipping a beat.

PLEASE

FOUNDATION

People Leading EducationalAnd Spiritual Excellence

The PLEASE Foundation

The PLEASE Foundation (PLEASE) was founded in 2007 by native New Orleanian, Yvette Endom. A passion for helping at-risk children and displacement from her home for nine months due to Hurricane Katrina, drove Yvette to make our community a better place.

PLEASE adheres to its mission by identifying at-risk students in the New Orleans area who have a desire to attend college, have a strong work ethic, and continuously aim to achieve academic success. Through mentoring and education, PLEASE inspires at-risk children in New Orleans to achieve their greatest potential. Parents of the chosen students must also have a strong desire for their child to attend college and be willing to partner with PLEASE and participate in all activities to ensure their child’s success. By forming this parent/student/PLEASE partnership, at-risk students develop into young leaders in our community through mentoring, leadership training, college readiness, and scholarships to Catholic college preparatory schools in New Orleans.

The Foundation provides scholarships and all tools necessary for its students to attend and succeed in Catholic college preparatory high schools. The ultimate goal is for the students to be accepted into college with scholarships and to achieve their greatest potential. PLEASE is changing lives through education, one child at a time.

The uniqueness of PLEASE is that it works closely with each student, their parent(s), and the child’s school to ensure that each student is achieving their greatest potential. Through intense mentoring, the Foundation transforms these students into leadership roles in their schools and communities, ending the cycle of poverty through education – one child at a time.

Once a student is accepted into the Foundation, there is a commitment to pay for their education through the 12th grade. To continue as a PLEASE student, each child must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA, have a high attendance rate, be in good standing with their schools, and attend our community volunteer activities. The students must be involved in clubs, sports, or other extra-curricular activities as well. PLEASE prepares its students for leadership roles both in schools and in their communities.

Community service is a big part of PLEASE and our students and families volunteer as a group.

We expect our graduates to go back and volunteer in their communities – and many come back and volunteer with PLEASE! Our first college graduate, Mark Woods, is now the PLEASE Foundation’s Director of Volunteer Outreach for our current PLEASE students. Mark graduated from Jesuit High School in 2014 and ULL in 2018.

As of today, the PLEASE Foundation has experienced tremendous success helping these students. Over 320 scholarships have been provided for students to attend Catholic Schools in New Orleans. These scholarships total over $1,000,000 in scholarship money to our students. 100% of our 2014-2019 high school graduates were accepted into college with scholarships.

PLEASE currently has 20 students in High School, 22 attending college, and 7 college graduates. Each student strives to have and provide a better life for themselves and their future families, helping to end the cycle of violence and poverty that they are surrounded by every day. Education is the only way to pull a child out of poverty. The PLEASE Foundation students are the future leaders of our city.

Louisiana Fosters

3rd Annual Summit

Louisiana Fosters 3rd Annual Summit

First Lady Donna Edwards welcomed foster care advocates and faith leaders from across the state to the Governor’s Mansion on Friday, August 23, 2019, to celebrate the success of Louisiana Fosters and to increase involvement of faith-based communities in support of foster parents and the children in their care.

The event theme was “One Church, One Family, One Child” – a statewide call for faith communities to recruit and support families within their congregations to foster a child in the state’s custody.

“On any given day, Louisiana has over 4,000 children in foster care. We also have over 4,000 churches,” First Lady Donna Edwards said. “If each church-family recruited one foster family for one child, then wrapped themselves around that family in support of that child, we could change the direction of that child’s life, their future and the future of our state.”

Over the past two years, Louisiana Fosters has grown from a handful of groups scattered around the state doing work to support the foster care system to an interconnected network of more than 50 organizations working together to support Louisiana’s children, said Madeleine Landrieu, Dean of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and a co-founder of the Louisiana Institute for Children in Families.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” —James 1:27

Carver, who works through Crossroads NOLA to help churches establish foster/adopt support ministries, invited the summit attendees to think about ways they could build support for foster families into their existing ministries and programs.

Fostering is rewarding but difficult work, he said. Families who are called to foster a child could benefit immensely from the support of their church family through babysitting or respite care, meal delivery, yard work, car repair or transportation to the child’s court and doctor appointments.

