Field Report: Evacuteer.org

This month at evacuteer.org has been in a word…productive!  I owe that productivity to the amazing team of summer interns, as well as the dedicated volunteers of our Executive Leadership Committee.

June kicked off with the Hello Hurricane Season Summit, a hurricane preparedness event presented in conjunction with the City of New Orleans. Attendees were introduced to the work of evacuteer.org by our Founder, Robert Fogarty; keynote speakers included Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Lt. Col. Jerry Sneed, and City Councilmember District “C”– Kristin Palmer– spoke on the state of hurricane preparedness as well as the importance of the City Assisted Evacuation Plan(CAEP). From there, we broke out into sessions held in galleries throughout the New Orleans Museum of Art on the topics of “How to start a emergency preparedness committee at your organization”, “Shelter for CAEP evacuees”, and “Personal hurricane preparedness: what you need to know”.

Robert Fogarty, founder of evacuteer.org, speaks to participants at the organization's second annual evacuation preparedness summit June 11. Picture by Kari Dequine, Times Picayune

At the end of June, evacuteer.org was part of a CAEP drill. State officials  worked hand in hand with local government agencies and evacuteer.org to execute a run through of a hurricane evacuation with 50 students acting as evacuees. The drill went well and shed light on areas in need of improvement. It was great to see all our planning in action!

While we hope all the planning this summer will not be utilized and a hurricane will never come to fruition, it is great to see all the hard work so many people put into making sure our city is safe for years to come.

Also in June–the Tulane CPS VISTA packed our bags and took a trip up to a little town called Baton Rouge. VISTAs from across the state of Louisiana, from as far as Hammond and Alexandria, all took part in a conference put on by Louisiana Court Appointed Special Advocates (LACASA). The topic was poverty, an area Americorps members address often.  It was an interesting approach to poverty, and covered many areas we don’t normally discuss; the importance language has

Tulane VISTAS. Top: Betsy Lopez, Cindy Corrales Middle: Jan Jagruan, Cassie Lemon, Jabari Brown, Melisa Cardona Bottom: Frank Southall

on how we perceive different classes, the effects of the middle class, and the relativity of poverty in different geographic areas. It was also a great chance to see some old friends from the start of my VISTA term and meet new VISTAs with similar interests. While Tulane VISTAs made up the largest group from any one location, there was such a diverse mix! An older woman working in City Council in rural Louisiana, some fellow northerners doing policy work in New Orleans, and even those who were raised and stayed in Baton Rouge.

Sign up to be an evacuteer here: http://evacuteer.org/join-us

- Emma Storm Herr, Tulane AmeriCorps VISTA, Evacuteer.Org. 

Field Report: City of New Orleans Office of the Mayor

This past month, Caitlin (the super-duper intern) and I have been visiting local colleges and universities to spread the word about the internships that are available this fall at City Hall. Since coming starting my VISTA term in February, I’ve worked hard to put in place some sort of process whereby formal internship positions are created and can then be applied for.   To apply for an internship this past spring, students were sending inquiries to our office about available internships without really knowing what was out there. Students’ interests and areas of expertise were then passed on to related departments and offices, and if there was a need, an internship position was loosely created. It seemed successful to some degree, but I didn’t think it wasn’t the most efficient or effective way to go about things. Starting in the summer, then, an application process was put into place whereby students knew what they were applying for. Offices and departments were asked to submit a request for interns, and potential applicants were then asked to submit a cover letter and resume for a specific position. Hopefully, by next spring, this process will be a bigger part of the culture at City Hall and will be something that can be easily carried over to a future staff member when my VISTA term concludes in February.   The success of this new process that we put in place is evident. When I first come on board, we had 10 interns volunteering in only a handful of departments. In the summer, we had 26 interns, and the number of participating departments grew. For the upcoming fall semester, we have over 30 positions advertised, and if all are filled, we have the potential to have between 70 – 80 interns working at City Hall. Being able to pass this system off to someone else will, again, hopefully keep the momentum the program has been building going.   To make sure all of our positions are filled, we’ve already advertised our positions on colleges’ career services websites and our own city website. We hope to have most of our positions filled by the time school starts, but for any positions that are still lagging, we’ll be out talking to students during those first couple of weeks of school.

