Since the April 20th Deepwater Horizon explosion, the families of Louisiana’s coastal parishes have been made vulnerable. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans has been on the ground since May 1, providing help and hope in this time of crisis. With the school year approaching, the children and families affected by the Gulf Oil Spill will need support services and stability more than ever.
Catholic Charities’ After School Assembly is a program that was started after Hurricane Katrina to set up a supportive after-school program for children who had recently suffered the trauma of the storm. This project will extend the program from the city of New Orleans into coastal parishes and provide fifty children with a safe environment that will give participants access to interactive learning opportunities, self-esteem building workshops, therapeutic art activities and other activities and services needed by the children affected by the spill.
This project will ensure that families living in affected areas receive the extra support they need to get their children off to a great start this school year and to help ease stress on families with after school support services and activities. Donate to this project, and help fishing families find a new, more sustainable future by providing an educational program for their children.
This project will fund the After School Assembly Program for the 2010-2011 school year by providing teacher salaries, special events and school supplies, games, math, reading and science curricula, and student liability insurance. The program will occur on school days, with each session starting with a healthy snack. Following the snack, children will divide into small groups where they rotate through organized activities designed to address crisis response, healthy lifestyle choices, substance abuse education, and athletic and academic enrichment. Members of the surrounding communities will present on the above topics throughout the course of the program. During the final part of the day, students will have free time to complete homework and receive individual academic assistance that they may not be able to receive during the school day or at home.
The economic impact of the Gulf Oil Spill has been devastating for the families in Plaquemines Parish who make their living from the fishing and seafood industries. Families are struggling to get by as they wait for their claims to be processed. Some families have lost up to $45,000 in supplies, insurance and other investments for this year’s fishing season and are sinking deeper into debt. This economic hardship places great stressors on parents, who are now unable to pay for children’s after-school activities that they may have been able to in previous years. With economic hardship has come despair and emotional toil. As of July 21, Catholic Charities has provided 5,843 individuals with counseling services in order to help those affected cope with the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill. As the school year approaches, there exists an urgent need for quality after-school programs that give parents time to attend to their own needs while providing comfort in knowing that their children’s needs are being well cared for, as the Gulf Oil Spill has taken an emotional toll on children as well. In addition to improving academic performance, behavior, attendance and graduation rates, after-school programs have had a proven impact on a family’s social-emotional well-being and enhance family relationships. They also provide a safe, drug-free environment for children to play, grow and develop in providing them with tools to free themselves from poverty. An After School Assembly program will be instrumental in ensuring that the children of coastal parishes are able to cope in the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill.
In order to meet children’s needs and provide families with a sense of greater stability during this time of crisis, Catholic Charities will extend the already successful After School Assembly program to the coastal parishes. The After School Assembly uses a method that implements a comprehensive approach to meeting the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social needs of children. After School Assembly staff creates a working relationship with participants’ parents and teachers, and through this relationship, an individualized evaluation and action plan is developed for each student. After School Assembly will provide a setting in which a child’s physical and emotional needs are met in order to prepare them for success inside the classroom.
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Brackets with Benefits -. donated to After School Assembly Program — Gulf Coast ! - about 1 year ago visit the project
New CP added to After School Assembly Program — Gulf Coast ! - about 1 year ago visit the project
New Project Added - about 1 year ago visit the project
New CP added to After School Assembly Program — Gulf Coast ! - about 1 year ago visit the project
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