St Bernard Magazine Summer 2023

Bridging The Gap

Native Son Mark Tinney, D.D.S., Opens Practices Both Sides of Lake

P. 21

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Charles D. Jackson, President

JPR (Jackson Public Relations) Enterprises, LLC

Office - 2429 Octavia Drive, Chalmette, LA

Mail - P.O. Box 57801, New Orleans, LA 70157

Email - stbernardmagazine@yahoo.com

Website - stbernardmagazine.com

Phone - (504) 609-7509

Copy Editor

Faith Dawson

Designer Brionna Palmer

Contributing Writers

Jill deBouchel, F.N.P.

Michael Binder

Grady Creek, M.D.

Corey Felix-Davis

Cisco Gonzales, Jr., M.Ed.

William “Bill” Hyland

Charles Jackson

Barry Lemoine

Hailey Lodriguss

Mary Rickard

Mike Sherwood

Anna Timmerman

Mark Tinney, D.D.S.

Ad Designers

Sharon Hueschen

Herbie Fisher

Cover Photo

Farrah Ross Appleman

Photographers

Farrah Ross Appleman

Michael Binder

Christy Cusimano

Charles Jackson

Hayden Pomes

Mary Rickard

Anna Timmerman

Crystal FelixWashington

Desiree’ Hebert Wibright

Vol. 5, Issue 2 - Summer 2023

St. Bernard Magazine is wholly owned by Charles D. Jackson, president of JPR Enterprises, LLC, Chalmette, LA. Printed by Fox Press, Hammond, LA.

Member: New Orleans Press Club, St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce

JPR Enterprises, LLC, Chalmette, registered with the Louisiana Secretary of State on 2/23/2018, Charter No. 42965547K.

Call to Advertise: (504) 609-7509

© 2023 JPR Enterprises, LLC, New Orleans, LA. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. The information contained in St. Bernard Magazine is intended for educational purposes only. JPR Enterprises, LLC, publisher of St. Bernard Magazine, does not endorse or promote any of the products or services described in the pages of St. Bernard Magazine, and the publisher does not verify the accuracy of any claims made in advertisements contained.

"Where personal service is the mostpowerful

by Charles D. Jackson

by Charles D. Jackson

Summer Staycation: St. Bernard State Park

A shout-out to one of St. Bernard Parish’s hidden treasures, located between the towns of Poydras and Caernarvon on St. Bernard Parkway (State Road 39).

From Louisiana State Parks website: St. Bernard State Park is the ideal spot for visitors who are seeking a family atmosphere and natural experience, as well as for campers who don't want to or cannot stray far from civilization. Many campers consider combining a camping vacation with a touring vacation of the New Orleans area. The Chalmette National Historic Park, Jackson Barracks, and other historic sites and plantation homes are also nearby.

A local family business (Lynn Dean and his wife, Jackie) donated the land for St. Bernard State Park to Louisiana in 1971. Today, St. Bernard State Park provides a much-needed recreation area, as well as relaxing and enjoyable surroundings for anyone wishing to experience a portion of Louisiana's natural beauty.

Located right along the Mississippi River, the park contains a network of man-made lagoons which provide a peaceful, natural setting for relaxation. Woodlands meet wetlands in St. Bernard and the park's nature trail is the perfect way to introduce children to the joy of discovery in nature.

Picnic tables, barbecue grills, restrooms, and a large, covered pavilion complete with a grill are ideal for a family outing. The water playground will delight youngsters and their families all summer long.

Visit Los Islenos Museum Complex, 1357 Bayou Road, to learn about early settlers and the diverse history of St. Bernard Parish. The complex is open by appointment for guided tours on Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Email losislenos2011@gmail. com to sign up. The grounds are open daily free of charge. Visitors can view historic cottages and farmhouses, while utilizing the pavilion for a family picnic.

Magazine Content Policy

Prior to publishing, all content submitted by advertisers and freelance writers must be approved. St. Bernard Magazine does not endorse politicians, products, services, or editorials; or discriminate based on race, sex, ethnicity, naional origin, religion or culture.

The magazine highlights the rich history, people, progress, traditions, culture, resilience, diversity, civics, small business, schools, organizers, and the extraordinarily welcoming community atmosphere of St. Bernard Parish. This mixture makes ‘Da Parish “The Most Unique County (Parish) in the Country.”

Innovative heart care, close to home.

Our team of cardiologists work closely with each patient to develop a customized healthcare plan that is both targeted and effective. From routine diagnostics to specialized procedures, Ochsner heart specialists are equipped to provide optimum care in cardiovascular medicine.

Ochsner Health Center – St. Bernard 8050 West Judge Perez Drive, Suite 3400 | Chalmette, LA 70043 | 504-493-2200

To schedule an appointment, scan the code or visit ochsner.org/schedule

Ryan Boehm, MD

Blythe Craft, MD Gregory Vorhoff, MD

Violet Resident Named Port’s PR Director

Lauren Maupin is the new director of public relations for the St. Bernard Port.

“The St. Bernard Port is excited to have Lauren as its first director of public relations,” said Drew Heaphy, executive director. “I feel that her background and intelligence will be an asset to the port as the position develops.”

Reared in Violet, Maupin attended Chalmette High School, and graduated from Dillard University. She matriculated to Dillard with dreams of becoming a music journalist, but she said God had a different plan for her.

“I never thought I’d be in public relations,” she said. “I was always interested, but it didn’t feel like something I’d enjoy doing. I remember literally choosing multimedia journalism over public relations.”

After interning at PEN-TV, St. Bernard Magazine, and serving as editor and writer of a web magazine, she interviewed for the port’s PR job. “My mother encouraged me to apply after seeing the ad in the newspaper,” she said.

“I applied with the hopes of at least scoring an interview,” she said. “I didn’t hear anything for two months. I finally got a call back and next thing I know, I’m here! You can miss out on a lot of opportunities by not having confidence in your abilities.”

Maupin, who enjoys writing, earned her degree in mass communication with a minor in English. Her mission as port PR director is to strengthen ties between the St. Bernard community and the port.

“A lot of people know that the St. Bernard Port exists, but they don’t know what goes on here. I’m making it my mission to keep the public informed in any way I can.”

MEET ALL OF US

In Louisiana our lives and culture are unique. Our healthcare treatments should be too. By studying our unique genetic codes with the genetic codes of others, researchers can look for patterns to better understand what affects people’s health. What makes us all unique, makes us invaluable to medical research.

We understand that health research has left many communities out in the past. All of Us is committed to including everyone so that all communities can one day benefit from our research learnings.

WHY SHOULD I JOIN?

Today’s research may lead to tomorrow’s discoveries. Be included.

In the past, medical research has left many people behind. The All of Us Research Program wants to change that by including everyone. Only when all communities are part of medical research can all of us benefit from future medical advances.

You have the power to help researchers find answers to tough health questions.

As researchers study our health data, they start to see patterns. These patterns can help us understand how different people react to different prevention and treatment plans. We hope that, in the future, our findings will help health care providers deliver treatments that are tailored to our differences.

Get health information that matters to you, including DNA results, at no cost.

When you join, you can get information about yourself, like your weight and blood pressure. In the future, you can choose to receive your genetic results along with guidance on what it means. Your results may tell you about your risk for certain diseases or how your body responds to certain medications. Information about your DNA may help you and your health care providers make health decisions that are better informed and as unique as you are.

HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT

• We will return unique, personal health information to you, with no cost to you. Ever.

• You will receive a $25 gift certificate upon genetic enrollment completion.

• Together, we can more quickly learn about diseases that may affect our community.

• We are part of the National Institutes of Health, the largest biomedical research agency in the world.

• The key to @AllofUsResearch is diversity. When people from all backgrounds participate in health research we can build a health database that reflects the diversity of New Orleans and the United States.

• You can sign up to represent New Orleans today at JoinAllofUs.org/lsu. #JoinAllofUs

Louisiana's health research should be as unique and diverse as we are.

Tornado Watch

How Parish Leaders Respond to Storms

Following are excerpts from a press conference conducted on Dec. 14, 2022 by Parish President Guy McInnis with Sheriff Jimmy Pohlman in the Sheriff’s Office Command Center after the second tornado in nine months struck the same neighborhoods in Arabi.

REPORTER: It seems like this storm took the same pattern as last time. Did that help your crews in terms of getting to people more quickly?

PRESIDENT: Well, the real time information you guys give the citizens, it saves lives. Under the circumstances, people knew. The sheriff and I were out there on the highway as the tornado was coming, talking to people who were sending us pictures where it was so people could prepare. Our crews were doing the same thing. If you’re listening to the (sheriff) radio here in St. Bernard Parish, they knew where it was when it crossed the river, they knew where it was when it crossed St. Bernard Highway, they knew where it was when it crossed Judge Perez. Our guys were right there on the spot. I don’t know if it made it easier. I guess we’re getting used to this. It’s a sad thing, I guess this is tornado alley now, I don’t know.

SHERIFF: With that, the reality of it is the information that we do get from the local news and weather people, it’s tremendous. They’ve been telling us for two days we’re going to have a bad weather event, and I know the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Department were prepared for that. As the day played out today, we were able to narrow it down to a possible tornado that may cross the river and hit Arabi, Louisiana, around 4:06. At 4:06, we saw the first transformer blow. That technology and that information ya’ll pushed out all day allowed us to set up for a

quicker response. Me and the parish president were together at 4:06 in Arabi when this thing came through. It’s working together. We plan together. This was the year in St. Bernard we went through without a hurricane, but yet we had two tornadoes strike the same area. That was amazing to me.

PRESIDENT: And look, the relationship that we have built over time. In this building tonight, we have all we need to make sure we have resources for all our citizens. And that’s important. Our state rep is here, our GOHSEP (Governor’s Office of Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness) rep is here, the governor is on the phone. Just like last time, that’s going to make it an easy transition to getting back to ready to go for our citizens, especially during the holiday season.