To learn more about the Volunteers in Government of Responsibility (VIGOR) program at City Hall, visit their program page at: http://www.cityofno.com/pg-128-3.aspx. 

Field Report: City of New Orleans Office of the Mayor

One of the perks of helping coordinate the internship search and selection process is being able to put out a request for my own intern. Now, some of my VISTA colleagues have scoffed at the notion of me having an intern. To them, I say … you just wish you had your own really great, extra nice, supremely helpful intern like I do! Moving the VIGOR program forward at City Hall is a daunting task and having a partner in crime (aka an intern) has surely helped me stay focused and put projects in motion that I would not otherwise have been able to do myself this summer. Here, in her own words, describing all of the work we have accomplished together this past month, is the wonderful intern … Caitlin!!!: “First of all, no scoffing at this notion! There’s a lot to get done, and even though I’m sure Nick could handle this on his own, it’s always nice to have some help. (So that’s where I come in!) The first week here entailed creating a calendar for the whole summer, which was a bit of a daunting task for a newbie like me, but we’ve been trucking along and keeping up with our goals and deadlines. Next, we created a “Volunteer Handbook” which will be given out to the new volunteers and interns at City Hall. It describes the VIGOR program and the basics of volunteering as well as a history of City Hall itself. Last week, after receivng a call from a group interested in touring City Hall, I was in charge of putting together a basic guidebook for tours of City Hall which will hopefully continue to be used and updated in the future. In addition, we’ve both updated and created many forms and applications to be used for the new group of interns who will be coming this Fall, and when not working on the VIGOR internship program, I have been researching community organizations and neighborhood groups in New Orleans to reach out to for our future volunteer database. These last few weeks have been busy, but definitely a great experience so far. Nick is a great guy with an even greater vision for both this program and New Orleans!”  I think it’s safe to say Caitlin and I are VIGOR BFFs forever. - Nick Solari, AmeriCorps VISTA To learn more about the Volunteers in Government of Responsibility (VIGOR) program at City Hall, visit their program page at: http://www.cityofno.com/pg-128-3.aspx.

Field Report: City of New Orleans Office of the Mayor

If I didn’t have so much AmeriCorps work to do, I’d probably start my own People Magazine: New Orleans Edition magazine.

I’m not too fond of a lot of celebrity gossip, but it’s hard to ignore when you’re living in the “Hollywood of the South.” Because of the relatively cheap filming and production costs here, movies are filmed with regularity in the city. Bruce Willis was here (still is here?) filming a car chase scene. Nicolas Cage was (still is? Again, I’m not always on the up-and-up) doing something here, too, and was notably spotted by a friend looking, well, Nicolas Cage-like around St. Patrick’s Day.

Tim Robbins is filming for the new Green Lantern movie, and I had the good fortune of actually seeing him at DBA a couple of Monday nights ago. On that very same night, I saw Ed Helms (of The Office and The Hangover fame) strumming his guitar at HiHo Lounge (note: there is some discrepancy as to whether or not it was really him, but I am 99.99% sure it was. Those who disagreed need to have their eyes checked).

By far and away the biggest celebrity sighting, though, was Hugh Laurie (DR. HOUSE!) at the ReFest Concert put on by The Green Project.

First, kudos to fellow Tulane VISTA Beth for hosting such a great event. Second, and again it needs to be repeated, I saw Dr.-freaking-House.

My love for Dr. House goes back a couple of years ago. Like all television shows, I got hooked on it because a roommate was watching. After a couple of episodes, I quickly picked up on each episode’s storyline arch: patient is sick, House thinks he knows what is wrong, House is wrong in his assumption, patient almost dies, House has an “ah-ha” moment, patient lives. Occasionally a twist will be thrown in: House figures out the medical mystery, patient dies anyway. Throw in a good snarky comment every now and then, and you have a recipe for a show I’ve watched for over two years now.

