The entrance to the Governor’s Mansion opens on a beautiful Louisiana setting captured on canvas in an original mural painted by Auseklis Ozols.  Mr. Ozols is the founder and director of the Fine Arts Museum in New Orleans. Depicting scenery from the four corners or the state, this work of art took the artist six months to complete, working only on weekends. Former governors who have called the mansion “home,” including Jimmie Davis, John McKeithen, Dave Treen, Buddy Roemer, Edwin Edwards, Mike Foster, Kathleen Blanco, Bobby Jindal and currently Governor John Bel Edwards, are all represented within the mural. The mural was donated to the Foundation by Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Canizaro of New Orleans.

From the Words of Auseklis Ozols:

The exciting and timely project, the redecoration of the Louisiana Governor’s residence, has come to be a most positive effort for the benefit of the people of our state. It is now a showplace that represents the talents and arts of Louisiana to local, national, and international visitors.

To be asked to participate in this auspicious undertaking was an honor and a privilege. I was asked to submit to the committee designs that I thought fitting for murals to be located in the entrance hall. I prepared scale elevations of the intended walls with renderings of a series of designs for the inspection of the committee. After several revisions and positive input from the committee I began the work.

Marouflage, or mural decoration, is an ancient discipline that involves the mounting of large paintings on walls as a decorative element that is married to the architecture it inhabits.

The natural proclivity for an artist in this situation is to seize it as an opportunity to express personal aesthetic convictions, but it soon becomes evident that the design of the mural must, above all, compliment the architecture and general décor of the building. It’s decorative and graphic strength must be subservient yet complimentary to the general theme.

The entrance hall, with its north-south orientation, embraces three ample doorways. The north, leading to a grand circular stair hall, the east leading to the state dining room, the west to the main parlor, and the south doorway bring the entrance through a vestibule into the building.

I studied the views through the four doorways in order to take note of architectural and color elements that could be incorporated in the mural designs. This is important for a visual continuity and thematic integration.

My plan was to use as the main theme, the flora and fauna of our grand state. Since the space has a north-south orientation, I chose in a general way to represent the four corners or the state. The two northern corners would suggest the Shreveport and Monroe areas, with rolling landscapes settling to a country scene, with marsh reaching toward the gulf and a Grand Isle beach scene including a view of Fort Livingston.

Throughout the mural I placed birds, creatures and sundry denizens to activate and enliven trees, shrubs and groupings of flowers.

Above the two grand entrances to the parlor and dining room, I placed two cartouches, one comprised of Louisiana flowers, and the other over the entrance to the dining room of fruits, vegetables and other produce of Louisiana. Of particular interest to me were the large leaves of Perique Tobacco that grow only in St. James Parish and nowhere else in the world. I strove to include our main industries such as oil, fishing and shrimping.

I thought it would be interesting to have unobtrusive references to the governors that have been in residence here, and I sought to devise symbolic elements pertaining to their tenure. I tried to place them strategically throughout the mural. I enjoyed placing lighthearted tidbits throughout for children to discover.

This exciting project began in year 2000 and I was privileged to do the work “En Situ” or in place, arriving at the mansion early in the morning and staying until some official function required me to leave. I would set up my paints and other equipment daily with the help of a most forthcoming staff. The state trooper guards, without exception, were all most kind and helpful. I became acquainted with the governor’s staff, who were all gracious in their assistance to me.

My time spent in Baton Rouge was a most joyful period of my life. I am grateful beyond words and will cherish it always.

-Auseklis Ozols

Wendy’s Wonderful Kids: Finding Permanent Homes for Louisiana Youth in Foster Care

By Rita L. Soronen, president & CEO
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

“Home is where one starts from.” These are simple words from a poem by T.S. Eliot. Home is not only where we start from, but also where we go throughout our lives – for comfort in times of sadness, for celebration in times of joy and for daily support and love. Unfortunately, home and family are much more elusive and complicated for the tens of thousands of children in foster care across the United States waiting to be adopted.  

The hard reality is that too many children linger in care for years and age out of the foster care system without an adoptive family, which places them at an elevated risk of negative outcomes, including homelessness, unemployment, early parenting and substance abuse. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption challenges the systemic perception that these children are unadoptable. That notion is unacceptable to us.

The Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services has had incredible success in increasing foster care adoptions this year. With even more to accomplish, we are proud to partner with the Department through our signature program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, and co-invest to support adoption agencies across Louisiana to hire and train recruiters in the Foundation’s evidence-based Child-Focused Recruitment Model. The model is proven to be up to three times more effective at serving youth who have been in foster care the longest, including older youth, sibling groups and children with special needs. The adoption recruiters, dedicated to finding the best homes for youth, like Latrell of Louisiana, start with familiar circles of family, friends and neighbors and then reach out to the communities in which they live.

Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, Kerri, became aware of a relationship Latrell had with his teacher, Cody. “My husband, Cody, and I had thought about adoption for a while. But adopting a teenager was never the plan, until it was,” says Latrell’s mother, Sadie. “While Latrell was already a teenager when we met, his experiences had been so limited. It was heartbreaking at first, but we realized that it allowed us to experience a lot of the typical ‘firsts’ with him that are often missed when an older child is adopted. We got to teach him how to drive and gave him his own room for the first time in his life. We bought him his first plane ticket for his first trip out of state. We gave him his first dog, helped him secure his first job, and more. It has been an incredible journey.” More about Latrell’s story.

Every day, the Foundation sees a growing number of children positively impacted by Wendy’s Wonderful Kids in North America. As of December 2018, Louisiana’s eight Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters have found adoptive homes for 103 children and 128 additional children are being served. And we are committed to continuing this partnership to serve the 1,297 children still waiting to be adopted from foster care in Louisiana.

Each of us can make a difference by fostering or adopting a child from foster care; by sharing free resources to support the adoption journey, such as the Finding Forever Families: A Step-By-Step Guide to Adoption; and by giving the gift of family. Children are never too old to want, need and deserve a permanent home and loving family – it is their right. Together, we can change lives and build stronger families and communities for generations to come.

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The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes and loving families for the nearly 155,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s^® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit www.davethomasfoundation.org and sign up for our newsletter. 

 About the author: For more than 30 years, Rita Soronen, president & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, has worked on behalf of abused, neglected and vulnerable children, providing leadership for local, state and national efforts working to improve the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, while striving to assure safe and permanent homes for North America’s children. Connect with Rita Soronen on Twitter at @rsoronen.

Black History Month

As we celebrate Black History Month, there are countless Louisianans who have contributed significantly to our state and nation’s history.  They are the trailblazers and pioneers who have left an indelible imprint that continues to inspire.  This month, we share the story of the African-American female Louisiana State Police Troopers. Among the most well trained law enforcement officers in the country, these troopers are proudly and courageously paving the way for others to follow.  We salute them for their service and for inspiring all women to never give up on their dreams.

According to the most recent data, there are 1063 Louisiana State Police troopers, out of which 45 are women and of that number, 8 current female troopers are African-American.  Women were allowed to join the force in 1974.  Trooper Joyce Stephanie Isaac Thibodeaux, now deceased, started her career with the Lafayette City Police Department and in 1976 she became the first Black woman to join the Louisiana State Police Dept. She retired after 21 years of service.  

“I was fortunate to work with her,” says Lt. Charron Thomas who joined in 1992. “She faced a lot of struggles being the first one, and she gave me a lot of advice that helped me.”  

After a career in the Army National Guard, Lt. Thomas knew she wanted to become a trooper. And 27 years later, she is still going strong.  “Being in a male dominated workforce is a challenge for all women, which is why we have to support each other, but it is a rewarding career.”

“I consider myself fortunate to be able to stand on the shoulders of the previous black female trailblazers such as Lt. Thomas and the late Trooper Thibodeaux,” says Sr. Trpr. Zuleika Joseph. “I hope that I set a good example for our youth and that some little girl who sees me may one day want to be a trooper or maybe even the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police.”

Trooper Joseph joined in 2006 with the goal of making a difference in her community and being a role model for the youth.  “Where I grew up there weren’t any black female police officers.  I kind of felt like it was impossible for a black female to become a police officer, but as I got older I realized that it was possible and that I had to be willing to do the work.”