REPORTER: Did either of you see it?

PRESIDENT: Yeah, we saw it.

REPORTER: Describe it.

SHERIFF: We staged at St. Bernard Highway and Center Street, and we saw the first transformer blow and it was headed our way so I was the driver tonight, so I said, “Look, we’re going to go back east.” And as we were heading east, somebody came on the radio and said it looks like it’s heading

Longtime friends

Sheriff Jimmy

Pohlmann and President Guy McInnis pose in the president's office.

“The Sheriff saved my life (during the second tornado),’’ McInnis told reporters.

toward Jean Lafitte, so we turned around and went in the opposite direction. You can watch this thing and we have guys who actually took pictures of it coming across, and it seemed pretty big at the time but as I’m watching these transformers blow and I’m getting real-time information from the Sheriff’s deputies, it’s scary. The president was on the phone with one of his employees in the 200 block of Friscoville, and that’s where we went first, and sure enough, man, it was devastating. I remember seeing a lady carrying a baby out of her house, and the shock and the concerned looks on their faces.It had to be a scary event to them. It’s scary being inside a house and the roof collapsing and the porch collapsing on your house.

REPORTER: Who on your staff were you talking to?

PRESIDENT: Ronnie Alonzo, our CEO, that’s who called. He said, “We’ve been hit.” I said, "What do you mean?" He said, “We've been hit.” So, it’s one of those things. Across the street, I believe, are the two people you’re referring to whom he helped get out of their home.

SHERIFF: And that’s the thing. I’m sure it happens everywhere, but it seems to happen often here in St. Bernard Parish. As soon as these people saw that they were OK, they turned to help their neighbors. And we saw that months ago when the tornado hit, and we saw it again tonight.

PRESIDENT: I told the Sheriff to keep going, he turned around and I said, ‘You saved my life tonight. I think you did, Sheriff.

REPORTER: Sheriff, talk about how your department mobilizes, talk about going house to house. I saw stop signs already up at intersections.

SHERIFF: Yeah, we prepare for these events. The forecast was heavy street flooding. So we have stop signs, we have barricades. We knew there was a high risk of tornadoes today, we knew the likelihood that power would be out. So we wanted to make sure we had extra manpower out there. We have people who can mobilize those stop signs. There are supervisors on the radio telling them we need to put stop signs at this intersection where the traffic light is out. It’s just preparation and when you do these things so much, make sure you’re prepared for it.

We have a wonderful Sheriff’s Office down here. I wish I could take all the credit for it, but these guys know what they’re doing, they’re well-trained, and they're well-equipped. And the willingness to come out and work. You don’t have to ask the dispatch, look, will you notify the deputies and ask them to come out? They are already listening to the radio, watching the alerts come over. They’re geared up for coming here.

We knew this would be our staging area, this would be our command center. We knew that another location would be a staging area. They respond to their spots and they wait to get their assignments from supervisors. It works well. I think it happens in a lot of places like that. Unfortunately, that’s the business we’re in. So we’re always well-prepared, well-trained to respond to these types of incidents.

Photo by Farrah Ross Appleman

by Cisco Gonzales, Jr.

Handling Anxiety of Mother Nature

Does thinking about destructive weather events such as Hurricane Katrina or the Arabi tornadoes cause you to experience anxiety? If so, you are not alone! In fact, our brains are programmed to respond when we see signs of disasters – especially based on past traumas – to help us survive the worse.

Watching certain news meteorologists speaking in “doomsday” language or following social media wannabe meteorologists who post to increase followers also can increase anxiety.

Although anxiety may feel bad at the moment, it is not a serious mental health issue until it begins to affect areas of your life (social, career, relationships, your wallet, or any other aspect in a negative way). If you are experiencing this, seek help from a licensed professional.

How to overcome weather-related anxiety?

1. Be Prepared. Being prepared for power outages or evacuations reduces stress and anxiety.

2. Acknowledge your Anxiety. When the anxiety arises, welcome it in and recognize that you are feeling anxious about the approaching weather, and it is okay and normal to feel this way.

3. Reframe your Thoughts. Oftentimes when anxiety occurs, people are thinking of the worstcase scenarios. Reframe your thoughts by reminding yourself why weather is not always a bad thing. What good comes from the weather? For example, if it weren’t for rain, we could experience a drought. The plants and animals need rain. Rain is good! Maybe listen to the song “Rain is a Good Thing” by Luke Bryan as a reminder.

4. Find a Trusted Meteorologist. Who is your weatherperson? Find a person who tells you when to shelter into place and when there is an all-clear without the doomsday theatrics. Calm, cool and collected.

5. Seek Help from a Mental Health Professional. If you are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder from past weather events, constant anxiety every weather event, or maybe can't seem to shake negative thoughts, seek help from a licensed mental health professional.

By Mary Rickard

Tim and Elizabeth Brick had just finished dinner and were settling in for a quiet evening watching Netflix when Tim’s phone started buzzing with a storm alert. Then the lights flickered. Opening the front door, he was amazed to see the sky turn completely green. A 160-mph tornado was barreling across the Mississippi River, headed for Arabi.

“You just don’t think about tornadoes in South Louisiana,” said Brick, who has been an insurance agent for 10 years. The couple quickly gathered their two dogs and huddled inside the bathroom until the tornado passed. “It sounded like a freight train.” The funnel sucked the roof right off the framing and popped out the windows. But the couple’s troubles had just begun. The EF-3 tornado that struck St. Bernard on March 22, 2022, damaged 200 houses in a 2-mile radius; half the properties were devastated. The Bricks’ home insurance should have covered their claim for $110,000, but the insurance company’s first check was only $17,000. Fortunately, Tim Brick’s professional experience paid off. “They tested me with that,” he said.

Most claim adjusters come from out of state and don’t research the cost of materials, he said. So, Brick hired a local general contractor to prepare a detailed repair estimate based on Home Depot’s prices and spoke with the claims adjuster by phone. His claim was resubmitted and the Bricks received a second payment of $90,000. Even so, rebuilding

After 2nd Appraisal, Storm Insurance Payout Adjusted

was delayed due to difficulties obtaining labor and materials. Brick cautions others about scamming contractors who descended on the neighborhood, wanting to be paid in advance for repair estimates. Fortunately, the Bricks were able to stay in their home while it was repaired because some rooms were livable, but other homeowners qualified for financial assistance for temporary housing, utilities and household needs from the Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG), Louisiana Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), State Discretionary Tornado Assistance and Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Fund funded by the U.S. Treasury and American Red Cross. The Arabi tornado did not meet FEMA’s threshold for assistance.

The Bricks never hesitated to rebuild in Arabi, which they prize for good schools, low crime, friendliness and convenience, close to New Orleans, and Metairie, where Tim’s office is located. “You really see the merit of your neighborhood when a disaster happens,” Brick said. “The day after, everyone was out helping those in need.”

Checklist:

• Take photographs of the house and contents in advance

• Store insurance records in a safe location

• Develop a plan for sheltering with children and pets

• Turn off gas and leave the premises until emergency responders arrive

Photo by Mary Rickard

Elizabeth and Tim Brick live on Karl Street in Arabi.

Nunez Workshop Helps Parents Prepare Children for Change

How do you feel when facing change or transitioning from one activity or place to another? Most people – children and adults alike – may feel tense, nervous, angry, withdrawn, or apprehensive. Though sometimes uncomfortable, change is good. It is through change that people grow, step outside of their comfort zones and learn acceptance.

Nunez Community College is offering a workshop for parents to help improve a child’s self-esteem, and deal with changes in their lives, especially children from childcare age through middle school. Parents and guardians of children of any age are welcome. The session is Saturday, Aug. 12, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Fine Arts Building in the Fine Arts Café.

“We will discuss how to help prepare children for change, allow parents to talk about it, and teach strategies they can use to alleviate any stress,’’ said Kathleen Huff, Nunez program chair for Care and Development of Young Children and Teaching Grades 1-5. “Above all, we will discuss how to build self-esteem in ourselves and our children.

“I have seen many children experience great anxieties when things throughout their educational and personal lives change,” Huff said. “Whether it is leaving mom to go to school, changing teachers each year, changing classes during the school day, changing schools, or changing neighborhoods. We all face changes.”

David Taylor, an adjunct instructor in psychology at Nunez, is a co-presenter. To attend, contact Huff at (504) 278-6288.

Tips from St. Bernard Parish Government Getting Hurricane Ready

The 2023 hurricane season is upon us, so make sure you’re adequately prepared to weather possible storms. Avoid rushing through potentially lifesaving preparations by waiting until it’s too late. Get your disaster supplies while the shelves are still stocked, and get that insurance checkup early, as flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period.

Develop Evacuation Plan

If you are at risk from hurricane impacts, you need an evacuation plan. Now is the time to begin planning where you would go and how you would get there. You do not need to travel hundreds of miles. Your destination could be a friend or relative who lives in a well-built home outside flood prone areas. Plan several routes. Be sure to account for your pets.

If you can’t self-evacuate, Parish President Guy McInnis urges those who need help evacuating to register with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness by calling (504) 2784268. You will be mailed necessary forms which must be completed and returned to the office. Forms are also the department’s website: www. sbpg.net/165/Homeland Security-Emergency Preparedness.

Assemble Disaster Supplies

Whether you’re evacuating or sheltering-inplace, you’re going to need supplies not just to get through the storm but for the potentially lengthy and unpleasant aftermath. Have enough non-perishable food, water and medicine to last each person in your family at least for three days. Remember, the first 72 hours is on you!!

Create Communication Plan

Take the time to write down your hurricane plan, and share it with your family. Determine family meeting places, and make sure to include out-oftown locations in case of evacuation. Write down on paper a list of emergency contacts, and make sure to include utilities and other critical services – remember, the internet may not be accessible during or after a storm.

