EAST ASCENSION ROTARY CLUB MEMBERS CAROL FOR A CAUSE ä Page 4G
THE ASCENSION
ADVOCATE
1G
THURSDAY DECEMBER 18, 2014 H DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT • SORRENTO THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Teen group to discuss youth issues The Donaldsonville Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council invites teens to a Teen Town Hall meeting Monday to talk about issues affecting youths in the community. “This is an opportunity for my peers to express any concerns they may have,� Tamiko Stroud, president of MYAC, said. The meeting will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 609 Railroad Ave. In addition to the meeting, MYAC will honor the members of Ascension Catholic and Donaldsonville high schools’ ACT 30+ Club. “I am so excited to be the chairperson of this event. It not only gives us a voice but also adults who are willing to listen,� Katilyn Williams, vice president of MYAC, said. The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council includes a diverse group of young leaders committed to making a difference in Donaldsonville, Stroud said. They work on issues important to youth, talk to their peers, families and neighbors about their concerns and take action to address them, she said. For information, call (225) 803-4042 or visit www. donaldsonville-la.gov/citygovernment/mayors-youthadvisory-council.
Crusading for success this Christmas Program marks another year of gifts BY VON DE LEIGH HATCHER Special to The Advocate
GONZALES — Volunteers crowded the aisles of the Gonzales Wal-Mart on Dec. 11 for the long-standing shopping night tradition that makes the Ascension Parish sheriff’s Christmas Crusade for Children a success year after year. For more than 20 years, Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeff Wiley and his staff organize a Christmas gift program for area children.
Museum volunteers sought The River Road African American Museum is looking for ambassadors to volunteer at the Donaldsonville museum.
äSee AROUND, page 2G
the crowd and explained the shopping process. Cards distributed among the crowds had the names, ages and wish lists of more than 685 children, according to Allison Hudson, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office. Shoppers were given a $40 price limit and sent into the aisles. Once the wish-list items were collected, shoppers brought the gifts to registers reserved for the event. There, the Sheriff’s Office paid the receipts as inAdvocate staff photo by ANGELA MAJOR mates from the Ascension ParDalton Flurry, left, and Trevor Serpas shop in the Wal-Mart ish Jail bagged items. toy department on Dec. 11 during the annual APSO Christmas äSee CRUSADE, page 5G Crusade for Children in Gonzales.
Getting into holiday stride
Advocate staff photos by HILARY SCHEINUK
Students of the Twirl Girl Academy from A-Z Kid Zone Daycare march during the 2014 JFA Christmas Parade on Sunday on Burnside Avenue in Gonzales.
Martinez leads Christmas parade
Survival story
Learn about the Holocaust survival story of Siggy Boraks during a 6:30 p.m. talk Thursday at the Ascension Parish Library in Dutchtown. Mandy Perret, an English language arts teacher and fellow for the Institute of Holocaust Education at Tulane University, will share the life story of the struggle and survival of Boraks under Adolf Hitler’s reign. The presentation will explain from the beginning in Poland and continuing to present-day New Orleans. For information or to register, call the Ascension Parish Library in Dutchtown at (225) 673-8699.
Students, business volunteers and residents raise the money needed to buy the toys and gifts, which were handed out Saturday in Gonzales and Donaldsonville. Many area groups donate toys and items for the program, Deputy Janet Fontenot said. Parents apply for the program and provide wish lists. It takes weeks of planning and countless hours of work to prepare for the giveaways. The shopping night has become a tradition for many families and groups that have taken part for years. To kick off the event, Chief Deputy Tony Bacala greeted
Advocate staff report
ABOVE: A miniature Santa Claus hitches a ride on the trumpet of Jamie Stevens, 14, as he marches with the Dutchtown Middle School band on Sunday.
Beads, candy and other trinkets flew from floats Sunday, as the annual Jambalaya Festival Association’s Christmas parade rolled through the streets of Gonzales. Marching bands, queens and dignitaries, along with firetrucks, were part of the annual tradition. Parish President Tommy
Martinez was the grand marshal. The best of show floatdecorating award went to Roland J. Robert Distributors’ entry. In the children’s division, Boy Scout Pack 399 won first place, the Galvez Tigers football team was second, and the Galvez Middle School football team picked up third place.
St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department took first place in the civic/religious division, with Galvez-Lake Volunteer Fire Department placing second and Hopeful Triumph Baptist Youth Ministry, third. Waguespack Insurance’s entry won in the industrial/ commercial division, with Cox Communication, second, and Brighter Horizons Academy, third.
RIGHT: Jai’Onne Aubert, 7, of the Donaldsonville Honey Bees Dancing Dolls, marches in the parade. FAR RIGHT: Todd Borne, right, and his daughter, Isabel, 3, call for throws in Gonzales. ä See a video from the parade at www.the advocate.com.
6D˜QD @R
@R HS FDSR
!XzP !eLC`Âœ 2Wem !eLC`ÂœĂ‹ =eup $PXVWKepWeeN 2umPpbCp_PtÂœ