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The coronavirus pandemic has caused people to see everyday things in a new light. For Johanna Landreneau, Glenda Pollard and several other Baton Rouge residents, the new perspective shined light on an old problem: litter.

But they didn’t just complain about it. They formed Clean Pelican, a nonprofit organization that holds monthly litter pickups, educates youths and adults about litter prevention and researches to identify areas where litter is particularly bad. Though they’re under no illusion that this will be a quick fix.

“We have a litter culture here right now that needs to be changed,” Landreneau said.

They’re unclear whether the pandemic exacerbated litter, though they said widespread use of disposable face masks was a visible contributor. But restrictions on air travel meant driving more, and the founders started noticing how the amount of roadside litter increased as they neared home.

“When we would come into Louisiana, we were the trashiest,” Pollard said. “The other states did not look as bad as we did on the interstate, and when we got closer and closer to Baton Rouge, we’d see more and more and more trash. I think that’s what ended up bringing us together.”

At Pollard’s urging, they recruited friends to hold litter cleanup days. Doing that had an unexpected effect: The more they picked up litter, the more they saw it at other times. That led to the residents launching Clean Pelican as a nonprofit organization that could develop resources to raise awareness and change attitudes.

Rather than rely on their network of friends, they recruited local businesses to invite employees to participate in cleanups, counting on those experiences to increase the number of people who would change their own behavior. Clean Pelican is attempting to start an anti-litter club at Episcopal High School that, if successful, can be duplicated in other schools. The organization also is working with education officials to create teaching materials and questions on the statewide LEAP tests regarding litter and making the state cleaner.

The organization has already shown that students can make a difference. A businessman asked Clean Pelican to look at the litter around roadside benches, Landreneau said. Most of them are not owned by the Capital Area Transportation System but are placed by outside contractors, which use the benches as miniature billboards.

When they discovered this, Global Geospatial Institute Managing Director Fran Harvey was looking for a project for the 4-H tech club she sponsors for middle and high school students through her company. Clean Pelican members drove the students to all the roadside benches in East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council’s District 11, and they recorded the locations and whether the benches were in good repair, the grass was cut and if there was litter around them. The contractors are contractually obligated to maintain the benches and surroundings.

More than half of the 151 benches got failing grades, Landreneau said, with 28 of the low-scoring benches belonging to CATS. Students John Harden and Caroline Waters presented Clean Pelican’s report to the Metro Council in April, and District 11 Councilwoman Laurie Adams told Landreneau the Metro Council wants Clean Pelican to study other districts while the council considers whether to renew the contracts.

Clean Pelican also hopes to use its influence to push city-parish government to contribute more to fighting litter. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome has formed a litter task force, of which Clean Pelican is a part. It’s a start, Landreneau said.

“We have a lot of ordinances on litter that just aren’t enforced,” Landreneau said. “Every business that has more than 15 cars and parking spaces is supposed to have a trash can — at least one — and they’re supposed to be responsible for keeping the trash out of their space and throw away the trash. That is not enforced. What about fining those individuals and funding more trash pickup by (the Department of Public Works)? Something like that?”

In the meantime, Clean Pelican is continuing its monthly cleanup events and plans to hire an executive director and marketing person to help spread the word.

“We’ve created something people want to be a part of because we’re enthusiastic about it,” said board member Michael Hackett.

Nakoosha Albert’s 12-year-old daughter, London, was getting excited about the chance to perform in the Nutcracker, but her mom was starting to get anxious.

Money was tight, and Albert was worried she wouldn’t be able to afford the costume and other expenses to let her daughter take the stage.

“It was a challenging season for me,” Albert said. “We were already paying for other stuff with ballet.”

Then the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, where London dances, stepped in.

The Nutcracker, with its world-famous Tchaikovsky score, is beloved by young dancers everywhere. In an effort to make sure money doesn’t keep kids from participating, the theater launched Clara’s Closet clothing drive, named after the ballet’s young heroine.

The fundraiser, which supports elementary school-aged dancers, accepts clothing donations that are then sold through consignment. Donations for this year’s scholarship are underway.

“We’re covering the cost of everything,” Caroline Weise, one of the dancers running this year’s clothing drive, said. “They don’t need to worry about anything, they just need to have fun and enjoy it.”

London Albert was able to perform in last year’s Nutcracker production because of the scholarship. She played both the roles she tried out for: a party girl and a bon-bon.

“I wasn’t sure she could do two roles, and she said ‘I got this,’” Nakoosha Albert said. “It’s been awesome to see her doing what she loves to do.”

Weise, 17, and Ivy Jiang, 16, are running the Clara’s Closet drive for the first time, but this is the second drive BRBT has held. Jiang started dancing when she was four years old, and has participated in the Nutcracker since she was eight.

Jiang said that she doesn’t want any children at BRBT to miss out.

“A bunch of these kids have never experienced how fun it is to do your hair with your friends and wear costumes and perform,” Jiang said.

Weise said the scholarship is intended to introduce children to the arts. She started dancing when she was a toddler.

While Weise knows this isn’t possible for all children, she hopes the scholarship and BRBT’s outreach get kids interested as early as possible.