Strengthen Your Home

Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricane impacts. Trim trees. Install storm shutters,accordion shutters,and/or impact glass. Seal outside wall openings. Remember, the garage door is the most vulnerable part of the home, so it must be able to withstand hurricaneforce winds. Many retrofits are not as costly or time consuming as you may think. If you’re a renter, work with your landlord now to prepare for a storm. And remember – now is the time to purchase the proper plywood, steel or aluminum panels to have on hand if you need to board up the windows and doors ahead of an approaching storm.

Contact Us

St. Bernard Parish Government Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

8201 W. Judge Perez Drive

Chalmette, LA 70043 ATTN: CTN Program Manager (504) 278-4268

Sign up for Parish Emergency Alerts

The St. Bernard Parish emergency notification system, powered by Everbridge, will allow the parish to send you messages about situations as they happen across multiple devices, including your home phone, mobile device, and email.

For this system to be a success, your contact information is needed in the event of an emergency. Register online at www.sbpg.net or by phone at 504-278-4268. Seniors and people with special needs are encouraged to register. Make sure you have supplies prior to an emergency. Here’s a checklist:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days for drinking and sanitation

• Food, at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food

• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

• Flashlight and extra batteries

• First-aid kit

• Whistle to signal for help

• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)

• Local maps

• Prescription medications and glasses

• Infant formula and diapers

• Pet food and extra water for your pet

• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container

• Cash or traveler’s checks and change

• Emergency reference material such as information from www.ready.gov

• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person

• Complete change of clothing, including a long-sleeve shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes

• Fire extinguisher

• Matches in waterproof container

• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items

• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels

• Paper and pencil

• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Bridging The Gap

Dentist Serving St. Bernardians Both Sides of the Lake

Mark Tinney, D.D.S.

• Age: 33

• Wife: Maddie Cvitanovich Tinney

• Married: Jan. 23, 2021

• Daughter: Klara Quaid Tinney

Timeline:

• 2017: Graduated from LSU School of Dentistry

• 2018: Became Full-Time Associate

• 2020: Opened Bridgelake Family Dentistry, Madisonville, February 1

• 2022: Opened Tinney Family Dentistry, Chalmette, September 1.

Chalmette:

“We’ve had a huge response since opening in September 2022. I’m super lucky to be as busy as I am.”

Madisonville:

“When I sit down, and there's a patient from St. Bernard in my chair, we have an immediate connection because we feel like we’re back home, and that happens a lot.”

Photos by Farrah Ross Appleman

Q&A With Mark Tinney, D.D.S.

Owner of Tinney Family Dentistry, Chalmette And Bridgelake Family Dentistry, Madisonville

establishing a solid work ethic. When I wasn’t playing ball, or working, and when school was back in session, it was strictly business. My mom really was a monumental part in me being able to do well in school because I was able to have someone work with me every night on homework. This happened all the way until I graduated college. There’s no way I could’ve ever become a dentist without my mom’s constant motivation in school and reassurance along the way. My dad helped me learn the value of hard work and discipline in a different way, so I am very thankful for my parents and being able to grow up the way I did.”

Where Did You Grow Up?

“I grew up in Toca on Bayou Road right next door to the pet cemetery and Southern Natural Gas refinery. It was a beautiful area and a great place to grow up. We had so much fun “down the road.” I was super fortunate to live on land and go hunting and fishing in my backyard and ride four wheelers and everything else you can imagine as a kid.

My dad (Mark) was a commercial fisherman (still is) and my mom (Tina) was a teacher (currently the chancellor at Nunez) and they always worked really hard to give me and my brother (Austin) the best childhood we could have.

We went to Lynn Oaks, then Our Lady of Prompt Succor, and I went to Brother Martin while my little brother went to Holy Cross until Hurricane Katrina. I spent every summer on the boat working with dad as his deckhand. Working on the back deck of the shrimp boat had a huge impact on

Why Dentistry as a Career?

“I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands when I worked with my dad. I never wanted to sit at a desk. But I always wanted to work with people. Commercial fishing is a great career that allows you to work with your hands while being outside, but you don’t get to work with people all the time. After Katrina, I moved to Covington with a family member who was a dentist. He showed me the cases he was working on. He taught me a lot about dentistry, but most importantly for me was that he was home every night with his family. At the end of the day everything I do is for Maddie and Klara and I didn’t just want to do things for my family, I wanted to do things with my family. Dentistry has allowed me to be home and have that time and that means a lot to me.

Why Open Practice in the Parish?

So many times I’ve had people tell me, how did you become a dentist growing up all the way down there? And honestly that bothered me; like, what is that supposed to mean? Comments like that are the reason I wanted to come back and change that mindset.

production, I feel like I’m where I belong.” Why Madisonville?

“I was 16 when Katrina hit, and like a lot of other people from St. Bernard Parish, I moved to the Northshore. I graduated from St. Paul’s Catholic High School, then went to Southeastern University, commuting from Covington. I later enrolled in dental school and moved to New Orleans, but I spent about half of my adult life on the Northshore after the storm. Now, I have family members who stayed on the Northshore and family who moved back down.

“Like me, I feel like there are so many St. Bernard families who are split between the Northshore and St. Bernard. So it only made sense to have practices in both areas. And you would be surprised how many of my patients are originally from St. Bernard Parish.

I'm lucky to be in a profession in which I can work anywhere in the country, and make a living. But I felt like I can actually make a difference down here. You can’t say that about everywhere. A lot of places have dentists on every corner, and there’s not so much a need for quality work. I feel like here in the parish, I can do both, and give meaning to my career and life because I feel like I’m taking care of people. Many are the people I grew up with.”

What Do You Enjoy Most?

“The people. Everyone here in the parish is just real and down to earth. I enjoy talking to all of my patients because there’s always a connection that I can make. A lot of times we know the same people, or have mutual friends that we didn’t know about; Sometimes we find out that we’re even related! (laughing) I feel like my patients here trust me from the first visit.

Other places I have worked, it took time to develop trust and a relationship with a patient, but here I feel like I already have that trust and it makes a much easier work environment for everyone. I feel like patients know that I am trying my best in every case, and I’m doing the best I can for them and that’s all you can really ask for from a patient. And secondly, after the people, I have to say I have the best lunch spots in the world. Being a few blocks from Rocky and Carlo’s, Jeanfreau’s, and The Kitchen Table has probably contributed to me gaining 10 pounds since I started working here again. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my career right now and it’s because it’s not about

“But I have made some great friends and have also established an awesome network across the lake, so I am very thankful to be able to serve that community as well. I have several patients that I see their parents or grandparents or siblings in Chalmette and I see them in Madisonville. I’ve even had patients come to see me in both places because even though they moved across the lake after the storm, they still work in the parish.

“After Katrina, everything really got intertwined, especially people that were my age. I feel lucky that I am able to see patients who I grew up with in both of my locations. I got really lucky with having a great partner, Dr. Adam Berthelot, at my Madisonville location, who is also from St. Bernard. He shares my passion for dentistry and is committed to a family environment. So we make a great team, with a great staff up there.”

Is It Hard Serving 2 Locations?

“I’d be lying if I said that it was easy. Sometimes after a really hard procedure or a long day of difficult cases, it can be tough juggling everything. But there’s no other place I would rather be, and no setup I would rather have. I’m actually able to work with a wide range of people by having two locations. Since being in Chalmette, I have had patients who refer their family members who live across the lake to me.

After watching what my parents went through after Katrina, having a place for residents to go really helps me sleep at night, knowing I will be able to keep seeing my patients if anything ever were to happen.”

What’s Your Favorite Procedure?

“My favorite thing to do is getting people out of pain. Dentistry can be really hard at times because a lot of what I do is educating patients on procedures they need, even though the diagnosis hasn’t yet become a major issue. Many times I get a response along the lines of, “Well, Doc, it's not hurting me. Why fool with it?” And that is a completely normal response. But my job is to explain to people why they need that procedure to prevent pain or tooth loss in the future.

How Do You Give Back?

“My goal is to be my absolute best and offer the best possible dentistry that I can, and you can’t give patients the best treatment if you don’t have the best equipment. I’ve invested a lot of time into figuring out what some of the best products and instruments I can use on my patients. I feel like sometimes people not from here think that because we are from the parish that we can’t have anything that’s super nice because we are such an industrial place.

So, I feel I’m making a bigger impact by being available for those who might not be able to commute to either location. It would definitely be easy to just be in one spot all the time, but I love helping people – our St. Bernard communities – on both sides of the lake.

“I hate saying this, but, God forbid, if anything ever happens like Katrina that impacts St. , Bernard, I will have a place for not just me, but for my staff and all of my patients to receive service and support in the short-term. I can be available to people if St. Bernard ever goes for a few weeks without power.

I wanted to come back down here and use the best equipment, with the best products and do my best dentistry and give my patients the best that I possibly could. If someone moves away, or has to go to another dentist, I want that dentist to look at the work I’ve done and say, ‘Wow, that’s impressive! Where did you get this work done?’ And for that patient to be able to smile and say Chalmette.

My goal is to be my absolute best and offer the best possible denistry.

Olivia Sims, Mark Tinney, Emily Williamson, Shanan Lafrance, Kayla Deemes, Kyrstin Melerine

What Are Your Future Plans?

“Right now I am focusing on investing completely into the newest technology, and putting everything back into my practice. Everything really kind of just took off a lot faster than I was thinking it would, so now I am looking further ahead to make sure I have a plan for growth. One thing I really miss about corporate dentistry is the camaraderie and working alongside another dentist, a colleague to bounce ideas off of, especially on the harder cases. I plan on eventually getting another dentist so that I can expand the days and hours we are open.