Sadly, I never really got to say hello to House. I very much freaked out and spent thirty minutes plotting on how to get his attention, including randomly “bleeding” and “fainting” at his feet, but alas, I decided to just let him be and enjoy his evening in New Orleans. For what it’s worth, I did stand really close to him.

On the work side of life, placements for summer internships have just about wrapped up. I have worked to place multiple interns with the Department of Public Works, Office of Homeland Security, Mayor’s Office of Public Advocacy, Capital Projects Administration, and other departments and offices. Now it’s almost time to start thinking about internships for the fall! As I mentioned in a previous blog post, now that I have been at City Hall for a few months, I think I will be better prepared to help place the newest round of interns.

This summer I’m also hopeful that I will have more time to dedicate to really solidifying the VIGOR program. We currently have a handful of long-term volunteers in various departments and offices at City Hall, but I’d really like to begin to organize larger groups of volunteers to tackle the city’s needs. For example, I’d really like to put together a group to participate in a cleanup day or a small construction project at a city facility. I think this summer will be a great opportunity to get out in the community more a meet with other nonprofits, neighborhood groups, universities, etc. and really begin to collaborate on such endeavors. Before that can happen, though, I need to double-down and work on creating materials such as pamphlets, brochures, PowerPoint presentations, etc. that will best represent my office and the work we hope to accomplish. -Nick Solari, AmeriCorps VISTA

To learn more about Nick’s position at City Hall, visit the Volunteers in Government of Responsibility (VIGOR) program page at: http://www.cityofno.com/pg-128-3.aspx. 

Field Report: City of New Orleans Office of the Mayor

“Down in the Treme / Just me and my baby /
We’re all going crazy / Just jammin & havin’ fun!”

 

That’s the chorus from HBO’s newest show, Treme. It’s also a song that plays over and over and over again in my head every Sunday night and Monday morning. It’s pretty darn catchy.Watching Treme every Sunday night has become a part of my new routine (my schedule of events typically includes $1 red beans and rice on Mondays, yoga at the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center on Tuesdays, and happy hour at Handsome Willy’s on Fridays). Treme follows the lives of a group of people trying to rebuild three months after Katrina. Homes aren’t the only thing that need rebuilding, either; through four episodes, the cast struggles to repair their families, jobs, businesses, and even their sense of identity.   It’s a little strange watching a show about a city where you live. Even though I’m still new to the city, I often find myself saying, “Hey, I was just there last night!” as I watch. My favorite parts of the show, though, usually involve music. The producers and directors of the show have done a great job incorporating musicians from New Orleans into the show and giving them bit parts and roles. Again, it’s weird watching the show and thinking, “Hey, I just heard that person play last week!”   When my best friends from Georgia came to visit this month, I tried to show them some of what I typically do in New Orleans. That obviously included a trip to Saturn Bar to watch Treme. Not being from New Orleans, I’m not sure they really “got it” (then again, I don’t always, either), but still, they watched. The next night, we went to DBA to see a performance by Glen David Andrews Band, and wouldn’t you know it, some members of the Treme cast showed up and did a song or two. It was kind of surreal, and for me, it was one of my most favorite nights so far in New Orleans. The musicians of the city are really like one big family, and their bonds were evident on stage. At DBA that night, I think my friends “got it.” Everything only reinforced how much I love New Orleans.   Of course, the biggest part of my weekly routine is … work! I’ve been working hard to outreach with local colleges and universities to spread the word about the summer internships at City Hall. I think we’re going to have a good group of candidates, and with the transition of administrations in full swing, it’s an exciting time to be at City Hall. The impending changes and uncertainty of the new direction at City Hall has made securing summer internships with some departments and offices a little difficult, but I look at this summer as a “trial run.” I can evaluate what worked and what didn’t work with respect to creating positions and advertising them, and I am confident I can do a better job in the future. And now that I have been able to get my feet wet and introduce myself around town, I hope things will run even smoother come the fall. - Nick Solari, AmeriCorps VISTA To learn more about Nick’s position at City Hall, visit the Volunteers in Government of Responsibility (VIGOR) program page at: http://www.cityofno.com/pg-128-3.aspx.

