We are looking for a million friends to declare their support for New Orleans and surrounding parishes.Friends of New Orleans is a private, non-profit, non-partisan, membership organization for people in the U.S. and abroad who care about the region. Our mission is to advocate for New Orleans and its surrounding parishes, inform people of those key issues that are shaping the national debate and decision making of the rebuilding effort, link individuals who want to help with the communities in the devastated areas and motivate people to take part in the rebuilding effort.
FONO surveys key New Orleans neighborhood and nonprofit leaders on the focus of their work and their needs moving forward - April 6-12, 2009
From April 6-12, 2009 FONO board members reached out to and met with leaders from 7 neighborhood groups representing various parts of New Orleans and surrounding parishes (Mid City, Lakeview, Plaquemines Parish, East New Orleans, St. Bernard, Holy Cross/Lower 9th, Broadmoor and Gentilly) and 13 local organizations working on education, recovery, rebuilding, coastal restoration and levee rebuilding, economic development, and more (New Schools New Orleans, Beacon of Hope, New Orleans Institute, Women of the Storm, Americas Wetland, Neighborhood Partnerships Network, Levees.org, Idea Village, New Orleans Creative Arts Institute, St. Bernard Project, Global Green, Operation Comeback/PRC, Rebuilding Together New Orleans). Information gathered from these meetings will help shape FONO's work and advocacy message moving forward. In a letter to the FONO Board of Directors, Denise Byrne stated the following observations:- There is a lot of excitement and energy throughout. In the words of Tim Williamson, President of Idea Village, the city of New Orleans is an incredible laboratory for social innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.
- All of these neighborhoods and nonprofits have been able to accomplish amazing things, under incredible stress and with scarce resources and a lack of capacity. Many have developed cutting edge models for how to do things right and they want to share it with others around the world. Whether we are talking disaster recovery, citizenry engagement and leadership, economic development, public school reform, green building, arts and science education, or the power of volunteerism, New Orleans is setting the trend for the rest of the nation to follow.
- Frustration is highest with the State of Louisiana. While everyone is disgusted with the Mayor's Office, these leaders feel that there is no vision or leadership coming out of Baton Rouge. Furthermore, they have all said they need resources and training so that they can do their own advocacy at the city, state and federal levels.
- Their greatest fear right now is that the incredible recovery that is taking place in the region will stall and run out of gas due to: a) the economic downturn, which is affecting their private funding; b) the nightmare of dealing with the City's dysfunctional bureaucracy; and c) the roadblocks to funds promised or controlled by the State.
- Other observations that must be noted include:
- The high quality and number of AmeriCorps members now working in the city, and how this program has helped local organizations "leap frog" in their own organizational development, enabling them to expand their reach and level of services in a short period of time.
- The high number of energetic and enthusiastic volunteers, from across the nation and beyond, that are still pouring into NOLA everyday and whose potential has not been harnessed effectively by local organizations in terms of PR, advocacy and fundraising.
- The rich knowledge base that exists at the neighborhood level which needs to be shared and spread around the city and beyond. And the unfortunate tendency of human beings to work in "silos" because they are too stressed, trying to keep their own lives together, or they don't have the time to look around or reach out to others because they are too busy getting the work done in their own back yard.
Based on these observations and local partner feedback (see link below), the following recommendations were made to the FONO board:
- FONO needs to use its incredible "bully pulpit" to put a national spotlight on all the exciting activity that is taking place in New Orleans. This is the nation's laboratory and a lot of successful and exciting things are happening there now that people need to know about and support. In addition to putting a spot light on the region, we need to continue linking donors to the neighborhood leaders and the local organizations that are doing important work.
- FONO needs to work with local and/or national donors to secure funding for an advocacy seminar or series of workshops that will train local leaders how to do effective public advocacy work for their neighborhoods and organizations at the city, state and federal levels. In addition, FONO needs to find monies for these leaders to hire people that can track local legislation and help them get the information they need to navigate the complicated bureaucracy that stands between them and the government funding they need.
- FONO needs to work with local and national donors to secure funding for a "Neighborhood Summit" so that leaders from different parts of the region can come together and meet, share information, network, learn and mentor others that have not been able to reach that level of activity yet. Let's give them the opportunity to come together and let the "magic" happen.
- FONO needs to work with local and national donors to secure more funding for the internal capacity building of these neighborhood groups and nonprofit organizations. Whether it is learning how to harness the power of volunteers, do individual fundraising, strategic planning or board governance, they need the funds to be able to learn, hire the staff or technical assistance they need, and get the work done.