I am really committed to learning about the advances in digital dentistry regarding dental implants. I plan to take significant amounts of continuing education in order to offer implant dentistry in a super-efficient way with the help of 3D technology. Growing up, I was never really a huge tech guy, but that’s where dentistry is heading so I need to adapt and learn the new systems so that I can offer the best treatment that I can.”

Office Highlights

X-Ray Imaging – fully digital, quickly downloaded and integrated into patient management software. “The new x-rays are very clear and make it easy to diagnose. By having the most up to date x-rays I can make sure I’m not missing anything that I may have missed in the past with inferior X-ray systems.”- Dr. Tinney

Digital Scanner uses 3-D in-motion video technology to take a digital impression of the patient’s mouth. The patient can then see their teeth (or tooth) on a large screen.

200 W. Judge Perez

A micro Intraoral Camera is placed into a patient’s mouth for diagnosis. The image of the tooth can be magnified to see fracture lines and decay.

TV Monitors provided in each room for patients to see enlarged images of their teeth. “While of course I want everyone to trust me, seeing really is believing and sometimes seeing these real pictures of their teeth helps them better understand what I am explaining to them.” - Dr.

Tinney

HOURS

Tuesday -

Electric Handpieces remove metal fillings, cut through old porcelain crowns and are used to perform root canals. This device is extremely efficient and reduces chair time, making patient experience much smoother.

Digital Panorex

St. Bernard Native Brings ENT Urgent Care Home

(Sponsored Content)

As a St. Bernard native, it meant a lot for Jill Prattini deBouchel to bring something back to her community. Since she was a young child, Jill aspired to be a nurse. Her parents, Mickey and Nancy Prattini, always encouraged her to not only do her best but also what makes her happy. Growing up alongside her three older brothers, Mickey, Marc, and Brian, Jill has been tied to the community in many ways.

She obtained her bachelor's degree in nursing from Our Lady of Holy Cross College. While working in the intensive care unit at Touro Infirmary, Jill completed her degree to become a family nurse practitioner through Loyola University New Orleans. After working for several years on the Westbank for Culicchia Neurological alongside Drs. Frank Culicchia and Moises Arriaga, Jill specialized in hearing and balance disorders. More than five years ago, she joined the practice ENT of New Orleans alongside Doctors Fatakia, Pippin, and Irwin.

While still living in Chalmette, Jill knew there was the need for a general ENT in St. Bernard Parish.

She suggested to the partners the need for care to expand to Chalmette. The location was found and that’s when ENT of New Orleans urgENT was founded. UrgENT is happy to offer same-day appointments for all your ENT needs. With more than 12 years of experience as a family nurse practitioner, Jill is proud to say the office is able to treat ear, nose, and throat issues, including sinus, allergies, chronic ear and hearing issues, balance issues/vertigo, sleep apnea, as well as offer a skincare line and cosmetic Botox and fillers.

Asked why she works in Chalmette, Jill said, “I live here. My family lives here. These are my neighbors. I strive to provide the ENT needs to all my patients as if they are my own family!”

Jill is married to Ross deBouchel and together they raise their two sons, Reid and Rex.

Jill deBouchel’s Advice: “Being congested isn’t normal. We can evaluate you for allergies and sinus issues and allow you to have a better quality of life! I have a special passion for balance disorders as well. Please live your best life and let us help you get there!”

Jill deBouchel, Family Nurse Practitioner

Photo by Christy Cusimano

by Grady Creek, MD

Should You Consider Having a Yearly Lung Cancer Screening?

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. The American Cancer Society cites more people die of lung cancer than breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer combined.

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people who smoke are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke. Between 80% to 90% of all lung cancer deaths are attributable to cigarette smoking. Unfortunately, the state of Louisiana records the third-highest rate of smoking in the country.

Individuals exposed to second-hand smoke are at a higher risk for lung cancer. Also, if you have a first-degree relative (parents, siblings, children) with lung cancer, your risk of lung cancer may be higher.

Eliminating exposure to cigarette smoke is the single greatest thing one can do to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Catching lung cancer in its earliest stages when it is most treatable improves survival. According to data from the American Cancer Society, the fiveyear survival rate for early, localized non-small cell lung cancer is 65% in contrast to a 9% survival for advanced, metastatic disease. Annual low-dose chest CT (LDCT) is a screening proven to catch lung cancer early and improve survival.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends offering a yearly LDCT screening to patients who meet both of the following criteria:

• Age between 50 to 80 years old

• Current or former smokers who have quit in the past 15 years and have at least a 20 pack per year smoking history

USPSTF recommends discontinuing screening once a patient develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have curative lung surgery. Additionally, it is important to understand that approximately 25% of patients who undergo screening will have some abnormality detected. Many of these abnormalities will turn out to be false positives (e.g. benign nodules), and some will turn out to be lung cancers. Providing appropriate, timely followup for any abnormality detected is imperative.

Ochsner Health patients can call 504-842-LUNG and have a nurse screen and enroll them in Ochsner’s annual screening program. Patients can have their LDCT done at St. Bernard Parish Hospital.

Dr. Grady Creek specializes in pulmonary medicine and critical care. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his pulmonary fellowship at Louisiana State University in NewOrleans.

by Barry Lemoine

A Child's Victory Family Shares Story of Courage, Strength and Love

Mary Nadler is now cancer free, back in school as a fifth-grader at Arabi Elementary School and her hair is growing in beautifully.

What started out as a suspected pimple in 2020 ended with a family skiing trip to Park City, Utah, during this year’s Mardi Gras, but it is the days in between that really tell the story about 11-year-old Arabi resident Mary Nadler and her family. One of courage, strength and love.

In November of 2020, Mary showed her mom a bump on her nose that looked like a pimple. Originally, it was not a big concern, but by April of 2021, the bump and the concerns had grown.

In June, Mary had surgery to remove it, and after three long and grueling weeks of waiting and worrying, the pathology report was returned. On July 6, 2021, Mary was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare and aggressive, bone/soft tissue cancer.

Jenny and her husband, Darin, are the parents of four children – Mary, Darin Jr., Madeline, and Dylan. Jenny said the early stage of this family journey was brutal.

“Every test mattered and waiting for the results of each was painful,” Jenny said. “If anxiety alone could kill, I would not have survived.” She said each new result did bring some good news. The cancer had not spread. But now the young couple faced another difficult decision – how and what to tell Mary and her siblings.

The Nadler family received a dream vacation for Mary, second from left, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Juggling Emotions of Treatment

The Nadlers waited until all of the testing was complete and a treatment plan was in place. “Telling my extremely active, athletic, dancing, 9-year-old that she would not go to school for at least a year and not participate in anything was one of the hardest things I’ve done,’’ Jenny said. “We told her this cancer was bad and aggressive; that we had to do everything to make sure we got rid of every single cell of it. She was mature enough to understand that, and quietly accepted it.”

Jenny told Mary that the treatment may make her sick and that she would also be in and out of the hospital. “She said okay to all of it, but when we told her she would lose her hair, that one did her in. She cried her little heart out, and so did Darin and I.”

Jenny said juggling the emotions and the logistics for their family of six was an incredible challenge. “Because of the frequent appointments and hospitalizations, I had to take a leave from work for the year,” she said. “Luckily, Darin's job was extremely flexible to allow him to ‘tag me out,’ especially during the long hospital visits.”

She said the time away definitely took a toll on the other three children, especially the two youngest. “Somehow we made it work, and we embraced the time we got to spend together because we were apart a lot. Mary’s treatment (intense, compressed chemotherapy) included a regiment of five different drugs and a hospital stay every two weeks, ranging from two to six days in length. “Mary received a total of 17 treatments, and they stressed to us the importance of staying on schedule.”

Jenny said that many prayers and Mary’s fighting, competitive spirit were keys to the battle, keeping her treatment on track. She started in August of 2021, and on April 13, 2022, Mary rang the bell, a moment of celebration and relief. It was her last day of chemo. Now, Mary is cancer free, back in school as a fifth-grader at Arabi Elementary School and her hair is growing in beautifully.

Make-A-Wish Dream Vacation

Mary’s time in and out of the hospital also put the Nadler family in touch with the Make-AWish Foundation, an agency that helps children diagnosed with a critical illness to live out a dream. For Mary, her wish was to see something hard to find in her hometown - snow. So, on Fat Tuesday of this year, the Nadlers headed to Park City, Utah, for a snowy sojourn in the mountains. “Mary's wish was to see snow and man, did it snow – big, beautiful snow,” Jenny said. “It snowed almost every day we were there.’’

Mary loved it. “Skiing was my favorite part of the trip because we got to go down huge slopes, and it was super fun,” Mary said. “The ski lift was fun, too!”

The Nadlers skied, tubed and played in the snow, but mostly they reveled in some family fun after months of stress, separation, fear, and difficulty. Jenny said Mary's spirit continues to inspire.

“Cancer will always be a part of her life, but it is not something she focuses on,” Jenny said. “Mary does not harp on the things she missed out on because of her diagnosis. She is simply enjoying being cancer free, out of treatment and allowed to do all of the things that we had to restrict.”

Jenny and Darin said it’s been a long road to recovery and they are grateful for their families and the love shown by the people of the Parish. “Darin and I are still overwhelmed by the support we received. I still get goosebumps when I think about it,” Jenny said. “We had family and friends go above and beyond, and this community of ours just wrapped their arms around us and helped carry us through a very stressful time. Financially, I was able to step away from work to make sure our family's needs were met and to be with Mary every step of the way. Spiritually, we felt the prayers and the love and we still do. There really are no words to describe it.”

Compassion of Community

Jenny said accepting help was hard, but her family is forever indebted by the compassion and care of the St. Bernard community. “I’m not going to lie, it was difficult to accept that level of help, but we just learned how to say thank you. And I just prayed

www.SabrinaSchmidt.me

sabrina@vdesign.com

people knew how much we meant those two simple words. And I feel they do know, especially when they see just how much Mary is thriving today. Our community played a big part in that.”

