Community Center of St Bernard

Holiday Hours

The Community Center will be closed for the Memorial Day Holiday on Monday, May 28. The Center will re-open to the public at 10 AM on Tuesday, May 29.

Community Outreach Fair Scheduled for May 25!

The Community Center of St Bernard, in partnership with The Meraux Foundation, will hold a Community Outreach Fair at Docville Farm, 5124 E St Bernard Hwy, Violet, on Friday, May 25 from 6:30-10 PM. This family-friendly event is open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend and enjoy a free shrimp boil and live music while learning more about the many human services agencies, faith-based groups and community organizations that serve St Bernard Parish residents.

The Community Outreach Fair is being sponsored by The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, LaCare, and AmeriGroup. Other agencies which will be present at the Outreach Fair include Bayou Health, DELF USA Behavioral Health Services, Family Service of Greater New Orleans, Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Jefferson Council on Aging, Los Islenos Heritage and Cultural Society, Louisiana Office of Public Health - Emergency Preparedness, Nurse Family Partnership, St Bernard Battered Women's Program, Inc, St Bernard Career Solutions Center, United Way of SELA, and Violet Chapter #5448 of AARP Inc.

A limited number of openings are available for additional Community Fair participants. Other organizations wishing to reserve a table can download the Registration Form from www.ccstb.org/images/participationform.pdf and return it to the Community Center by May 18 in order to confirm their attendance at the event.

The evening will open with a live performance by talented trio We3. Vocalist Jude LeBlanc is also a fantastic finger-style guitarist who counts James Taylor, Jim Croce, and Paul Simon among his influences. Vocalist Abigail Alfano hails from Franklinton, La and plays guitar, ukulele, and mandolin. And guitarist Jarrod Nix's influences range from solo guitarists Eric Johnson and Vai, to masters Stevie Wonder and Hendrix, to pop songwriting icons John Mayer and Sara Bareilles.

Following We3 on the stage will be Miss Maggie Havens and her band. Maggie's powerful voice is one of the best known in the City of New Orleans. Her stage performances are energetic, electrifying, and memorable. She can be seen in various venues throughout the city including Tropical Isle, or performing with many other New Orleans music legends.

The Community Outreach Fair at Docville Farm is the latest in The Meraux Foundation's ongoing series of Twilight Concerts showcasing St Bernard educational and cultural events. The Fair is sure to be an entertaining and informative evening with good food and great music, so make plans to come out and enjoy the fun!

Bike Safety Workshop on May 19

Free Basic Computer Classes Begin May 15

The Community Center's next round of free computer classes will begin on May 15. To enroll, please phone the Community Center at 504.281.2512. Class size is limited to 8 members for each class with a waiting list of 4 members.

COMPUTER CLASS SCHEDULE

Day 1: Introduction to Windows 7 — Understanding basic Windows elements and settings (toolbars, start menu, display settings, power options, user preferences).

Day 2: Using Windows 7 — Using Windows Explorer and common file and folder commands (delete, rename, properties, views).

Day 3: Using Windows 7 Part II — Using essential services including Windows Help and Windows Search and printer setup. More work with files and folders including cut, copy, paste and handling multiple files.

Day 4: Word Processing — Microsoft Word 2010. Creating new documents, using cut, copy, paste and undo commands.

Day 5: Introduction to the Internet - Internet Explorer 9. Searching, using web addresses, maps, directions, image searches.

EVENING CLASSES: Tuesdays 5—6 PM on May 15, 22, 29 & June 5, 12

MORNING CLASSES: Thursdays 10—11 AM on May 17, 24, 31 & June 7, 14

Free Website-Building Classes for Small Businesses Continue in May

Having an online website for your business is important for attracting new customers, increasing sales, spreading positive publicity and awareness about your products and services, and presenting your business in the most professional light to customers, suppliers, and financial lenders.

However, even the cost of the most basic website can be prohibitive for many small businesses. Professional designers routinely charge $2,000 or more to set up a simple website, along with additional monthly fees for updating and maintaining the site.

Thanks to generous funding from the Meraux Foundation, the Joseph and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, and BP America, Inc, the Community Center of St Bernard is able to offer a free hands on course that will teach St Bernard small business owners how to set up and maintain their own small business websites. Preference will be given to businesses that have been affected by the Gulf Oil Spill.

