Latest news with #OperationKindness
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
CPSO keeps kids safe this summer with first aid, CPR training
CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Just in time for summer, young people can learn life-saving skills to make sure the break from school is a safe and enjoyable one. The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office is offering a Summer Safety Training for Youth on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Sheriff's Safety Town, located at 8910 Jewella Avenue. Certified instructors will teach children ages eight to 16 the basics of first aid and CPR. The workshop for children ages 8 to 12 runs from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The workshop for teens ages 13 to 16 goes from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each child will receive a certificate of completion. SUSLA kicks off Operation Kindness partnership The interactive workshops include lessons on how to perform CPR on adults, children, and infants. First aid topics include treating injuries and burns, as well as responding to choking and cardiac arrest. Instructors will also share important water safety tips. Space is limited. To register, contact Deputy Vernita Williams at (318) 681-0869 or email Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Loyola College Prep senior receives school's highest honor
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Loyola College Prep bestowed senior Olivia Ostendorff with the Flyer of the Year Award. 'The Flyer of the Year award is the highest achievement a student can receive at Loyola,' a press release stated. 'The Flyer of the Year is chosen by the faculty and given to the student who best shows the qualities that reflect Loyola's mission and is a man or woman for others in every sense.' SUSLA kicks off Operation Kindness partnership 2025 finalists included Olivia Ostendorff, Carter Doyal, Ravi Ahuja, Fritze Olsan, and Hudson Moore. 'I am so proud of Olivia and all she has accomplished during her time at Loyola,' said Loyola Principal John LeBlanc. 'She embodies what it means to be named Flyer of the Year through her passion and dedication to her school, church, and community. She is a leader among her peers and respected by her teachers.' Over four years at Loyola, Olivia served in the Student Government Association, was captain of the cheerleading team, and was voted homecoming queen by the student body. 'This year, Olivia was awarded the Virginia Shehee Most Influential Young Woman, an honor that recognizes students who make a lasting impact through their leadership, service, and character,' the release stated. Centenary professor honored with national Voice Award Olivia was also a finalist for Student of the Year, highlighting her strengths both in and out of the classroom. 'I'm honored to have been chosen as Flyer of the Year!' Olivia said. 'Loyola means so much to me and has been so impactful over the last few years. I'm grateful for all the opportunities to grow that Loyola has presented me, along with the teachers and friends who have encouraged me to pursue them.' In addition to showing exemplary leadership, Olivia is active in her church and community. She is a guitarist for the worship team and actively contributes to the broader community. 'Her dedication to service and her passion for uplifting others make her a role model among her peers,' the release stated. 'Whether it's through SGA projects, volunteer efforts, or cheering on fellow Flyers from the sidelines, Olivia brings heart and purpose to everything she does.' LSUS honors top student leaders, professors at Student Leadership Awards Olivia will receive Loyola's first yearbook of 2025, a tradition that rewards the legacy left behind by the Flyer of the Year. 'She truly lives out the Jesuit motto of being a man or woman for others,' the release added. 'Olivia is respected by her teachers and classmates for her kindness, humility, and integrity. Olivia's impact at Loyola will be remembered for years to come.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
SUSLA kicks off Operation Kindness partnership
NBC 6 is proud to partner with the Nell Shehee Foundation on Operation Kindness. Shreveport, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Southern University Shreveport Louisiana (SUSLA) kicked off its partnership with the Nell Shehee Foundation's Operation Kindness by hosting a free luncheon and discussion on April 24, 2045. The 'Pizza with the Chancellors' event was a celebration of kindness and community service. 'There's a lot of chaos in the world today,' said Nell Shehee, Operation Kindness Founder. 'There's political divisiveness. There is racism. There is unrest. There is unwellness in the world. There's an easy antidote to chaos and negativity, and that's kindness.' 'Give for Good' challenge: what is it, how to join? SUSLA students and staff are injecting that antidote of kindness into the community through quarterly service projects, which include volunteering at local schools and soup kitchens. They will also conduct food drives and community clean-ups. Some of the projects being planned include: Providing lunch for faculty and staff at Green Oaks High School Hosting a school supply give-away and reading to students at Pine Grove Elementary Serving lunch to clients at Christian Service Cleaning neighborhoods through an adopt-a-road program 'Those things that we're doing here on our campus, we spread kindness,' said Aubra Gantt, Chancellor of SUSLA. 'This partnership with Ms. Shehee will allow us to continue the efforts of spreading kindness not only here at Southern University Shreveport but throughout the city and throughout the state.' C.E. Byrd students give back during Centennial Celebration Day of Service As students and staff mingled during the kickoff, they also discussed simple ways of showing kindness in everyday interactions. 'As chancellor, it makes me feel good to see our students really being kind to one another, talking and communicating with one another in a kind way as well as showing appreciation to faculty and staff who have invested in their education,' shared Gantt. 'We're all different,' Shehee said. 'We're different colors, different religions, but we all have the same heart. If we just give from our heart, the world would be a much better place.' In addition to quarterly projects, SUSLA will celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13, 2025, with small acts of kindness around campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Building strong men builds strong communities: Faith and Fostering