To view Denise Byrne's notes on the April meetings with local partners, please click here.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano queried by FONO on the future of South Louisiana - June 3, 2009
Denise M. Byrne is the Acting Executive Director and a Board Member of Friends of New Orleans. On June 3rd she attended a roundtable discussion with Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. The talk "Homeland Security Today: Progress Made; Challenges Remain", was moderated by Clark Kent Ervin, a former FONO board member and current Director of the Aspen Institute Homeland Security Program. Before attending the event, Denise solicited ideas for appropriate questions/comments from several Louisiana leaders working on coastal rebuilding and levee protection, and got suggestions from Ann Milling (founder, Women of the Storm) and John Barry (author, Rising Tide and FONO board member). Based on their feedback, Denise asked the following questions to the DHS Secretary: "Is keeping the New Orleans and surrounding parish residents safe a priority for you? Why hasn't the current administration shown that rebuilding New Orleans is important? The president has not visited New Orleans since he was elected. And right now there are $6-$8 billion in protection and rebuilding projects in the state, within 2 years of turning shovel, yet the administration has only committed $25 million for this specific purpose." Secretary Napolitano answered by describing her last trip to New Orleans with the HUD secretary, and she talked a lot about the dollars they are pumping into rebuilding but it was mostly about housing, getting people out of trailers, etc. Unfortunately, nothing of substance was said about coastal restoration, levees or the Corps.
FONO Hosts Nonpartisan Benefit Events at National Party Conventions
August and September 2008 -- During the week of the third anniversary of hurricane Katrina, Friends of New Orleans hosted benefit events at both the Democratic and Republican national party conventions to showcase the best of Louisiana food and music, while calling attention to the ongoing rebuilding effort and the immediate need to prevent further loss of Louisiana's coastal wetlands.For more information on the events, click here.
Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans Receives 'Hero of the Storm' Award
June 27, 2008 - FONO today announced that Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, a local group responsible for many successful regional reforms post hurricanes Katrina and Rita will receive FONO's 'Hero of the Storm' award.
Formed shortly after the storms in November 2005, Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans is a voice for change and renewal for Greater New Orleans and Louisiana. The group serves as a platform and resource for citizens to take action to rebuild Greater New Orleans. Its founders, a group of citizens who were enraged after the state legislature failed to pass levee board reforms after the storms, have brought about positive regional change.
Continue reading "Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans Receives 'Hero of the Storm' Award"
Briefing on Efforts to Save Louisiana’s Coast
On June 17, 2008, FONO teamed up with Environmental Defense Fund for a day of activities on Capitol Hill to bring attention to the urgent need to restore Louisiana's disappearing coastline. The series of events included a briefing in the Senate Russell Building on the status of coastal Louisiana wetlands restoration, and efforts to restore the damage caused by the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO).Continue reading "Briefing on Efforts to Save Louisiana’s Coast"
St. Bernard Project Receives Hero Award
On Saturday, May 3, 2008, at a construction site for local nonprofit St. Bernard Project, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) presented the organization with a Hero of the Storm award for its efforts to help the residents of St. Bernard parish rebuild and move back to their homes post hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The St. Bernard Project has been chosen as the fourth recipient of the award by Friends of New Orleans (FONO), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that advocates for New Orleans and its surrounding parishes.
Continue reading "St. Bernard Project Receives Hero Award"
DC Briefing on New Orleans' Cultural Recovery
Experts and leaders from community groups driving the effort to preserve the distinctive architecture, arts, music and cuisine of Louisiana shared their perspectives on the state of the region's cultural recovery in a Washington, DC briefing organized by FONO on February 12, 2008. The briefing took place one week after Mardi Gras, after visitors from all over the world traveled to New Orleans to take part in the celebration, and enjoy the traditional food, music and art found only in this region.Continue reading "DC Briefing on New Orleans' Cultural Recovery"
The Clock Is Ticking for the Wetlands
In his article The Clock Is Ticking for the Wetlands, Times Picayune reporter Bob Marshall outlines what Governor-elect Bobby Jindal should do to immediately address the issue:-- He should lead an effort to give the CRPA quick-take authority over private property so projects that have been -- and will be -- delayed for years can move forward quickly enough to make a difference.
-- He should quickly move forward a plan to sell bonds on the future offshore revenue so the state will have money on hand to move forward projects without waiting for federal funding.
-- He should move aggressively to tap even more sources of revenue from energy industries that transport their riches through our state.
-- He should quickly increase the budgets and staff on the state agencies that research land titles, as well as those that will have a hand in planning and building projects.
-- He must quickly lead our congressional delegation in a national effort to have Louisiana's coastal projects taken out of the Water Resources Development Act and moved through Congress as a separate piece of legislation.
