What's New

Celebrating 15 Years of Improving Early Childhood Education
VOA Staff and supporters gathered at the Early Learning Center on October 20th to celebrate the 15th anniversary of our Partnerships in Child Care programs. Director Janie Starks and program staff presented highlights of past achievements and current initiatives to improve the quality of early education.

United Way Volunteers Make a Difference to Preschoolers
United Way volunteers read books to toddlers and preschoolers in 22 child care centers served by Volunteers of America as part of Make A Difference Day on October 21, 2011. Reading aloud with young children daily establishes a strong reading foundation for future school success.

Celebrating 2 New Ways to Impact Mental Health and Recovery
On September 27th, VOAGBR held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to introduce our two newest mental health programs serving the Acadiana area. Both programs will fill an unmet need for people living with mental illness and help them successfully manage their mental health.

VOAGBR Supports Mental Health Awareness in Acadiana
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) hosted this year's annual NAMI WALKS Acadiana event on Saturday, October 1st to raise mental health awareness. Volunteers of America Dream Team had the largest group of participants in Acadiana with 62 walkers.

VOA and Scholastic Changing the Story for Children in Poverty
Literacy is one of the best predictors of a child’s future success but children can't become successful readers without age-appropriate books.On September 8th and 9th, volunteers from BCBSLA helped sort over 6,000 children's books donated by Scholastic for distribution to children in low-income families.

OLOM Helps Our Kids Start School on the Right Foot!
On July 23, 2011, Our Lady of Mercy Church partnered with Payless to ensure that many of the children we serve will start the school year with a new pair of shoes. Their generosity was appreciated by parents and grandparents who struggle to afford the basic supplies that will help their kids be successful in school.

Oak Park Plaza Hosts Annual Health Expo for Seniors
Seniors from across Baton Rouge were invited to attend Volunteers of America's annual Health Expo on June 24, 2011, and learn how "Seniors are Taking Charge and Living Longer." The event kicked off with warm welcomes by VOA Board Chair Bill O'Quin, Mayor Kip Holden, and VOA President and CEO Jane Shank.

New Officers Elected at VOAGBR Annual Meeting
Dr. Katrice Albert, who challenged the board to become "vessels of hope" when she took office, declared victory as she passed the gavel to Incoming Board Chair Bill O'Quin at our Annual Meeting on June 22. New board officers and members were also elected and we said thank-you to outgoing board members.

Gallagher volunteers give Baton Rouge Youth a fresh look
Volunteers from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. organized a Gallagher Gives Back Day at our Baton Rouge Youth program on May 13, 2011. Over 30 volunteers painted every wall, cabinet, baseboard and doorframe on the first floor of the house, creating a soothing environment for the formerly abused teens who live there.

VOAGBR brings "Matter of Minutes" campaign to Gerry Lane
Staff from our Partnerships in Child Care programs went to the Gerry Lane dealership on May 14, 2011 to alert parents that it is dangerous to leave children in or near and unattended vehicle. They demonstrated that it only takes a "Matter of Minutes" for the temperature to rise inside a parked automobile.

CHOICES Program staff and participants go green (and orange!)
Volunteers of America staff and CHOICES Day Program participants from the Lake Charles area left at 6:00 a.m. and drove to the state capitol on Thursday, May 12, 2011, to participate in "Orange and Green Day," an annual day of action promoting mental health and addictive disorders advocacy.

Celebration for Change 2011
Thank you to everyone who attended Celebration for Change this year. With the generosity of our supporters, Volunteers of America Greater Baton Rouge is changing lives EVERY DAY and, together, we celebrate each and every success!

Encouraging beginning readers and writers with funding from Entergy
Volunteers of America's Partnerships in Child Care received funding from the Entergy Charitable Foundation to provide training and materials to child care center providers in the area of literacy.

VOAGBR Board Chair named as 2011 Volunteer Activist
Board chair Katrice Albert nominated for her committment to the community, especially her outstanding work with Volunteers of America.

Southwest Louisiana Staff and Friends win big prizes for Volunteers of America Programs
Volunteers of America got some much needed-resources thanks to a little help from our friends.

"Sweethearts" from Turner Industries Make Valentine's Day Fun for our Community Home Residents
Team Turner spends Valentine's Day with our Residents

Our 2010 Annual Report is now online
Volunteers of America Greater Baton Rouge releases online annual report.

Garfield House Veterans get an exclusive tour of LSU
Thanks to Board Member Blaine Grimes and Campus Federal Credit Union, our veterans got a behind-the-scenes look at LSU!