NBC 6 is proud to partner with the Nell Shehee Foundation on Operation Kindness. SHREVEPORT, La. ( – Since March of 2020, Faith and Fostering has provided a bridge for young people who have aged out of foster care, but don't have the skills to live on their own.'They come in to donated homes. They're entry homes where we're able to form a structured environment for them,' explained Christi Robinson, Executive Director of Faith and Fostering. 'Then we form a case plan and through that case plan they know how to work from the point where they are to the point to where they need to be.''I work with our young men,' said Solomon Waddles, Housing Manager and Mentor for Faith and Fostering. 'So, I kind of oversee the cases for our young men, help develop them, guide them, teach them, train them.'Waddles is a mentor and manages the homes where the young people live. He came to Faith and Fostering after being a youth pastor and seeing the need to be an example for young men.'Faith and Fostering offers something great because they give the young men an opportunity to connect,' said Waddles. 'They have great mentors. They have great men around them to help develop them and sow seeds into them. We can see a change in young men and hopefully change the trajectory of our community.' Tiny homes to offer big support for homeless young women He's seen first-hand how mentoring can change lives. 'One of the young men that we serve, he aged out of foster care,' Waddles recalled. 'At 18, he was living in a group home. He literally got a knock on the door, and they said, 'you have anywhere to go?''After spending time in a shelter, and then on the streets, the young man was referred to Faith and Fostering. Now he has enlisted in the Army and will soon leave for basic training.'To see him be able to endure and persevere and go through all these things and to now, not only be on his way to serve his country but to potentially have an amazing career, it's one of the greatest stories that I've experienced while being a part of faith and fostering,' shared explained how people in the community can continue to help make a difference in more young lives.'Whether it's finances, whether it's your time or whether it's your vehicle for transportation, there's so many ways that you can make a difference.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tiny homes to offer big support for homeless young women
NBC 6 is proud to partner with the Nell Shehee Foundation on Operation Kindness. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – We've all heard the phrase, 'it takes a village to raise a child.' What happens when that child ages out of foster care? The non-profit Faith and Fostering is providing that answer by building a village of tiny homes to shelter and support young women who have nowhere to go after leaving foster care. Christi Robinson is the founder and executive director of Faith and Fostering and has always had a heart to serve. 'I served women from very hard places being rescued out of trafficking, drug addiction, said Robinson. She said she knew she was being called to even more after a particularly heart-wrenching experience, trying to help two young women who were aging out of foster care who didn't take her advice. 'I was just heartbroken because I was afraid we were going to lose them. And sure enough when they aged out we lost them. So we don't know if we lost them to prostitution or drug distribution or even death,' Robinson recalled. 'We don't know what happened to them.' C.E. Byrd students give back during Centennial Celebration Day of Service She said that's when God led her to create Faith and Fostering. Since March of 2020, the non-profit has provided housing, education, life skills and employment training, to help young men and women ages 18 to 24 become self-sufficient. 'God just started miraculously sending people and resources,' said Robinson. Those resources included a donated home and several acres of land to create what will soon become a village of tiny homes for young women in the program. 'They're going to be 500 to 600 square feet per unit and it will house one person,' said Barbara Lewis, Community Relations Coordinator for Faith and Fostering. 'We will have a couple of units that will be up to 800 square feet and have one bedrooms for a mother that may have a child.' The donated home is now an administration building, which includes living space for the staff members who will live on the property full time. The next phase is to clear the land before building the 18 tiny homes. Faith and Fostering is looking for sponsors. Bossier Parish home provides pathway for homeless young women 'What we would love to see is businesses to donate a unit or a church donate a unit and that could look like they just buy it outright and place the unit here or they can have different people in their organizations come and do work for them,' Lewis explained. 'It really takes a community to solve the problem,' Robinson reflected. 'Faith and Fostering is just one piece of the puzzle. But we need people. If they have a heart for this we have a place for them.' Faith and Fostering will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house on Friday, February 14, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The address is 3248 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop in Shreveport. The public is invited to attend and RSVP online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
