OCTOBER 2019 BLOG

Volume 1, Edition 12

OCTOBER 2019

A word from the
First Lady of Louisiana

These past four years have been a whirlwind for John Bel and me. We are honored and humbled to serve as Governor and First Lady of our great state, and hope to continue moving things forward with the momentum we have worked hard to create. We would once again be honored to have your support to continue this journey.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my time as First Lady is working through my Louisiana First Foundation on causes in our state that are not only dear to my heart but are important to the progress of our state. Working to make a positive difference in the lives of Louisiana children, families and the hardworking citizens of our state is so important to me and my husband, Gov. John Bel Edwards. In addition to the work that he is doing, I want to contribute and after praying about it, and talking with friends I created the Louisiana First Foundation which is focused on helping Louisiana children and families.

As a former public-school music teacher, I know the importance of arts education when it comes to educating the whole child. That’s why I created Teach MAM (Music, Arts, Movement). This initiative is designed to promote music, arts and movement as a part of the daily school curriculum. Research shows arts education helps children perform better academically, stay in school and achieve graduation. Louisiana Fosters is also part of my platform which brings together government, private, community and faith-based organizations to support foster parents and children. Working with the Department of Children and Family Services, we have had record numbers of adoptions for each of the last three years.

John Bel and I are also committed to fighting human trafficking which impacts children and adults, boys and girls throughout our state and our nation. We helped support the launch of Metanoia Manor, the only safe haven of its kind in the state for girls under the age of 18 who have been victimized by this terrible crime.

Our work with Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness led to our first statewide summit held last month at the Governor’s Mansion. You can read more about the summit below. We also launched No Kid Hungry Louisiana School Breakfast Challenge to help end childhood hunger in our state. Thousands of children go hungry in our state every day. As a teacher I personally witnessed the impact of hunger in my community. Through the program we encourage schools to adopt Breakfast-On-The-Go programs that allow children to grab breakfast when they arrive at school, eat in their classrooms and then get to work. Schools and teachers say it is fast, efficient and makes a difference in their students’ day. Since 2017, the Challenge has resulted in more than 300,000 breakfast meals being served in schools statewide.

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to meet and work with so many people around our state who are also passionate about addressing the challenges we face and finding solutions. One of the other blessings allowed me to reinstate the Governor’s Mansion Preservation Foundation (GMPF). Through the work of GMPF, we were able to give the mansion a much-needed restoration. The preservation of this beautiful state home is important and we feel should be representative of the great beauty and culture our state has to offer. The Louisiana Governor’s Mansion truly belongs to the people of Louisiana, and John Bel and I are very fortunate to call it home.

We love having people come to visit, and I thought it would be wonderful to update the mansion and make it more inviting. We found many treasures tucked away in the attic that have now been given new life and have added so much more character and beauty.

I was recently interviewed by the Northshore publication, VIP Northshore. I discuss these and many other things in the interview.

You can read it by clicking here to “An Interview with the First Lady” by VIP Northshore.

Louisiana Alliance of Children’s Advocacy Centers

2aa.LFF.Blog.Oct19.Feature.Meet Your CAC Graphic copy

Meet Your CAC Month
Louisiana Alliance of Children’s Advocacy Centers

1 in 10 kids will be physically or sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Most of those kids will be brought to a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC). In Louisiana, there are 16 CACs that help child victims of abuse through investigative, treatment, and prevention services. CACs help kids of all ages share their experiences with law enforcement detectives and Department of Child and Family Services investigators. Then, through the CAC response team, everyone works together to ensure that no child faces abuse alone. Last year in Louisiana, over 6,000 child victims and their families were brought to a CAC as part of an abuse investigation.

This October, legislators and staff from around the state are invited to “Meet Your CAC!” As legislators prepare for office, their support is important to the children of Louisiana and CACs. We can’t wait for you to “Meet Your CAC!”

For more information or to request a tour to meet your local CAC, please email info@lacacs.org or visit our website.

Find Your Local CAC

Click to download

LACAC Stats Card

Click to download

Louisiana First Foundation

Yes Mam, No Mam, Thank you Mam = Teach MAM!

TEACH MAM

What do schools in Louisiana need to ensure all of their students have access to music, arts and movement? We asked a sample group of schools in 4 diverse parishes to share their greatest programming strengths and needs as part of our Teach MAM Pilot study this spring. Here is what we found: *78% of teachers would like more supplies and equipment for their students (visual art supplies, new musical instruments, repairs for existing instruments etc.) *71% of teachers need fundraising support to help fund their programs, *64% of teachers need help finding community resources and partnerships, *57% of teachers need more professional development

Learn More

LOUISIANA FOSTERS

When Baby E entered foster care after spending the first weeks of his life in the NICU, he needed a foster family willing to make a sacrificial commitment to love and serve him. Thankfully, the Haynes family, a Crossroads NOLA foster family, was there – ready to invest time, energy, and emotions. The Haynes family provided more than just a house for Baby E– they became his family, his home. At Crossroads NOLA, our efforts are focused on building homes for children in foster care by recruiting, equipping, and supporting safe, loving families like the Haynes, from local churches.