The courses will be held on Wednesday evenings at the Community Center of St Bernard, 1111 LeBeau St, Arabi, and will meet for approximately 90 minutes beginning at 5:30 – 6 PM. Each course will include 5 Wednesday night sessions. The next round of classes will begin on Wednesday, May 23 and is limited to 10 participants. To register for the classes, please phone the Community Center at 504-281-2512.

Topics to be taught each week are as follows:

Week 1, Website registration and hosting: Students choose their website name (e.g. mybusiness.com) and register and host the website. Students also set up their website email (eg name@mybusiness.com )

Week 2, Introduction to Wordpress: Students begin to build their website using the free Wordpress service. Students learn about Wordpress themes and plugins and choose and install these on their sites.

Week 3, Building a Wordpress Site: Students learn about Wordpress posts, pages, and menus, and continue to add content to their websites, including text, photos, and videos if needed.

Week 4, Advanced Website Tools: Students learn about autoresponders (online list building software) and paypal ecommerce services and decide if they will use these or not on their website. Students register for Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools and begin tracking visitor demographics to their websites.

Week 5, Finishing a Wordpress Site: Students finalize their websites with any additional text editing, photos, videos, and formatting changes. Students review and reply to any feedback to their website. Students learn how to moderate comments and control spam. Students learn basic techniques to get websites indexed by Google and other search engines so that the site can be found on the internet.

While the classes are free, participants will need to pay the $15 annual fee to register their website and the $12.95 monthly fee to have their website hosted. Please note that these fees are payable by credit card or paypal account on the first day of class and are paid directly to the Hostgator web services company, not the Community Center of St Bernard.

Volunteers Honored at Dance on April 21!

The Community Center of St Bernard, in partnership with The Meraux Foundation and The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, honored 18 long-term Community Center volunteers with an Awards Ceremony and Dance at Docville Farm, 5124 E St Bernard Hwy, Violet, on Saturday, April 21.

The evening began with live music by Christabel and the Jons from 5:30-6:30 PM. Known for their original songs that mix jazz standards, western swing, and classic country into a distinctive sound they call “Tennessee swing", Christbel and the Jons has released 5 critically-acclaimed albums including “Love and Circumstances” (2006), “Custom Made For You” (2008), “Live from the Walnut Room” (2009), “The Christmas Album” (2010) and most recently “The Same Mistake”.

The opening music was followed by an awards ceremony which recognized the ongoing efforts of local volunteers who are generously donating their time and skills to help in the Center's food pantry, clothing bank, and office. Many of these volunteers have been assisting at the Community Center for several years, and their efforts have played key role in making it possible for the Center to serve more than 14,800 unduplicated individuals since 2007.

Volunteers who were honored at the April 21 event included: Sylvia James, Ethel Taylor, Tommy Navarino, Angela Hansford, June Hansford, Deborrah Dalon, Carmen Rico, Silvia Bautista, Janet Woodward, Lori Benfiglio, Stephanie Botts, Allen Kimble, Aryan Bosma, Wayne Foster, Michelle Beaudette, Darryl Barrett, Antoinette Beasley, and Harry Dean. Also recognized was Community Center Executive Director Iray Nabatoff for his 6 years of volunteer service.

The awards ceremony was followed by a live performance from Kristin Diable & The City. Featuring an authentically original voice and strong, simple arrangements that reflect the band's broad range of influences ranging from 60's Folk to Blues and Soul, Kristin Diable & the City are rapidly becoming New Orleans fixtures. These talented and charismatic performers are regularly featured at the Jazz & Heritage Festival and French Quarter Festival as well as local venues like Tipitinas, DBA and the House of Blues.

Pictured from left are Community Center Board Member Earl Dauterive, Development Director Dr Sharon Ober, Tommy Navarino, Carmen Rico, Darryl Barrett, Allen Kimble, Lori Benfiglio (back), Deborrah Dalon (front), June Hansford, Angela Hansford, Janet Woodword, Sylvia James, Executive Director Iray Nabatoff, Ethel Taylor, and Board President Christopher Andry.

Special Mother's Day Offers for Community Center Supporters!

Use these great offers to save money on shopping, groceries, gifts and more! This is an easy way to help the Center raise funds for the food pantry, clothing bank, computer classes and other services at no cost to you.