Mary is thriving, indeed, spending time with her friends and playing a number of sports, including soccer, softball, and volleyball. She also takes dance lessons and is active with several school clubs. She is the chief of the news crew and a member of the drama club, chorus, and 4-H. An avid reader, Mary also serves as an officer for the school’s Junior Beta and K-Kids clubs.

Jenny said Mary has been through a lot, but doesn’t act like it. “I've often wondered if she has grasped just how much she's been through and how well she handled it. I think she learned how to take things one day at a time, how to be patient and not let a diagnosis consume her identity.”

Jenny said before cancer, Mary was extremely active and wanted to fill every moment of every day with activities. “Through all of this, I think that was only magnified. She learned how to fill every moment of every day with things that made her happy, and still does.”

Mary offers encouragement to anyone going through a difficult time. “You can get through this. Take walks. Keep in touch with your friends. My ipad helped me stay in touch with them and kept me busy, so stay busy!”

Simple, wise words from a remarkable young lady whose spirit, strength, and personality truly personify Parish Pride.

Barry Lemoine is an award-winning writer and educator. His commitment to and passion for the Parish and its performing arts have earned him the moniker of “The Bard of St. Bernard.”

About Ewing Sarcoma

Ewing sarcoma is the second most common bone cancer in children. It occurs most frequently in the long bones of the legs or arms, the pelvis, chest wall, spine and the skull, but can also begin in the soft tissues and not involve bone. This disease most often occurs in adolescents, with nearly half of cases arising between the ages of 10 and 20. Ewing sarcoma is somewhat more common in males than in females.

– CureSearch for Children’s Cancer

The Original Land Yacht

PARISH PRESIDENT

People Over Politics

Jailhouse Talk: Addiction

By Michael Sherwood

Am I an addict? Seems like the big question people using drugs ask themselves.

The following are a few of the behaviors of addicts according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

1. Taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than you're meant to.

2. Wanting to cut down or stop using the substance but not managing to.

3. Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from use of the substance.

4. Cravings and urges to use the substance.

5. Not managing to do what you should at work, home, or school because of substance use.

6. Continuing to use it, even when it causes problems in relationships.

7. Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of substance use.

8. Using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger.

9. Continuing to use, even when you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance.

10. Over time needing more of the substance or using more frequently to get the effect you want (tolerance).

11. Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance.

If one person a year stays clean and improves their life, it was worth my time.

‘Hi, I’m Mike. I’m An Addict and Alcoholic.’

Mike Sherwood, 69, used drugs and drank alcohol for 26 years before getting clean and sober in 1993. To help others obtain sobriety, he conducts weekly educational sessions on addiction for male and female inmates at St. Bernard Parish Prison. Sherwood started volunteering eight years ago after attending a Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy, learning how the office and departments operate. He tries to attend the class every year, he said.

Photos by Christy Cusimano

“After the Citizens Police Academy class in 2015, I approached Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann to ask if it would be possible to hold a 12-step meeting for inmates incarcerated in the prison. He immediately gave his full attention and after a brief discussion, he said that he wanted to meet with me later in the week with jail staff to get something initiated.

“We met shortly afterward in his office with an assistant warden. Again I was met with great interest and cooperation.

“Sheriff Pohlmann expressed a strong desire to educate the men and women insofar as the physical and psychological effects of substance abuse with emphasis on solutions to addiction.

“In October of 2015, we held the first meeting with those inmates who voluntarily sought solutions to their addiction issues. Captain Adrian Chalona is directly responsible for overseeing me and my program. If one person a year stays clean and improves their life, it was worth my time.” – Mike

Teaching Recovery to Inmates

A large part of my involvement with addicted residents is with inmates in St. Bernard Parish Jail. Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann and the jail staff have been very supportive of introducing recovery possibilities to men and women inmates who volunteer to participate in the weekly substance abuse education group that I lead.

Often a group evolves into a discussion or reflections on past behaviors, events and the consequences of that behavior when under the influence of substances. I encourage inmates to step up to the dry erase board to participate by examining their thinking, feeling, actions and responses to events. Morals, values and beliefs can constitute a precedent or predictor of behavior. They can break it down during this exercise and often recognize where reactions to events are sometimes self destructive.

Often I have to just go with the flow. They are not always in the mood for serious, detailed information. We then focus on lighter subjects, such as: What would he or she like to do for a living? What would you like to go to school for?

I also like to bring recovering men and women to speak and answer questions about themselves and their recovery successes.

Facts of the Matter

In St. Bernard, we unfortunately have our share of addiction problems.

To get a glimpse of the magnitude of our substance abuse dilemma, read the arrest reports in the weekly newspaper. From 2018 to 2020, on average, 33% of arrests in St. Bernard involved illegal substances. I believe many residents know of a friend, relative or acquaintance who has been incarcerated, hospitalized, overdosed or died as a result of drug abuse.

I conducted a survey at the jail over a two-year period, questioning 37 female inmates who attended the volunteer session, and who identified themselves as “addicts.” The average age of the women was 32.5 years old. Of them, 78% have a high school education and 45.9% had either college education or specialized training. My observation is that these women have all the potential to be successful and productive members of our society. Should they be in jail or would society be better off assisting them with addiction treatment? Perhaps we should run a cost comparison of jail cost versus rehabilitation. Will they be better off? Will St. Bernard be better off when they leave jail untreated? My answer is no, if they haven’t had proper treatment.

Incarceration alone has its stigma that results with the individual carrying a load of guilt, shame and embarrassment.

Fees, fines, ankle bracelets, and probation costs all become a very heavy burden for a good intentioned person in recovery; burdens that substantially increase the emotional fragility of someone trying to stay drug free.

Defining “Disease”

I am not saying that addicts who break laws should go without consequences. Punishment for having a disease that is unapproached therapeutically is at best marginally effective. Particularly when considering the root cause of the criminal behavior is a disease or disorder that takes away the ability of the addicted person to make rational choices. At first glance, addiction appears to be a choice, but the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and others describe addiction as a disease – a brain disease. Looking back to the 1950s, as a society, we didn’t readily recognize attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Most people thought those children affected were bad, less intelligent or uncontrollable. Many were shunned and left behind. We have a much better understanding when identifying and treating ADHD, enabling thousands of previously misidentified people to live their lives to their full potential.

People with such disorders, untreated, can become a burden on our society. With treatment, those suffering have an opportunity to excel well beyond their untreated potential. Approaching people afflicted with the disease of addiction as if they were bad, less intelligent, uncontrollable, hopeless criminals is to say the least destructive and for us as a society selfdefeating.

In St. Bernard, we unfortunately have our share of addiction problems, which leads to crime. Will inmates be better off after incarceration? Not if the disease of addiction is left untreated.

Why Do Addicts Continue Using?

Well, there are many underlying reasons and many combinations, depending on the person.

According to many experts, and in my personal experience, simply not being ready to stop is probably the number one reason addicts continue to use. In the beginning, drug use seemed like a great relief for many users who suffer with psychological issues. For others at first it was recreational. We didn’t see it as a problem until the use had gotten far out of control. Additionally, after a relatively short time, unbearable psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms developed and were too painful to bear even for a few hours much less a whole day.

Stopping would have upset my whole apple cart. Not being “ready” means that I’m not able to connect the drug use with the consequences of my dysfunctional behaviors. Denying the effect of drug use on my decision making allows me to continue using.

Another reason to continue using was because stopping is something that “if and when” I wanted to, I thought I could do it on my own. It’d be too embarrassing if I had to admit I couldn’t stop on my own willpower. I thought I should be able to handle this on my own; after all I didn’t think I was addicted and of course, I wouldn’t admit it if it meant I’d have to stop using. So my defense for continued use was “I’ll quit when I’m ready; it’s not hurting you.”

Other rationales: “I’d probably get fired if they find out. Even if they don’t fire me, how could I go back to work with all my co-workers and subordinates knowing that I was using drugs and had to go to

rehab? I just can’t miss that much work; we need the money. Surely everyone will find out and I will never recover credibility or trust. All of my friends, family and relatives will know and never think the same of me. For these reasons, I can’t get help.”

That stigma that addicts are all criminals, weak minded or in some way a bad person stops a great deal of people from getting help. Fear of change and confidentiality issues seem to tower over the tremendous advantages of being clean and sober.

“I’ll Quit Tomorrow”

Many addicted folks deeply wish they could stop but see it as impossible to do in the moment that they recognize the dire situation they’re in. They’ll wake up on the day that they swear to stop but decide instead to do it tomorrow. Then tomorrow turns to next week, next month, next summer and so on. If you’re an alcoholic/addict you probably understand.

Withdrawal symptoms, or just the thought of the indescribable extreme discomfort of withdrawal keeps addicts on the prowl for drugs. In order to reach the same high the addict must use more of the drug or use it more frequently in order to avoid (sure to come) horrific withdrawal symptoms. Some drugs produce significant physical withdrawal symptoms (alcohol, opiates, and tranquilizers).

Some produce fewer physical but more emotional withdrawal symptoms (cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy). Anxiety, restlessness, irritability and insomnia are just a few of the emotional withdrawal symptoms. Sweating, racing heart, tremors, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea are some of the physical symptoms of withdrawal.

‘That stigma that addicts are all criminals, weak minded or in some way a bad person stops a great deal of people from getting help.’

A combination of simultaneous physical and emotional symptoms scares addicts away from even the thought of stopping.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life was to stop using drugs and alcohol. I was the last person among my friends, family and co-workers to admit I had a problem. I had embarrassed my friends and family innumerable times yet felt too embarrassed to admit that my substance abuse was out of control. I used drugs all day and drank every night.

Every day was miserable. I lived in varied states of anxiety, fear, depression and worry. I had to drink to go to sleep due to insomnia and had constant intestinal problems. Of course these daily withdrawal symptoms led to my next dose, which led to more withdrawal.