The event highlighted the work of six Louisiana Fosters partners – Open Table, James Samaritan (formerly James Store House), Empower 225, Crossroads NOLA, One Heart NOLA and Geaux 4 Kids’ Project Geaux Bags – and invited attendees to network with, learn from and work alongside one another to recruit and support foster families in their own congregations.

“We are so incredibly grateful for the work and support of our partners,” said Secretary Marketa Garner Walters, of the Department of Children and Family Services. “We do our best, but truly, we cannot and should not do this work alone. These are Louisiana’s children, and only by working together can we ensure their future.”

Teach MAM

Teach MAM Certification Pilot

The Teach MAM Certification Pilot wrapped up in August, and we are planning our statewide rollout later this year! During our pilot phase, the New Orleans Arts Education Alliance collected data from 14 schools in 4 diverse parishes across the state – Natchitoches, Orleans, Tangipahoa and Lafayette Parish. Each school nominated a MAM Liaison – a key staff member to participate in a survey and interview cycle about strengths, areas for growth, and upcoming need areas for music, arts and movement in their school and parish. Major findings included:

MAM programming benefits from strong support at the district level. Parishes with strong district-level support experienced more strength and growth in their MAM programs. Central district offices should appoint at least one key staff member to coordinate enrichment opportunities across schools.

Movement was the most commonly offered programming, with 71% of schools offering the state-mandated 150 minutes or more per week, followed by Music and Arts, with 47% of schools offering the state-mandated 60 minutes or more per week in each area.

The three highest need areas statewide for MAM programming were: funding (79% of schools in need), professional development (57% of schools in need), and adequate instructional time (50% of schools in need.) Schools also expressed a need for more community partners and qualified teachers.

These findings (and more) will be released in a comprehensive report this month. We will also develop a plan from our pilot findings to roll out Teach MAM resources across the state this year, concentrating on local funding support, professional development, and instructional planning support. Our goal is to ensure all schools have what they need to provide music, arts and movement to all students in Louisiana.

Roux:

1 1/2 cups canola oil 2 cups AP Flour

Directions:

The RouxHeat 1 ½ cups canola oil on medium high heat in a cast iron skillet. With a wooden spoon stir in 1 1/2 cups of the flour continue to stir for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to continue to stir the roux so it does not burn. Once the roux gets to be a deep dark brown color add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Take off the heat. Place roux in a metal bowl so it does not burn in cast iron skillet and set aside.

The Gumbo:In a large cast iron pot sauté onions, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and okra in butter. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until okra is falling apart and completely cooked down. Add 1 Tablespoon Creole seasoning mix and stir in. Then add dark roux. Stir in with wooden spoon until well incorporated, then slowly add hot chicken stock while mixing. Once all the stock is in the Gumbo add 3 ham hocks, Worcestershire, Hot sauce, bay leaves, file, cayenne, and remaining Creole seasoning and cook on medium/low heat for 45 minutes. Add the smoked chicken and smoked Andouille and cook for an additional 15 minutes on a low simmer. Taste and season with salt. Skim fat and oil off the top then serve over Louisiana long grain rice and garnish with green onions.

Serves 4

Chef Justin Ferguson
Chef/Owner, BRQ Restaurant

Justin Ferguson is a Baton Rouge native and Army veteran who completed two tours in Iraq before enrolling in a culinary arts program at the Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI) in 2005. After graduating from LCI, Ferguson moved to Boston and worked as a line cook at both Tresca and Via Matta. He later returned to Baton Rouge, for the opening of Stroubes Chophouse where he was the Executive Chef.

In 2010, Ferguson was approached by Superior Restaurant Group with an offer to assist with opening Superior Seafood in New Orleans, in the role of Executive Chef. Ferguson later moved on to the Roosevelt Hotel a Waldorf Astoria Property in New Orleans, where he was the Chef de Cuisine of the Hotel, Teddy’s Café, Sazerac Bar, and the Fountain Lounge.