Every time I put on my uniform, it fills me with a sense of pride,” says Trooper Melissa George.  “Going through the academy, knowing you worked hard from sunup to sundown to earn that badge, it means everything to me.”

At the time she joined, in 2017, George says she knew that there were very few women and even fewer women of color.  “It motivated me to make it happen.  I prayed about it and once I decided, I was all in. And I do feel the responsibility of helping to carve a path for other women to follow.”

Sgt. Sanikka Williams has been on the force for 17 years and says it’s important for them to be a life-line for each other.”

There have been difficult days. “I have encountered situations where the people I had to stop or arrest clearly had problems with me having the authority to do that,” says Williams. “There are people out there who feel that way. But I can say there’s been more of that from the outside than from the inside.” 

With 25 years in law enforcement under her belt, Sr. Tpr. Lisa Quijano has been with LSP for 12 of those years.  She was a prison warden in Plaquemines Parish and several male troopers whom she had come to know over the years encouraged her to join the force.  She stepped out on faith, applied and was selected.

“There were 57 guys in my class, and I was the only woman. They were like my brothers, but I was still nervous going through the academy.  The other women were there for me.  They would send me text messages and phone calls and tell me to keep my head up.  That was my encouragement every day.  They would say we got you, you’re going to make it.”

Trooper Quijano lives by the motto each one, bring one. “I’m a black woman in law enforcement, and I’m very aware of that. My mother would say whatever mountain is in your way, God will give you the strength to climb it.” Her message to other women is simple, “When you get to the top, I need you to reach back and grab the young lady behind you and help her get to the top as well. As females, we need more of that.  Women can do this, and we need the doors to open wider for others to come through.  This is a career you can have.”

Trooper Qualyndrea Jones was with the New Orleans Police Dept. for 10 years before joining the LSP in 2017.  “My kids are always my biggest supporters.  When I learned I was accepted into the academy, my family wanted to throw a party. I had to tell them congratulate me when I graduate.” 

Jones will never forget her first day in the academy. She was given some advice that remains with her to this day, “Do not quit!  No matter what, do not quit.  I could not give up no matter how hard things got. My completion of the academy was bigger than me.  My climb wasn’t easy to get where I am. With all that I faced, I managed to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration/ Emergency Management and got my life in order, and here I am today.”

They all agree that it’s a career you have to really want. Trooper Tiah Larvadain knew from a kid that she wanted it.  Not surprising considering her mother is Lt. Treone Larvadain who obviously set an incredible example.  In 2018, they became the first mother and daughter troopers in the 82 years of the Louisiana State Police history.

Lt.  Larvadain, one of only two Black female lieutenants on the force, joined state police in 2006 (on Tiah’s birthday).  Tiah was right by her side the day she graduated from the academy.  And when Tiah graduated, her mother was right there too.

“The reason I joined was because of my passion to serve people. I’ve always wanted to give back, serve the public, impact lives and change behaviors,” says Larvadain. “Being a black female state trooper comes with much responsibility and authority, and how we use that authority will determine the success of not only me, but those I serve and the success or failure of our mission to public safety.”

“Seeing the impact my mom had on the community and how they responded to her in such a positive way, I knew it was something I wanted to do,” says Trooper Larvadain.

Knowing she could earn the right to wear the blue uniform like her mother was a driving force that kept Tiah determined to complete the rigorous training academy, and she did so as the only woman in her entire class.

“As a kid, I probably tried my mom’s uniform on many times, but now when I put on my uniform, I know that for 22 weeks I put in the hard work to earn it. It’s a feeling of pride.”

As the newest member to the force, Trooper Larvadain recalls how her fellow troopers also influenced her decision to pursue this career.

“During my last semester in college, I did an internship at the academy, and I watched now Trooper Melissa George as she was going through the class. I was rooting for her and the other ladies. They also played a part in my decision to join, knowing that they went through it and succeeded and I could do the same.”    

Without a doubt, all of the troopers would love to see more women join state police. “We need them!” says Lt. Larvadain. 

*Master Trooper  Joanne Rozigas was the first Black female trooper for Troop B in New Orleans.  She retired January 5, 2019 with 20 years on the force.