Luckily, I still had health insurance and because the fear of staying the way I was became greater than my fear of stopping drug abuse, I went to treatment and followed their instructions. I then started going to 12-step meetings (the meetings keep me centered even today). I was also finally diagnosed with a minor anxiety issue that was treated with mild non-narcotic medication and therapy. I’ve been clean since 1993.

I introduced myself as an addict and alcoholic despite having not used drugs or alcohol for 29 years. Science proves that this disease is incurable. It can be arrested though. Then with maintenance, as in any disease, recovery is possible. A productive, serene life is very possible.

A very good first start in St. Bernard is attending 12-step meetings (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon). These self-help, peer groups are free of charge, and offer great support for addicts and alcoholics in recovery. Some users may need to enroll in detox or more extensive recovery programs.

National Hotline for Help

SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Cemetery Culture

Enslaved Africans, free people of color and their descendants were buried throughout St. Bernard Parish in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Final of 3-Part Series

By William de Marigny Hyland,

Cemetery Series - Reflections on St. Bernard Catholic Cemetery, St. Bernard Memorial Gardens, Reggio Baptist Cemetery, Chalmette National Cemetery, Freedmen’s Cemetery and Ellen Cemetery (Fazendeville) found at stbernardmagazine.com (Winter 2022 and Spring 2023)

St. Bernard Parish Historian Photos by Charles D. Jackson

First Baptist Church Cemetery, Verrettville

Plantations fronting the Mississippi River in what would become St. Bernard Parish in 1817 were maintained by enslaved African labor from the 1720s until the Civil War. Many of the surviving freed enslaved continued to work plantations as hired help during the remainder of the 19th century into the 20th century.

Rev. Raymond Allen Smith, great-grandson of Rev. Samuel Smith, observes a marker commemorating his relative as well as a notable blacksmith and unknown enslaved people buried at the Verrett Cemetery.

First Baptist Cemetery, Verrettville

Samuel Smith, an enslaved laborer belonging to Richard Proctor of the enormous Proctor Plantation along the shores of Lake Borgne, ran away from the plantation in 1862 and joined the Union Army. According to Smith family oral tradition, while in the midst of battle during the Civil War “Pa Sam” received a vision from God directing him to return to St. Bernard and organize a church and community to transition the freed enslaved people from a slave culture to life as freed people.

Ever a faithful Christian, Smith did as God ordered

and purchased from Martial Verret and his wife, Elodie Chalaire, in 1871, land that is the site today of the First Baptist Church of Verrettville and Cemetery. The cemetery is located directly behind the church. An oral tradition was that the modern cemetery stands atop an older burial place for the enslaved, having burials dating to the Spanish colonial period. Once more, the Verret plantation had been a consolidation of earlier land grants awarded to Islenos.

Smith, an important and respected community leader who transcended race, is interred in the cemetery as is his brother, William, and many other freed and enslaved people who worked on the Proctor Plantation. Smith was elected a police juror, justice of the peace and school board member during the Reconstruction Era.

Earlier in 2021, archaeological survey work was conducted in the cemetery, establishing that there were graves of formerly enslaved people in the cemetery. A marker, presented by retired attorney Tony Fernandez, was placed at the site in 2022 during the church’s Black History Month celebration.

Rev. Samuel Smith, Church Founder and Community Leader.

Blacksmith James

“Jake” Hamilton, a resident of Verrettville, made several wrought iron crosses that adorn burial places in First Baptist Cemetery and St. Bernard Catholic Cemetery.

True Love Cemetery – Sebastopol

True Love Cemetery was established as the burial ground for enslaved people from Sebastopol Plantation and neighboring sugar plantations and farms. Sebastopol Plantation was assembled by purchase of individual land grants by Pedro Marin Argote in the 1820s. Today, the main house still stands facing Terre-aux-Boeufs at 721 Bayou Road. Opposite the house is Sebastopol Lane, once the road for the “quarters row,’’ housing for the enslaved people who worked the fields of Sebastopol.

This author remembers the surviving quarters row in the 1960s and 1970s with the larger building, which functioned as an infirmary for the enslaved and other structures. Burials persisted in True Love Cemetery until the 1980s. The burial ground is located at the end of Sebastopol Lane, though few if any vestiges survive above ground.

Creedmoor Plantation Cemetery

Creedmoor Plantation’s main house still stands at 1800 Bayou Road between St. Bernard and Toca villages. The plantation was a consolidation of multiple land grants originally awarded to Islenos by Jean Joseph Coiron in the 1820s. Coiron experimented with the cultivation of sugarcane using the labor of enslaved people.

A cemetery for the interment of the enslaved was established on the plantation and was at one time rather large, according to Roger Richard, who had

a younger sister and other family members buried there. The cemetery was located to the south and west of the property on the south bank of Bayou Terre-aux-Boeufs, well behind the main house close to the “quarters row.” Richard remembered interments in the 1920s in the cemetery, but he was unable to locate the exact site of the cemetery in the 1970s and later.

Merrick Cemetery – Violet

The grandson of Judge Oliver Livaudais, who founded Borgnemouth Realty, the late Judge Oliver S. Delery remembered his grandfather explaining that a cemetery for enslaved people dating to the 18th century was donated to the Merrick Cemetery Association about 1910 by Borgnemouth Realty.

The ownership of Borgnemouth Realty property deriving from the Chiapella Plantation can be traced to the 1720s shortly following the founding of New Orleans in 1718. Indigo cultivation was the first large scale cash crop cultivated on the site. Indigo was a plant that was used to produce blue dye. The production process was highly toxic, and the mortality rate among white people and enslaved Africans was outrageously high. Sugarcane cultivation replaced indigo as the major cash crop in the late 18th century.

Katrina severely damaged Merrick Cemetery, though over time the cemetery has been recovering. Accomplished black educators such as Miss Wilhelmina Snowden, health care professionals such as Ernest Jones and others are buried in Merrick Cemetery. While primary

source documentation has not been located to date, Merrick Cemetery might well be the oldest surviving cemetery in St. Bernard because of the presence of enslaved African laborers living and working the site cultivating indigo and later sugar uninterruptedly since the early 18th century.

While St. Bernard Catholic Cemetery is the first burial ground recording the interments of the enslaved and free people of color, there must have been earlier interments of Africans and their descendants on farms and larger working plantations before 1787. In the case of Merrick Cemetery, oral tradition in the Oliver Livaudais family maintains that Merrick occupies the site of a cemetery used for burials of enslaved people dating to the 18th century. Tragically, many burial grounds of enslaved people in St. Bernard fell into disuse and they have been lost in local history.

A Legacy of Faith

Cemeteries tell a fascinating story, documenting forgotten cultures and people who over time have become obscure in our history. These burial grounds suffered tremendously during Katrina. There were family cemeteries scattered

throughout St. Bernard Parish, such as the Chaplain and Couture cemeteries, which today are only accessible by boat. They are rapidly vanishing as our wetlands disappear, the result of coastal erosion. At least one other family cemetery survives within the levee protection system, the tomb of Harmon Turner, inaccessible to the public because it sits on private property in St. Bernard Village.

Native Americans built burial middens in the St. Bernard Delta over a thousand years ago in some instances, but those sites are also falling victim to coastal erosion.

Whatever their ultimate fate may be, these sacred burial grounds are a legacy of faith and commitment to community by those interred there.

William de Marigny Hyland is the distinguished St. Bernard Parish Historian and Site Manager of Los Isleños Museum Complex, owned by St. Bernard Parish Government.

Photos by Michael Binder

Tales of The Pet Cemetery

The most elaborate of funerals was that of a boa constrictor named Serita. The snake regularly performed at a tavern in New Orleans and once on the Johnny Carson show.

By Michael Binder

The story of the E.E. Matt Pet Cemetery is as unique as the area in which it exists. It was founded in 1946 by Grace Thompson, a woman who fled the state of Missouri to avoid a murder trial. She soon bought a tract of land in Toca containing a house built by Sheriff Albert Estopinal Jr. around 1909 on Bayou Road.

Thompson was a stranger among her lower St. Bernard neighbors. Her neighbors would “bark like a dog” and “meow like a cat” upon seeing her, she once said. Aside from the pet cemetery, she taught piano to local children of St. Bernard.

Parish Historian Bill Hyland said he, like many local children, was instructed to keep away from the cemetery. Despite this, the pet cemetery gained a prominent place in the eccentric world of pet burials as people from all across the country had their pets sent there.

The most elaborate of funerals was that of a boa constrictor named Serita. The snake regularly performed at a tavern in New Orleans and once on the Johnny Carson show. When the reptile died, its owner, an exotic dancer on Bourbon Street, afforded it a six-limousine funeral, complete with

two dozen mourners, a custom-built, satin-lined coffin, and a choir that performed “Goodnight Irene” as the snake was interred.

A variety of characters worked for the cemetery during the years, including the folkloric Parish President Henry Joseph “Jr.” Rodriguez, whom relatives say transported pet bodies sent from afar, and local teenager John Doran as a summer grasscutter. Older residents remember Thompson’s inclination to take in any stray animal she found. She often ran newspaper articles pleading with the residents of New Orleans to send their unwanted pets to her before abandoning them. In her late 80s, she had four dogs and three cats.

After Thompson died in 1979, her daughter, Dorothy, hired an Arabi man named Brandon Nodier as a live-in groundskeeper. When the Times-Picayune ran an article in 1981, the cemetery had clearly gone downhill. The ornate coffins that held the remains of pets had been replaced by ziplock bags, and Dorothy’s new employee admitted he often couldn’t remember if he was placing headstones over the correct burials.

The cemetery abruptly closed in 1985 when Dorothy disappeared. She was due to appear in court for a lawsuit against Nodier less than two

A statue has fallen to the neglect of the property on Bayou Road.