Learn More

ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING

2019 Louisiana Statewide Human Trafficking Summit By Dr. Dana Hunter – One of the major focuses of the Louisiana First Foundation includes preventing and raising awareness about the prevalence of human trafficking in our state, highlighting the success we’re having in identifying more cases, punishing the perpetrators and helping survivors rebuild their lives. On September 25, the first statewide Anti-Human Trafficking Summit was held at the Governor’s Mansion. Here, we brought key stakeholders together to share their current strategies, efforts, and best practices to end this crime in Louisiana.

Learn More

BRICK SALE

at the Governor’s Mansion

The Governor’s Mansion Preservation Foundation has many revenue streams to maintain and preserve the beautiful Louisiana Governor’s Mansion. One of those is our brick sales. Bricks can be purchased and engraved, and placed on the grounds of the Mansion. This is a beautiful way to memorialize a loved one, honor someone special, or have you and your family members become a permanent part of this beautiful state home!

You can download the order form here.

Or visit our Mansion Store to view the bricks.

Visit Mansion Store

Women’s Health Blog
October 2019

Words from Sonia Malhotra, MD, MS, FAAP

Palliative Medicine & Supportive Care

“A pizza piadina sounds really good. Doc, thanks so much for bringing us food.”

Those were some of the last words I heard from my patient when I visited her at home while she was on hospice.
My patient was dying from cancer and leaving her two young kids behind.

I don’t know if I was emotional because she was leaving her kids or because I knew she wouldn’t get to watch her kids grow up. Or the fact that something she despised for so long due to the chemotherapy treatments received, was now actually sounding good. The least I could do was bring her something she would enjoy prior to the cancer taking a hold of her frail body as she took her last breaths. Especially since she loved food and it was all she spoke about through the course of treatment. Chemotherapy had changed her taste buds and the things that she enjoyed like pizza, were often things she couldn’t tolerate during her cancer treatment course.

Many people ask me if being an Adult and Pediatric Palliative Medicine Physician is tough. I am forthright in saying the field is not tough. Knowing that many of your patients will leave you is the tough part. In fact, I find that my field has given me more than what I will ever be able to give it. It has taught me to keep life in perspective: to fight for time with family and friends, to cherish every moment because life is fragile, and to prioritize goals.

COMMUNITY

On September 28, 2019, the First Lady joined an influential group of women in support of the Champions for Change Luncheon hosted by the Crescent City Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. The Links, Incorporated consists of more than 16,000 professional women of color in 288 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.

SCHOOLS

As any art educator would, Denise Tullier-Holly often uses images to spark student imagination. It is her belief that students can become well-rounded by using art as a medium to communicate. For example, using a famous artist like Vincent Van Gogh, she finds that storytelling is a great motivator for student learning. Through reading and discussing van Gogh and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt, Tullier-Holly noted that her students were building empathy. This attitude deepened their connection to their own creative works, sunflower mixed media paintings.

MILITARY

Having two siblings as military soldiers and seeing their progress, it encouraged me to also enlist. I always loved and appreciated my country and had an insatiable desire to further my education. After extensive research and consideration, I knew the Army was my best choice for a career and to finish school. Upon enlistment, I was fortunate to have an exciting MOS working with computers that was equivalent to a four-year degree. After being stationed in Fort Drum, New York for less than 1 year, I was deployed to Afghanistan during a turbulent time.

BUSINESS

Aimée Bayle Dodds has a lifelong affinity for creativity and shopping. That is why when her years of extensive sales experience landed her the opportunity to work in the promotional products industry 7 years ago, she jumped at the chance. She started Proforma AD Branding Solutions in 2015. Her mission is to help businesses create long-lasting relationships with their audiences through the power of promotional products and printing. Turning conceptual ideas into well-designed products that integrate with a company’s marketing goals and sets them apart from the competition is her expertise.

John Bel’s Great-Grandmother’s Cookies

Anyone who has visited the Governor’s Mansion during John Bel Edwards tenure is familiar with the “magic cookies”. John Bel’s great-grandmother, Dora Husser, passed this recipe down to her family members through the generations where it eventually ended up in the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion. Visitors or students on a field trip are offered these delicious cookies as they leave. Over the past four years, these cookies have obtained legendary status! Now everyone can enjoy them at home!

For full recipe, click here