The Peace Center, a ministry of The Dominican Sisters of Peace, is hopeful the people of the New Orleans area will remember them and the services they are providing for families of the Gert Town area on May 7, “GiveNOLA Day,” a 24-hour event hosted by the Greater New Orleans Foundation to inspire people to give generously to nonprofits.

The Peace Center is a community center that has various functions in the community. It assists job seekers and seniors with their needs and is a welcome place where children can come to stay after school, receive homework help, get their creative juices going with various forms of art, find enrichment from various speakers, and attend field trips. Some children have even learned to read in this after-school setting.

The parents of 10-year-old Kayla, a student facing learning challenges, say the Peace Center has been a welcome retreat for their daughter. She has developed reading and creative skills here and thanks to a recent field trip to Xavier University, she says she is even thinking about attending college.

Kayla’s mother says, “The Peace Center has not only helped Kayla bloom, but they have consistently demonstrated a sense of caring. They have even gone out of their way to make sure Kayla had a ride to her summer camp activities and when my son was born, they provided diapers for our family. It is a place that feels safe for my daughter to attend her after-school activities and that is extremely important to me.”

Sr. Suzanne Brauer, OP, Peace Center Co-Director says, “There is nothing else like this available for the children in the Gert Town area, “I have seen young people grow with what they learn here, they are becoming more sure of themselves and building self-esteem.  In the case of Kayla, she learned to read with our tutors, the support of her parents and cooperation with her teachers. By all of us working together and using the same identified and needed techniques, her progress accelerated; she has been reading for more than a year now!”

Sr. Suzanne adds, “We hope the people of New Orleans will remember us on ‘Give Nola Day;’ donations help us in many ways – from helping children such as Kayla to paying for salaries and utilities. We just want to be able to serve people when they need us and continue to provide all the services we offer for the residents of Gert Town. Donations help make the Peace Center a reality here. Our goal is to provide each and every person who needs our services a sense of peace.”

More information on GiveNOLA Day and how to give can be found here: GiveNOLA Day!