Renewal in Allendale builds with new volunteers, new homeowners

Childhood fears have given way to civic pride for volunteer Kate Vos, one of nearly 50 employees of Twin Cities Development who descended upon Shreveport's low-income Allendale neighborhood recently for several service projects.

"I was born in Shreveport and this was a frightening place. And now it's such a homey neighborhood. There has been a huge improvement," she said. "This neighborhood is like a family now. It makes me want to go back to my neighborhood and meet more of my neighbors."

The Twin Cities workers joined a team of hundreds of Community Renewal volunteers and caring Allendale residents who are bringing transformation to the neighborhood. On a recent Saturday, using a Community Renewal Friendship House as a launching pad, they spread through the neighborhood to paint, garden, clean, hammer and more.

"It was like Christmas. It was like getting a present I didn't expect," said resident Rebecca Scott, a Hurricane Katrina evacuee from New Orleans who moved into Allendale two years ago. She and other residents worked alongside the volunteers and were greatly encouraged by them.

"As I walked up the hill and saw all these young people willing to come help the Allendale community, when they could have chosen to do something else, that made my heart sing," she said.

A key partner in Allendale's extreme makeover is The Fuller Center for Housing, which recently dedicated three new houses in the neighborhood. The Fuller Center started a partnership with Community Renewal International after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005. Since then, a total of 38 houses have been built as part of the Building on Higher Ground initiative in the neighborhood.

"I give thanks to God for making this possible and for everybody who has helped," said new homeowner Alvin Brown. "There were 11 of us in my family, and I saw how my Mom and Dad struggled, and I always did want my own home. Now I can't tell you how glad and how thankful I am."

This section of Allendale, anchored by two Friendship Houses and the new Fuller Center houses, was once a meeting place for gang members and drug dealers. Now it's a place where residents will relax in a beautiful garden and where black and white teens will gather for a game of football.

"When you come into neighborhoods like this, it makes you want to build relationships here and do more," said Katy Haws, assistant to the president at Twin Cities. She helped organize the volunteer project after her mother heard Community Renewal Founder Mack McCarter speak in Fort Worth, Texas.

"We're all pretty young and this is a great way to get involved in the community. I had never done this before and now I want to do it on a regular basis."

Pascha Gibson said her day in Allendale reminded her of the South Side of Chicago, in both good and bad ways. "It's rough on the south side, but we still had a strong community. Knowing your neighbors binds the community and growing up like that in Chicago drew me to Community Renewal," she said.

"It's so beautiful to see people out helping and it becomes contagious. It really sparks your interest in rebuilding community."

Clay Baskin, director of community affairs, said volunteering benefits the employees as well as the neighborhood.

"We build relationships with each other outside the office and that's good for us. A lot of us have never been exposed to a neighborhood like this. To help revive it is definitely gratifying," he said.

"You can spend money, but unless you pull people together who are committed to positive change, it won't last. It's gratifying to do this with a group like Community Renewal. You have neighbors here who are just incredible."

Community Renewal International is a nonprofit effort to restore safe and healthy communities through caring relationships. Founded in 1994, Community Renewal reaches at-risk youth through Friendship Houses built in impoverished neighborhoods, strengthens education through the Adult Renewal Academy, partners with The Fuller Center for Housing and connects caring partners who turn their neighborhoods into safe havens of friendship and support.

Contact: David Westerfield, director of communications
(318) 425-3222
davidwesterfield@communityrenewal.us