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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2015 H
JEFFERSON • NEW ORLEANS • PLAQUEMINES • RIVER PARISHES • ST. BERNARD THENEWORLEANSADVOCATE.COM
Lighthouse Louisiana reaches milestone Facility marks 100th year of providing opportunities for people with disabilities
BY MARY RICKARD
house Louisiana represents a new, untapped resource, according to a new study. A reIn a shady, secluded corner cent study by the Institute for of Uptown near Audubon Park, Corporate Productivity showed a multimillion-dollar manufac- that employees with intellecturing facility daily produces tual and developmental disand assembles tens of thou- abilities are highly motivated, sands of products for shipment dependable and productive. “The heart of our mission is across the country and around the world. Jobs created by the to create jobs for people — not not-for-profit organization al- robots. We don’t do it for a proflow individuals who are blind, it,” said Erin McQuade Wright, visually impaired, hard-of- vice president of development hearing or deaf to earn better and communications. David Green, a 10-year than minimum-wage salaries with full benefits, allowing Lighthouse employee, takes them to be productive and in- considerable pride in manually inspecting the assembly of dependent. Now in its 100th year, Light- single-fold, brown paper tow-
Special to The Advocate
Lynne Jensen
THROW ME SOMETHIN’
Encore shop benefits LPO
els, which are bundled, bound and packed into containers for shipment to U.S. military bases overseas. Huge rolls of paper, four feet wide, are trucked to New Orleans from Alabama where they are trimmed to size on a chop-saw. The giant machinery might appear to pose a safety hazard, but the records show Lighthouse has challenged those perceptions, McQuade Wright said. For the Navy Prime Program, workers wrap plates in plastic, repacking and boxing them for distribution. Everything is biodegradable for the rare instance a box might accidentally
SPIRITED PROCESSION
Day of Prayer marks Year of Consecrated Life
Barbara Sands, with the Encore Shop, took note when prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter on Feb. 2, although from the piles of snow shown on the Weather Channel it could be longer. Sands and the Encore staff decided it’s a good time to begin the end-of-winter sale at the shop, owned and operated by Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra volunteers. Affordable prices will continue as winter clothing and accessories are reduced to make room for spring consignments and donations, and you will find a preview of spring-season items on the racks. You’ll also find designer pieces, business attire, casual wear and evening dresses. The sale will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, to Saturday, March 7, at 7814 Maple St. As always, net profits benefit the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. For information, call the shop at (504) 861-9038 or visit symphonyvolunteers.org.
who serves as vicar for
Set sail for fun
religious in the Archdiocese
The Alliance Francaise de La Nouvelle Orleans will host its annual gala “Captain’s Dinner on the SS France, Versailles of the Atlantic” from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday March 14 at the JW Marriott, 614 Canal St. The Alliance is a nonprofit that promotes appreciation of the French language and culture. It offers French language courses, activities and an online library for native speakers and students. For information, call (504) 568-0770 or email afno@af-neworleans. org.
Annual tree and plant sale
The New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways will host its annual plant and tree sale from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 14, at 2829 Gentilly Blvd., behind Dillard University at Warrington Drive. Gardening guru Dan Gill, associate professor of Consumer Horticulture with the LSU AgCenter, will be on hand to answer questions and help visitors select plants. Bring a plant carrier or wagon to take advantage of the sale. For information, email äSee THROW ME, page 2G
get dumped into the ocean. “They are all paper products so they won’t affect the marine life. The fish will be OK,” Green commented. Workers who are blind or visually impaired just need to be shown the procedures by touch once or twice and then they’ve got it, McQuade Wright said. With certified manufacturing facilities in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Gulfport, Mississippi, the Lighthouse is the largest employer of people who are Photo by MARY LOU UTTERMOHLEN blind in the state of Louisiana. The U.S. government has Cliff Williams holds single-fold, embossed paper towels made always been Lighthouse Loui- from large rolls at Lighthouse Louisiana’s Uptown New Orleans facility. Williams, as well as all but one person in the äSee LIGHTHOUSE, page 5G paper towel department, are blind.
Advocate staff report
More than 200 religious men and women attended the Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life held at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Representatives of different orders led a candlelight procession into the shrine where Archbishop Gregory Aymond celebrated the Mass. In the Archdiocese of New Orleans there are nearly 400 religious sisters, about 145 religious priests and nearly 70 religious brothers serving in varying ministries from contemplative life to social service. According to Sister of Mount Carmel Sr. Beth Fitzpatrick,
of New Orleans, the theme for the Year of Consecrated Life is “Wake Up the World!”
Advocate staff photos by SHERRI MILLER
ABOVE: Brother Mark Gehret, of St. Mary of the Angels Church, bows at the altar during the Day for Consecrated Life celebration at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in New Orleans on Saturday. TOP: Nuns, priests and brothers from several different religious orders line up outside the church for the procession. LEFT: Sister Maryan Hoang, of the Teresian Sisters, stands in line with her candle.
Pope Francis declared the Year of Consecrated Life, which will be celebrated throughout the world through Feb. 2, 2016.
Metairie race is qualifier for Crescent City Classic The 48th annual Al Briede Gold Cup Race, sponsored by the New Orleans Track Club, is Saturday in Metairie’s Bucktown. The races are open to all runners and walkers, NOTC members and nonmembers. All races start and finish at the Bucktown Marina, 200 Old Hammond Highway, in Metairie. The event, which is a qualifier for the Crescent City Classic in April, includes a 1-mile race at 8 a.m., and both a 10K and a 3-mile race beginning at
Eva Jacob Barkoff AROUND JEFFERSON
8:30 a.m. Race day registration begins at 7 a.m. Entry fee for the 10K is $40 per person. To enter the 3-mile race, the cost is $30 for all entrants. And for the 1-mile race, the fee is $15 for all entrants. For information, email notc@
runNOTC.org or call (504) 3042326.
Library group to meet
The Friends of the Jefferson Public Library will hold a general meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., in Metairie. Earl Higgins, a National Park Service ranger at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, will talk about the history of the park. Higgins is the author of “The Joy of Y’at Catholicism” and
“Metairie, Ames, High: The Streets of Jefferson Parish.” Those attending the meeting will have the opportunity to sign up to volunteer at the Big Book Sale, scheduled for March 26-29 at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. For information, call (504) 455-2665 or email friendsJPL@ yahoo.com.
Chamber gala set for March
The Jefferson Chamber of Commerce will host its annual gala from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. March 13 at the New Orleans
Saints indoor training facility, 5800 Airline Drive, in Metairie. The gala will include an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and music by The Bucktown Allstars. Silent auction items include a Blue Dog print by George Rodrigue titled “We Are Marching Again,” a David Yurman bracelet and a suite of seats at the Saenger Theatre. Individual tickets to the event are $125 per person. Corporate and VIP tickets also äSee JEFFERSON, page 2G