Field Report: City of New Orleans Office of the Mayor

MTV’s “The Real World” is currently filming in New Orleans. It’s the second time MTV has chosen to send eight strangers (showing my age, here, but I remember when it used to only be six strangers) to live in a mansion just off St. Charles Avenue and watch what happens when people stop being polite and start getting, well, “real.”   Stay tuned for the episode where – I’m not making this up – one member gets sick because a fellow housemate, er, urinates on his toothbrush. Welcome to the “real world,” indeed.   This past month represents my first stint in the REAL real world. Since graduating in December 2009, my real world has been decidingly less dramatic (and, thankfully, any instances of debauchery are not on film). What are the signs I’ve made it to the real world? • I have my own business cards. • One of the things I want most for my birthday (four days!) is something that organizes the business cards I keep getting from everyone else. • In that same vein, I actually like “networking” now. I used to hate it and think of networking as nothing more than glorified schmoozing; now, I genuinely enjoy learning about other people’s line of work and thinking of ways we could make both of our jobs easier in the future. • I instinctively wake up at 8am, even on the weekends. • I worry about my clothes looking nice. On the surface, this list may look, well, boring, but don’t let anyone fool you: the real world IS better than college. No tests looming over your head. No homework. In general, my life is a lot more stress free than it used to be. Now, granted, I don’t have to worry about mortgages and car payments and some of the other aspects of the REAL REAL real world, but so far, life as a 20-something young professional is pretty grand.   My time at City Hall has been rewarding thus far. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to meet people who have dedicated themselves to a career in public service, and I am confident in my ability to grow the VIGOR program. In the past month, I have been reaching out to a variety of different departments and offices looking for good fits for potential interns. I have also been in contact with various outside nonprofits that could potentially host large groups that are interested in volunteering in the City. I am also working toward stabilizing our program so that by the time my service is completed the process of interning or volunteering at City Hall will be more efficient and effective.   Life as a VISTA is also, as Dominica says, a “fun time.” We have potlucks and go out together and support everyone’s endeavors. Having a support group that doubles as a social circle is a huge plus of the program. Plus, I feel as though I’m always hearing about cool opportunities and things to get involved with, which makes my free time outside of work more enjoyable, too.   In short, maybe my first month in New Orleans hasn’t been eventful enough to make it on MTV’s “The Real World.” But, I’m happy to be here, and at the end of the day, no one is peeing on my toothbrush. That has to count for something. -Nick Solari, AmeriCorps VISTA To learn more about the City of New Orleans Office of the Mayor VIGOR program, visit their website at: http://www.cityofno.com

Field Report: VISTA Leader

“Well, Mardis Gras officially ended at midnight, Tuesday. And, judging by the weight I put on during those eight eye-popping, mind-blowing days it’s not called Fat Tuesday for nothing. And, of course, the Super Bowl victory ramped up the whole celebratory mood to unprecedented heights (even by New Orleans’ standards).

In the midst of all the partying and Carnival craziness we welcomed two new volunteers…both named Nick so, of course, they became The Two Nicks. They were at Pre-Service Orientation in Albuquerque when the euphoric city had the Saints victory parade, but made it back in time for the frenzy of Mardi Gras. And after this whirlwind intro to New Orleans they begin their assignments today: one Nick is from Illinois and will be working for the Gulf Restoration Network and the other is from Georgia and will be with the VIGOR program at the City’s Office of the Mayor. Oh, and I forgot to mention that on top of everything else, New Orleans somehow managed to elect new city officials – including a new mayor – in the midst of all the hoopla. So, this should be an exciting time to work at City Hall. Four of our members will be ending their VISTA service in about eight weeks, but we were told by VISTA’s state office that we won’t be able to recruit for replacements. It’s, of course, always ideal when a departing member can pass the torch to an incoming volunteer, but such are the vagaries of national service. We’re hopeful that those four partner organizations won’t be going long without volunteer help. In the meantime, we all continue working towards a restored and revitalized New Orleans…the Saints and Carnival were two giant steps in that direction.” -Jim Trombella, VISTA Leader