Wolves on the Prowl

On Saturday November 8th, students at Loyola University New Orleans came together for a day of service in the community. There were many activities the students could choose ranging from painting to potting plants with senior citizens. I decided to pot plants with the seniors at the Uptown Shepard Center. I absolutely love to spend time with seniors. They have the GREATEST stories and they are so appreciative. We started out the day at Loyola. We signed in and we split up into groups based on what activity we wanted to do. The activity I wanted to do was put together by a LUCAP (Loyola University Community Action Program) sub-group called S.M.I.L.E., which stands for Students Moving Into the Lives of the Elderly. We then took buses to the locations of our service. When I arrived at Uptown Shepard Center, I knew it was going to be a great day! We walked in and were greeted by the sweetest seniors! They were so excited that we came to spend time with them. We then set up all the pots and flowers at the tables. We helped the seniors make beautiful flower arrangements and shared many laughs with them. After we finished the arrangements, we played BINGO. Everyone had a great time playing BINGO. Lastly, we shared stories and refreshments with the seniors. I feel that they had a great time and loved our company!

LUCAP is an awesome organization to become a part of! LUCAP, as stated above, stands for Loyola University Community Action Program. They have thirteen active programs to get involved with that range from rebuilding to advocacy. LUCAP's mission is very inspiring and is stated below.

Composed of and directed by student volunteers, the Loyola University Community
Action Program (LUCAP) is a campus organization having three primary goals,
the first being to provide and direct volunteers in service-oriented
activity within the community and the university, the second being to inform
and promote involvement in the area of social justice, and the third being
to aid in the volunteers' social and spiritual growth through their involvement in service and care-giving activities.

When i was searching for another service opportunity I stumbled upon a site that I found very intriguing. The organization is called Replant New Orleans. Their mission is stated below.

It is the mission of Replant New Orleans to provide trees and shrubs, healthy
soil, and education outreach services to the residents of New Orleans at no
cost. We seek to help New Orleanians create a lush, healthy, and vibrant urban
forest canopy, emphasizing equitable distribution of resources and grassroots
community involvement.

I feel that Replant New Orleans can really make a difference in the lives of New Orleanians by providing lush landscaping in our community.