Ferguson most recently worked in Chicago as the Corporate Executive Chef at Ideology Entertainment, where he assisted in opening four concepts and directed the culinary teams at five restaurants. He had the pleasure of working alongside celebrity chef, Art Smith in the development of Blue Door Kitchen and Garden and also worked with Pitmaster, Lee Ann Whippen during her time at Chicago.

He has since returned to Baton Rouge and in June 2017 opened BRQ, which is a Southern Seafood and Barbecue restaurant that is currently receiving rave reviews.

He has partnered with the owners of LCI and is the Chef/Owner of this concept. Justin and his team are set to open BRQ Seafood and Barbeque’s second location in Denham Springs this month.

Additionally, Ferguson is bringing his culinary talents to the world of catering with the launch Bacon & Fig Events, a BRQ/LCI partnership focused on producing the highest quality, fine dining events possible.

Kelly Stomps

2016

LouisianaTeacher of the Year

Kelly Stomps
2016 Louisiana Teacher of the Year

I have just embarked on my nineteenth year of teaching music. During this time, I have taught over 5,000 students. I have taught students of different races, religions, backgrounds, and abilities. I have taught students that have experienced poverty and/or extreme trauma. I have also had students that come from financially secure and/or supportive homes. Over these years, I have come to realize that there are three undeniable truths regarding music education. While you may find a multitude of research that can support these truths, I only need the evidence that has been before my eyes the past eighteen years. Here are my teacher truths.

Every child is musical.

Out of the 5,000 plus students I have taught, all have had musical ability. The variations only occur within how that ability is demonstrated. Many students have been talented vocally. Others have had an amazing sense of beat and rhythm while others seem drawn to understanding the structure of music. Beyond all having some form of musical talent, all have been able to respond to music with emotional expression. This includes my students with severe special needs that limit their ability to move and communicate. I still remember with great joy the giggle-like sounds a boy with special needs would emit whenever I sang the folk song, “I Bought Me a Cat.”

As I have been able to witness this universal musical ability, I consider it a great honor and responsibility to help my students uncover these abilities. It is my job to nurture this natural talent and help their abilities grow. I am not teaching students to make music for one year. I am teaching students to make music for a lifetime.

Music is a natural way for students to learn.

From their earliest stages, children are naturally drawn to music. Babies vocalize sounds, shake rattles, and bang on all manner of things. With these musical explorations, the babies are learning about the world around them. Parents and caregivers expand a child’s knowledge through singing lullabies, modeling finger-plays, speaking rhymes, and singing the ABCs. Thanks to School House Rock, I am still able to sing the words of the Preamble of the Constitution. Our brains are hard-wired to learn through music.

With the knowledge that my student’s brains are innately designed to learn through music, it is my responsibility to design lessons that connect across the curriculum. We dance to life cycles. We sing about the states of matter. We use body percussion to solve multiplication problems. English Language Arts skills are interwoven into every lesson. I love it when teachers express how much our musical lessons have helped their students grow academically. I teach about music, and I teach through music. This helps every child grow. In addition, not every child does well with pencil and paper assessments. Being able to demonstrate learning through music enables all of my students to feel academic success.

Music is a time-machine to the past, mirror for the present, and inspiration for the future.

Music is a gateway. It gives students the ability to travel through time. Not every child has the background experiences to connect with the things they study in history. I am able to build that connection and make history come to life through musical experiences. One of my favorite moments last year was when my third graders made the connections between Funga Alafia, a folk song from Nigeria, to Eliza Jane, a folk song from Virginia, to our New Orleans Brass Bands. Our history can be uncovered in the music of today.

The world around us is also reflected in our present day music. My students are able to gain a greater perspective of the world while learning how to safely express their points of view through music. It is breathtaking for me to hear the world through my students’ musical creations.

As for the future, music is a way to instill hope in all kids. This feeling of hope is a key ingredient for a successful future. I will forever find ways to wield the power of hope through music.

In Conclusion

As the 2019-2020 school year progresses, I will carry these teacher truths close to my heart. They give me hope, purpose, and are at the heart of why I am a music teacher. As “the truth will set you free”, these truths give my students the wings to fly.