Spreading Love at the Cov — Junior League Spotlight
Spreading Love at the Cov
Junior League of New Orleans Spotlight
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Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! At Covenant House, we are lucky to have incredible community partners. When groups come in to host events at the Cov, it shows our residents that they have friends in this city who are looking out for them. Today, we wanted to highlight one group in particular that goes above and beyond to show our residents love — the Junior League of New Orleans.
The Junior League of New Orleans has been giving back to the community for almost 100 years, investing millions of dollars and millions of volunteer hours. Covenant House opened in New Orleans 30 years ago, and the Junior League has been helping out since before the paint was even dry — literally! 30 years ago, members of the Junior League came to help put the finishing touches on the building so that it could fully open its doors to homeless youth in New Orleans. Today, they continue to bring support, opportunity, and joy to our young people through their monthly birthday parties, the Diaper Bank, the Parenting Center, Dress for Success, and through the incredible commitment of individual JLNO members.
Birthday Parties
Once a month, women from the Junior League come to throw a birthday party for our residents. They come with cake, ice cream, gifts, balloons, activities, and bingo. It is, without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated activities each month. When residents come to a JLNO birthday party, it is joy all around! The room is transformed into a space where each resident gets to forget about whatever difficulties the day may have held. Instead, they get to focus on having fun, eating cake, and being celebrated for being themselves! Each resident who has had a birthday in that month gets a special gift, and every resident in attendance gets to participate in the fun. The parties are always themed, and this most recent birthday party was Valentine’s Day themed.
There’s no doubt that our residents loved it!
Diaper Bank
We are also incredibly blessed to receive diapers through the Junior League’s diaper bank. The Junior League provides a huge service to Covenant House not only by distributing much-needed diapers to us, but also by raising awareness about diaper need in New Orleans. The diaper donations help us beyond measure, as we care for between 30-40 babies and toddlers at any given time.
“Getting the diapers is stress relieving, because as soon as you are about to run out, you can ask to get some diapers, and they’ll give you the size you need. And that’s a huge relief for the moms, because you don’t have to stress about it. And I am so thankful for it. Thank you guys!”
–Sara, mother of three
Individuals Going Above and Beyond
As an organization, the Junior League has made an incredible impact in the lives of our residents. It’s no surprise then that the individuals that make up the organization are just as spectacular! Last November, eight members of the Junior League joined together to form a team for our annual Sleep Out event. These eight women slept out on the street with nothing more than a sleeping bag and a cardboard box to support our young people. Together, they surpassed their fundraising goal and raised $9,140 for our kids! In addition to participating in our Sleep Out event, individuals from the Junior League often reach out to support us — from donating office supplies to becoming regular volunteers.
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From all of us here at Covenant House — THANK YOU!!