Vines once covered the old pet cemetery on Bayou Road.

weeks before her body was discovered in the Mississippi River, hogtied in chains, according to the newspaper.

In 2009, a laborer who worked odd jobs at the cemetery came forward as a witness to the murder, claiming Nodier killed her, reported the TimesPicayune. The individual was prompted to turn himself in by Dorothy’s ghost, which returned to him regularly for over two decades, covered in chains, the newspaper reported.

Nodier was arrested and served five years in prison. The detective who took on the case was John Doran. After Dorothy’s death, the pet cemetery grounds were left vacant. The extensive plot of land, once labeled a “wild paradise” by a reporter, devolved into a green inferno. Headstones and statues were crushed by falling trees or stolen by looters.

The Estopinal house collapsed in the wake of Hurricane Isaac in 2012. Trash trees, vines, and bushes have grown high into the air, obscuring the grounds. Still, some people return to the old cemetery to bury their pets, continuing the tradition of probably the strangest cemetery in St. Bernard Parish.

Michael Binder Jr., a native photographer of Arabi, he received a full tuition scholarship and teaching assistantship with the Master’s of Fine Art program at Ohio University, where he is currently studying. Check out his instagram @michaelbinder1. If you have any stories about the pet cemetery or any experiences, contact him via Instagram or email mb620422@ohio.edu.

Cindi Meyer, Woman of Faith, Wears ‘Many Hats’

(Sponsored

Content)

By Hailey B. Lodriguss, Photo by Desiree’ Hebert Wibright

Like a good neighbor, Cindi Meyer is always there. Meyer has been a local, reputable State Farm agent in St. Bernard Parish since 2010. Before then, she worked as a State Farm team member for 10 years with the aspiration of becoming an agent. With no room for advancement, her “entrepreneurial spirit” got the best of her, and she opened Cindi’s Tuxedos in 1996. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the formal wear business at the time she was president of the Southern Independent Formalwear Association, which covers all Southern states.

During the rebuilding of her home and deciding when to reopen Cindi’s Tuxedos, she was asked to help her former employer at State Farm, who at that time was forced to relocate in Metairie.

“While going back into the workforce was a challenge, it proved to be beneficial,” Meyer said. "The opportunity to become a State Farm agent presented itself. Four years later, I was able to land back home where my heart is to help my community grow in every capacity.”

A woman of “many hats,” Meyer is active throughout the community and her church, the Tabernacle Chalmette, where she captures a diverse audience with her gifts. She is also a member of many civic organizations, such as the Driven Youth Organization, where she is the 20232025 president, and actively participates in three school drive clubs three days a week.

She also serves with Kiwanis, St. Bernard Parish Republican Executive Committee, Lighthouse Missions, St. Bernard Business and Professional Women’s Club, St. Bernard Personnel Review Board, and St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce. She has served as a chairwoman of the Chamber, and member of the 2020 Census Committee, Special Olympics Committee and the 10-year Anniversary Katrina Committee.

To many people she encounters, Meyer provides comfort, compassion and love. She has a genuine

heart and encompasses fierceness, professionalism and leadership. She demonstrates these qualities every day.

“She is not only the mother of two beautiful girls, Ashlin and Mia, but is the spiritual mother of many,’’ said Sandi Mathews, a team member at the agency. “Within her church, she is involved in multiple ministries, campaigns and leadership roles. She will love you like her own, pray for you like you are family, and fight for you until there is a victory. She has even assisted in building up young business owners to reach their full potential.” Her pastor, Chris Lodriguss, offers similar praise. “There are many wonderful attributes about Cindi Meyer. The one that shines above it all is her love for others and most importantly for Jesus. She is a blessing to the church and community. Cindi did not come from a wealthy background with many privileges but through the grace of God she is where she is now. Many people know her and can testify about how she has impacted their lives.”

Meyer is eager to give praise to God for all He has done. “I want to leave a legacy of leadership and hope that everyone is empowered to succeed with Christ who strengthens us.”

by Charles D. Jackson

Silver Slipper Casino Connects to St. Bernard

Come on down to the Silver Slipper; pass a good time at the Silver Slipper.

That jingle is heard almost daily on WWL radio. Casino manager John Ferrucci invites all to the Gulf Coast gaming resort, but he has a special welcome mat for St. Bernard Parish, where he’s hosted parties for years. Nearly 80 percent of the casino’s customers hail from St. Bernard and the Northshore, St. Tammany Parish.

His Story on Par 3:

“I was casino manager for a casino in the Bahamas when I was recruited to come to Gulfport, Mississippi, to open the Grand Casino Gulfport in April 1993 – nearly 30 years ago.

The first week I was there, our management team took a trip to Chalmette to throw a party for some prospective casino players and get to know them. The party was arranged by our executive casino host, Emile Fallo. The party was held at the Par 3 Restaurant, and that’s when I met Issy and Dottie LaBrosse for the first time. Of course, we became friends instantly and found out that we had a great deal in common.

From there, I went on to run the Grand Casino Biloxi, then the Palace Casino in Biloxi. I went to upstate New York for two years to open a casino for the Mohawk Indian tribe. Later, I managed the

Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann poses with Silver Slipper manager John Ferrucci, Dottie and Issy LaBrosse, and Robert “Treasure” Sinopoli during a recent visit of Silver Slipper senior staff to Par 3 Restaurant.

Casino Magic Casino in Biloxi. That’s when I met the group that was planning to develop a casino in Hancock County (Silver Slipper) and I was invited to join their team, which I’m glad that I did.

And guess what? As soon as we opened, we welcomed loyal friends Issy and Dottie as our guests there. Since that time, we have thrown several parties at Par 3. Some days, I’ll just get our limo van and a bunch of us will come down to Chalmette just to have lunch and visit with Issy and Dottie for a while.

Landing “Treasure”

“A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to hire St. Bernard native Robert Sinopoli as my restaurant manager in our Blue Bayou Bar and Grille at the Silver Slipper. Many people from St. Bernard come to the Silver Slipper to see one of their own.

Robert had a great career in St. Bernard Parish where he worked alongside his lifelong friend Jimmy Pohlman in the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office. We all know that Robert, a.k.a. “Treasure,” owned and operated his namesake bar on Paris Road for many years.

Silver Slipper has nearly 1,000 people in St. Bernard Parish who are our regular guests. We get down to the Parish as often as we can to spend some time with them in their own backyard.

We’re proud to say that we’ve been an active member of the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce for several years and enjoy that relationship, doing what we can to support the business community in St. Bernard whenever possible.’’

Talking Up Silver Slipper

“The Dungeness crabs are the best anywhere,” Shirley Gioe, lifelong St. Bernard resident.

“John is a very good team leader. I’m amazed that he knows everybody's names. That's over 500 employees,” David Pisarich, slot director.

“Wherever John is, he always has an excellent gourmet restaurant. This is one of his top priorities,” Issy LaBrosse, co-owner, Par 3 Restaurant.

What’s Next

Ferrucci reports that Hancock County recently approved a new road leading to the casino, and the U.S. Corps of Engineers has given preliminary nod to the building of a 176-room hotel tower. The current tower has 129 rooms.

Got a Gambling Problem?

People with gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits are encouraged to call or text the Louisiana Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-877-770STOP (7867) if you or someone you know has a gambling problem.

“Treasure,” left, enjoys lunch at Par 3 with Bill Desjardins, director of table games, and John Ferrucci.

by Charles D. Jackson

Big Easy CBD & Cafe

Helping Ease The Pain

Sometimes it’s best to listen to your children. Lori Arcement did, and now it’s paying off. “Amber used to tell me, ‘You need to quit the boat rental business and start a CBD store,” Arcement said. “She said it’s beneficial to people with a lot of ailments.”

In December 2018, Arcement took her daughter’s advice and opened Big Easy CBD on West Judge Perez Drive. The mom-and-daughter team hired a family friend, Evan Thibodeaux, as manager. Thibodeaux had studied botany (plants) and business at the University of New Orleans in 2012, and returned from Colorado in 2018 where he learned from professionals in the commercial cannabis industry. Since then, the business has added a cafe, coffee shop, drive-through service and a more diverse product line.

“We had to expand because of the business's success and the customers’ demands,’’ Thibodeaux said. “We’re now an exclusive boutique. We take a little more time with our customers to make sure

they receive premier products.”

When the business opened, Arcement and her staff started informing the public about the medicinal benefits of CBD products. “We educated people in Chalmette, Delacroix and Violet,” Thibodeaux said.

Arcement said helping people feel better is her top priority. “They come to us for pain, insomnia, stress and anxiety. It’s very satisfying that customers give us feedback saying thank you for helping them.”

One of those customers is Mary Ann Tufts, who visited March 16 to buy “edibles for all my neighbors for the anxiety relative to the predicted winds tomorrow.”

Photo by Hayden Pomes

Back row, left to right, Savannah Sillanpa, Faith Boudoin, Alexis Jackson, Taylor Kobe, Alyssa Johnson. Front row, Evan Thibodeaux, manager, and Lori Arcement, owner.

Owners Amber and Lori Arcement

by Corey Felix-Davis

Family Cajun Kitchen: Home Away From Home

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Corey Felix-Davis, and I am the 17-year-old co-founder of 3 Brothers’ Lemonade and son of Crystal and Nathaniel Washington, owners of Family Cajun Kitchen, which opened Dec. 1, 2021, at 5351 Paris Road in Chalmette.

With my brothers Ja’rel and Tre, we started a lemonade stand, with our specialty brand, at the corner of Genie Street and Plaza Drive in 2015.

Instead of writing a traditional story on the business, I decided to write about myself and share our customers’ comments about Family Cajun Kitchen.

My Story:

I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, dyslexia and autism. I’m not much of a speaker, although I enjoy reading. Working here has allowed me to slowly be who I am on the inside, which for me takes a lot of work and patience. It allows me to “work at my own pace,” as Mom always encourages me to do. Here, I get to meet different people, which is awesome and exciting, and that helps me to experience other personalities aside from my own.

