“I feel like I’m doing such a great thing for the community,” Brown said. The Captain Shreve High School student was one of the volunteers during the Make A Difference Day.

The two-day event — sponsored locally by Community Renewal International and The Fuller Center for Housing — paired volunteers to do projects around the Allendale and Barksdale Annex neighborhoods.

Watch video at KTBS

What projects did the volunteers do?

Projects included painting, gardening and playground cleanup.

What did it look like nationally?

Saturday was part of the national Make A Difference Day and involved more than 3 million volunteers in hundreds of service projects.

The annual event is sponsored by USA Weekend magazine, the NBA and the NBA Players Association.

What about local projects?

On Saturday, volunteers painted the porch on a CRI Friendship House and added sealant to the deck and pergola structure. In the Barksdale Annex, about 10 volunteers worked in the flower and vegetable gardens at the Friendship House. They also did some cleanup and maintenance work at the KaBoom playground built near the house two years ago.

The Fuller Center’s project saw volunteers from LSU-Shreveport and Captain Shreve in Allendale. They painted three shotgun houses that will serve as museums and rental space for future businesses. The houses are next to the old L&M Grocery, the upstairs portion will become the new offices of the Fuller Center.

The downstairs will be a grocery store, said Lee Jeter Sr., executive director of the Fuller Center.

“The grocery store will have no alcohol and no tobacco,” he said. “People will be able to shop and reinvest in the community.”

© Icess Fernandez • ifernandez@gannett.com • October 24, 2010

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others — a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.

The Fuller Center for NWLA partnered with SM Energy formerly St. Mary Land & Exploration Company to make a difference in the local community by painting the interior of a building that will one day be a local community grocery store and Fuller Center office.

Click here to watch video at KTBS

The workplace doubles as one of the nation’s most effective message boards for volunteer opportunities. It’s where one volunteer in four learns about specific chances to help others. On Friday, October 22, 2010, SM Energy employees used their skills and resource to strengthen the community and the company. Supporting a cause can boost sales, win customers and attract employees.

More and more companies are incorporating volunteer programs as part of their overall business strategy. 97% of companies surveyed say volunteer programs improve teamwork. (Source: Corporate Volunteer programs – A Strategic Resource:

SM Energy employees donated their time and labor, Martin Specialty Coating donated the interior paint for the grocery/offices, Harrison Paint donated paint and sprayer for the shotgun homes (museum).

As you can see by the individual groups that are participating in Make A Difference Day, our community is a caring community. We thank all of our volunteers from SM Energy, Shreveport Job Corps, Captain Shreve and LSU-S and many others behind the scene for making a difference not only on “Make A Difference Day” but throughout the year. We thank the Volunteers Center at United Way for matching volunteers with projects.

Throughout the semester students in the Construction Technology and Management program learned the principals of construction. However, this was the first time they got to take what they learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world. In two weeks the students plan on building two houses as part of what Linda Sonnier, program director for the CTM program calls a house blitz.

While attending Louisiana Tech Sonnier worked with the Fuller Center on a modular housing project. After getting a job with BPCC Sonnier continued her work with the Fuller Center via her students in the CTM program. Since the spring of 2008 semester Sonnier has invited students to build houses for the Fuller Center.

“In our methods class we are learning about wood frame. [Students] learn more today about what wood frame is than I could teach in two weeks worth of classes. You have to do it to be able to learn it,” said Sonnier
Lee Jeter, executive director of the Fuller Center, agrees.

“It’s a win-win for us and the [college]. The students get the hands on experience and we get the volunteer labor we need to facilitate our ministry as far as building houses for those in need,” said Jeter.

The BPCC students not only worked on two houses, but they also worked alongside the future occupants.

“It’s a lot of fun because you get to work side by side with them and they are just happy to be here to help and so are we,” said Lisa Dumas, president of the AGC student chapter.

Although working along side those in need of housing, Sonnier does not believe the students understand the gravity of their charitable work.

“[Students] do not even realize yet how important what they are doing is. It will hit them over time as they talk about it with people that they know. Right now they are having fun and that’s great too,” said Sonnier.

However, one thing the students clearly understand is their effort.

“Everyone needs a place to live. Knowing you built something and can drive by and say you built that, you put that together, and it makes not only that person feel good but yourself feel good; it’s indescribable,” said Ernest Blackstone, a student at BPCC.

Yolonda Braziel, the future homeowner, was amazed at the selflessness of the students.

“It’s amazing because (these people) I don’t know just gave their time to a stranger. The reality of it has not set in yet. It’s an extraordinary experience to be a first time homeowner. That is something I never thought I would achieve in this lifetime as a single parent of seven,” said Braziel.

© Jim Potts – nwlanews.com

Two Shreveport families will be getting new homes thanks to The Fuller Center for Housing.

Volunteers and college students from Idaho, Minnesota and Texas will be working alongside the families to construct the homes in the Allendale neighborhood starting today. The project coincides with the Fifth Anniversary Celebration of The Fuller Center for Housing.

Construction will continue during the week, and volunteers can still sign up to help. The houses, located at 1433 and 1437 Alston St., will be dedicated at noon March 20. Upon completion, the Christian nonprofit will have built a total of 42 houses in the neighborhood. To volunteer, call The Fuller Center office at (318) 221-7474 or e-mail info@fullercenternwla.org.

© Shreveport Times

The Fuller Center is a post-Katrina success story. Its work in the Allendale neighborhood, alongside Community Renewal International, is transforming the previously crime- and drug-ridden part of downtown Shreveport. The local Fuller Center partner has built or repaired 75 houses, providing simple, decent shelter for almost 200 people in Allendale.

Since The Fuller Center began building in 2005, crime has dropped in Allendale 55 percent. Emergency phone calls from the areas where Fuller Center houses are clustered have dropped nearly 90 percent.

In 2010, a grocery store will open in Allendale, encouraged by the Fuller Center’s success. The nearest store with affordable, fresh food is currently ten miles away, making shopping difficult for elderly residents and those without cars. There is also a new playground for children and a community garden now tended to by several residents.

“Many years ago this was one of the worst communities in the city. Homicides, crime, gang activity – you name it,” said Jewel Mariner, a community coordinator in Allendale. “It’s amazing to see the transformation in people’s lives and in this neighborhood. People used to just call this The Hill. Now it’s New Hope Hill.”

The Fuller Center is celebrating its fifth anniversary and the ongoing success of the Allendale project by returning to Louisiana between March 15 and 27 to build five houses with its three local partners – Shreveport, Hammond and Webster Parish.

Additional Information:

The Fuller Center for Housing is an ecumenical Christian non-profit started in 2005 by Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller as a way to continue his vision of a grassroots movement working to eliminate poverty housing worldwide. The Fuller Center is based in Americus, Ga., and is currently working in nearly 60 U.S. cities and 17 countries. Visit FullerCenter.org for more information.

SOURCE: The Fuller Center For Housing

“If they go on a bus, you know you can’t carry too much food on the bus,” said Rosie Chaffold, Allendale resident. “Many times after you’ve bought your 50 dollars worth of groceries you only have 10 extra dollars to pay somebody to take you and bring you back.”

Chaffold says there are corner stores in the community. However Chaffold says the food is not always fresh or affordable.

The Fuller Center for Housing hopes to open the grocery store by the end of the year.

Reported by: Amber Miller