NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — On Tuesday, people all over New Orleans are donating to local nonprofits on this annual GiveNOLA Day.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s goal this year is $8 million in donations.
GiveNOLA Day benefits more than 1,000 local nonprofits, and one of them is the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter.
The New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter is celebrating GiveNOLA Day and its new location in Mid-City, which used to be a hotel called the “Lucky Inn.”
“We just purchased a new facility. So, funding from GiveNOLA Day will give us the opportunity to serve more individuals. We’ve served 4,500 to date, and we are looking to serve another 7,500 over the course of the next 10 years,” said New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter CEO Dawn Bradley-Fletcher.
Bradley-Fletcher says GiveNOLA Day helps with the mission of breaking the cycle of homelessness.
“We’re certainly in need of more funding to support the new space. Our last facility we were able to serve 60 individuals at any given time. Our new facility will allow us to serve 100 at a time,” she said.
Taking a tour, you’ll see how the nonprofit is making its shelter feel like a home. There is an intake room, family rooms and a library media room.
“In our family rooms, the families will be able to take everything from the room with them when they leave,” she said.
The library media room gives families access to computers and books.
“We are heavily promoting reading books. So, there are books in every room. The shelter has a partnership with Streetside Library, which makes sure all the books are stocked,” said Bradley-Fletcher.
As you can see, the donations from GiveNOLA Day go a long way to help support those families in need.
“All the proceeds go to supporting our mission. Gives them an opportunity to escape homelessness,” she said.
The New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter will be hosting a family-friendly fundraiser, “Bubbles & Bubbly” on May 19 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at New Orleans City Park’s Arbor Room. “Bubbles & Bubbly” is sponsored by Gulf Coast Bank & Trust, Entergy, and shelter founders Jackie and Dan Silverman.
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