Here are some of the people I’ve met, and what they say about my family’s restaurant:

Tonya Sell of Lynn Haven, FL

“We fell in love with the food and the atmosphere. We felt like we were home chilling in the kitchen. As soon as we found out that we would be coming back to Chalmette this year, we booked (at the Marina Motel) again. This restaurant is what really brought us here.”

Eric Eilers of Chalmette:

“I try to go once a week, mostly Fridays. I love the Philly cheesesteak, tacos, hamburgers – everything is good. I think my wife goes more often than me. Nate and his family make you feel like you’re at home.”

Alex Terry of Poydras:

"I come here a lot for the Pow Pow Shrimp."

Samantha Gonzales: "Every time I come here we enjoy it."

Craig Wilson of Chalmette:

"This is our first time here. I saw it on social media so I came here."

Jayda Mitchell from New Jersey, serving in Coast Guard at Michoud:

"I come here one or two days a week because the food is delicious. I'm impressed with the energy and atmosphere of the owners and staff. Feels like real New Orleans."

These are only partial statements from customers who enjoy my family’s restaurant. One thing they all had in common was how much they loved the food and the amazement of feeling like family, which is what it’s all about: A home away from home.

Visiting from Florida, William and Tonya Sell said they were glad to come back for more “cracklin chicken’’ –Chef Nate’s specialty.

by Anna Timmerman

Growing Healthy Habits

Gardening Helps:

• Reduce stress and blood pressure

• Yield fresh, nutrient-dense foods

• Build muscle and stay in shape

• Maintain cognitive function

• Foster community, personal connections

Gardeners who grow food are more likely to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs than people who do not grow these crops. This can be a good way to build a healthier diet, which can lead to weight loss.

It’s no secret that gardening comes with health benefits from the physical exercise required to keep things tidy, watered, trimmed, and thriving. Putting in a little sweat equity in the garden usually yields tangible results – abundant vegetables, bountiful blooms, and a beautiful space. Gardening can also benefit our bodies in some surprising ways:.

Reduce stress and lower blood pressure Being outdoors and physically active has been proven to increase vitamin D levels and feelings of peace and contentment. When we are out in our gardens, often we can focus on the task at hand and reduce pesky negative thoughts. Keeping our hands busy and our mind productive helps to boost our moods. Just being in nature and around plants has been shown in studies to reduce stress and blood pressure.

Yield fresh, nutrient-dense foods

By growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, you are better able to control what cultivation methods you want to use. This can mean using organic growing practices, sticking to natural pesticides and herbicides, and choosing flavorful

Fresh Herbs

While gardening, people are often focused on the one task at hand, while also thinking ahead toward which garden chore needs to be tackled next. This kind of physical work flow can help with Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as boost memory and creativity.

heirloom cultivars rarely seen at the grocery store. Foods can be harvested and enjoyed on the same day, leading to little or no reduction in quality or nutrient content. Spoilage is usually reduced when we grow something ourselves – we know exactly how much work went into that food item. Most produce items are shipped within a global supply chain, which relies on cold storage and transportation. These things take energy, and by eliminating our “food miles” or distance from farm to fork, the carbon footprint of that food item is significantly reduced. Growing some of your own produce can be a part of a more sustainable lifestyle.

Build muscle and help you stay in shape

Activities in the yard like weeding, digging, pruning, and harvesting take physical effort and get us to move our bodies in beneficial ways. Bending down to pick a carrot, or squatting to pull a weed may not seem like exercise, but these types of movements help to keep our joints limber and our bodies strong. Gardening requires us to increase our level of physical activity, which helps us to keep in shape. Gardeners who grow food also are more likely to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs than people who do not grow these crops. This can be a good way to build a healthier diet, which can lead to weight loss.

Helps maintain cognitive function

Some relatively new studies are showing that gardening can work to keep our minds sharp, in addition to our bodies. While gardening, we are often focused on the one task at hand, while also thinking ahead toward which garden chore needs to be tackled next. This kind of physical work flow can help with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as boost memory and creativity. There are also some promising results showing that people are somewhat protected from dementia if they garden on a regular basis.

Build community and personal connections

Being out in the garden, we can easily engage with neighbors, friends, and family passing by. When I am working in my garden, folks stop or slow down to ask what’s growing and what’s in season, or how my tomatoes are coming along. These casual happenstance interactions help to build a sense of community and connect us with one another. If you grow more than your or your family can use, these social connections can be strengthened by sharing extra produce with neighbors or donating it to a food pantry. These social bonds forged through gardening and a shared love of nature can lead to lifelong friendships and a greater sense of social well-being.

For more information on gardening, including lots of free articles, publications, and videos, please visit www.lsuagcenter.com. For answers to your gardening questions, please email me at atimmerman@agcenter.lsu.edu. Happy gardening!

Anna Timmerman is an LSU AgCenter horticulture agent working in the Greater New Orleans area. Email her: atimmerman@agcenter.lsu.edu

Vegetables for dinner

Faces of the Parish

Anthony "Tony" Calabresi, 95, Arabi

“The Most Important: The People I Met’’

Worked 2 Full-Time Jobs for 50 Years

His Story:

“The biggest part of my life is when I moved from the 9th Ward to St. Bernard Parish when I was 39 years old. In New Orleans, I couldn’t find a job. I always wanted to be a policeman, so I joined the Sheriff’s Office.

“Dr. Trist was the sheriff. He sent me and another fellow for jobs at the oil refinery. They hired the other guy, but not me. So I went to work at the sugar refinery; then the oil refinery called back the next day, and I said, ‘I got a job already.’

“Dr. Trist okayed my schedule. I told him I wanted to work two jobs. Once I found two good jobs, I wasn’t giving them up. I worked from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Sheriff’s Office, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the refinery. I spent 51 years at the Sheriff’s Office and 50 years at the sugar refinery.

Keeping Kids Out of Trouble

“Nobody in the Sheriff’s Office wanted to help the kids. Every time they had a complaint about the kids, they would call me. (Sheriff) Jack Rowley knew I supported Lawrence Bergeron for juvenile judge, and he assigned me to the juvenile office for Bergeron’s court.

“In the meantime, my wife and I opened St. Bernard Realty, and I used to spend all the money to put on teenage dances for the kids to keep them out of the streets. I kept our kids home and off the streets of New Orleans ‘cause they kept getting arrested in New Orleans. The kids used to go to New Orleans for dances and they’d get in trouble. They (fellow officers) used to call me to go pick them up, so I started the dances to keep the kids from being arrested in New Orleans.

“After I came to St. Bernard Parish, the most important thing I met was the people in the Sheriff’s Office and the American Sugar Refinery. I’m happy to spend the rest of my days down here till I pass.”

(The World War II veteran served four years in Manila, Philippine).

Tony enjoys driving his new truck, riding in the Veterans Parade, and hanging out at St. Bernard Council on Aging.

Faces of the Parish

Newcomers and Longtime Residents

1. Muriel Simon, showing off her special walking cane for the IrishItalian-Islenos Parade, turned 92 in May. She goes dancing every Sunday at Lacy’s Cue and enjoys gatherings at the Council on Aging for lunch and bingo. Since 1942, she has lived in the house her father, a carpenter, built on Jackson Boulevard when it was a gravel street. “I’ve never been in any trouble,’’ she said.

2. Michael and Jaxson Parker moved from Knoxville, TN, in March 2021. “I work in the CBD and my grandparents live in Chalmette. We were so much in love with the area from visiting. The people are so nice. I don’t think I’ve met a stranger.”

3. Payton Adams (center), a senior at Chalmette High School, hangs out at Crave with members of the Owls baseball team, from left, Cole Armstrong, Bryce Wilson, Devin DiPascal, and Jake Devenport.

4. Harper and Emma Rogers enjoy dinner with their father, Derek, at WOW Cafe & Wingery. Derek has lived in the parish 41 years. “I like the close-knit, tight community,” he said.

5. Pastor Escobar Mauricio (center) and members of Victory Life Chalmette attend Bible study before celebrating with a holiday meal. Most are newcomers to the parish.

6. Lifelong resident Frank Williams joins his sister Fancy with grandmother Milezone for dinner at El Patron. “Throughout Violet, everybody knows me as the Singing Queen and Soul Food Cook,” Milezone said. Frank is a budding basketball star and Fancy is top student Lady Campbell’s Preschool Academy.

7. Angelina Geraci-Smith and Ian Smith, who live in Poydras, hang out at Gerald’s Donuts. Angelina is a lifelong resident. Ian plays trumpet with the Bag of Donuts and he is featured on Tito Jackson’s “Under Your Spell” studio album. Tito is Michael Jackson’s older brother.

8. Lisa Fernandez and husband Uzef Gavrilova welcomed daughter Violet Gavrilova on March 14, 2022. Lisa, a native of St. Bernard, met her husband while living in New York. The couple relocated to the parish in 2021.

9. Eugene Grace, dining at MeMe’s, has been a resident of Chalmette for 12 years. He said he moved from Uptown New Orleans because of the parish’s low crime rate and housing affordability.

10. Newlyweds Stephanie and Justin Encar have been married for two years. She’s a native of Chalmette; he’s from Kenner. “We met in Kenner, and I wanted to move home to be closer to my family. He agreed to move with me.”

11. Clarence Bradley, right back, has lived in Chalmette since 1988. “It’s safe and still family oriented, not hustle and bustle, and it’s closer to everything you want to do.” He’s joined at Par 3 Restaurant with, from left front, daughter-in-law Marrisa Bradley, granddaughter Elvie, grandson Nixan, son-in-law Jimmy Hallock, grandson Clayton Kruse, daughter Rebeckah Hallock, and son Nicholas standing next to him.

Faces of the Parish

Newcomers and Longtime Residents