“We want them to get into the arts field and find a love for dance early on,” Weise said.

BRBT is trying to coordinate an effort with East Baton Rouge schools, to try to promote their programs and make them more accessible.

“At the beginning of the school year, we want to talk to the students and bring this opportunity to them,” Weise said. “We’ll be able to talk to them and hopefully mentor them in the future.”

BRBT is accepting donations at the front door of its dancer’s workshop, off of Bluebonnet Blvd. Weise said they’re collecting all clothing items, accessories, Halloween costumes and baby items, like strollers and car seats. They’ve received ten bags of donations so far, and will be accepting donations until September.

“Ballet has always been a part of our lives and we love it so much,” Weise said. “We really want other people to experience that love.”

London Albert plans to participate in this year’s Nutcracker production, but she’s not sure which role she’ll try for this year. Nakoosha Albert said she’s going to make sure to donate to Clara’s Closet, because she and her daughter were grateful for the scholarship last year.

“London showed gratitude and she’s going to pay it forward whenever she gets the chance,” Albert said. “I also want to do the same and help someone else in a difficult season.”

Nakoosha Albert said that her daughter loves art, and ballet is one of the ways she likes to express and challenge herself. They’re at the studio almost every day.

“I’m so grateful to see that she’s found her gift,” Nakoosha Albert said. “She’s getting better everyday.”

Capital Area Court Appointed Special Advocates Association welcomes 15 individuals who were sworn in as CASA volunteers by Juvenile Court Judge Gail Grover on June 17. Each volunteer will be appointed to advocate for the best interests of a child.

The new advocates were sworn in after a 32-hour training course to prepare CASA volunteers for their advocacy work. Once assigned to cases, the volunteers will work to help abused and neglected children reach safe homes with forever families.

The program is looking for more volunteers to serve every child in East Baton Rouge Parish who needs a voice. CASA is accepting people into its next in-person volunteer training class that begins on Aug. 16.

No special background is required to become a CASA volunteer. To register for an orientation, go to casabr.org and click on volunteer. For more information, call (225) 379-8598 or email [email protected] .

Cancer Services host Celebration of Life event

Cancer Services held its annual Celebration of Life event June 5 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in honor of National Cancer Survivors Day, held each year on the first Sunday in June. Event attendees included cancer survivors and their families from throughout the Greater Baton Rouge area.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, cancer survivors were excited to gather for food, fellowship and fun. In addition, attendees participated in art activities, door prizes and more.

The purpose of the event was to honor and show support for cancer survivors, from diagnosis through the remainder of life, while also drawing attention to the ongoing challenges of cancer survivorship in order to promote more resources, research, and survivor-friendly legislation to improve survivors’ quality of life. The afternoon also allowed attendees to acknowledge those who make up a cancer survivor’s support system, including family, friends and caretakers.

Local student wins Coca-Cola scholarship

Madelynn Smith , a recent graduate of Zachary High School, is the recipient of a $5,000 Crawford Johnson III and Walker Johnson Jones Scholarship on behalf of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc.

Smith is the daughter of Todd Smith, who is employed at Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, a sales, distribution and production center of Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola United established the Crawford Johnson III and Walker Johnson Jones Scholarship in 1995 in honor of former CEO Crawford Johnson III’s retirement and his 45 years of service to the company. The program is a testament to the company’s commitment to education and its focus on associates and their families across its six-state bottling territory.

Southern University’s Fabulous Dancing Dolls are set to star in the third season of “Why Not Us?,” an ESPN+ series that has NBA All-Star point guard Chris Paul as its executive producer.

In eight episodes beginning Aug. 11, “Why Not Us? Southern Dance” will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be a member of the Dancing Dolls from tryouts through the year.

“People will get an up close and personal view of the dolls,” Southern spokeswoman Janene Tate said. “It’ll show that they are not one-dimensional or monolithic.”

In 1969, Baton Rouge native Gracie Perkins helped create the Southern University Dancing Dolls and became the celebrated troupe’s first director and choreographer. Now over 50 years later, the Dancing Dolls are among the more noted collegiate dance lines across the country, not just among historically black colleges and universities, and role models in the Baton Rouge community.

Tate said Southern was approached by Paul and Black media platform Andscape about being the next season of “Why Not Us?” after previous series looked at the Florida A&M football program and the North Carolina Central men’s basketball team.

“We’re the third HBCU to be featured in this series and so they reached out to us first,” she said. “As we know, Chris Paul is a huge HBCU supporter so we were happy to work with him.”

Paul said in a statement to ESPN that he expects the Southern Dance season of “Why Not Us?” to showcase the talent and artistry required to be a member of the Dancing Dolls.

“The third season of ‘Why Not Us’ will continue to shine a spotlight on the importance of HBCUs and celebrate the culture and influence of these institutions,” he said. “This season will focus on Southern University’s nationally acclaimed Dancing Dolls and will capture the drive, talent and vision of these powerful black women leading the way.”

According to ESPN, “Why Not Us? Southern Dance” will examine the distinct culture, experiences and challenges of an HBCU athletic program.

Coached by Southern System Director of Equity, Inclusion and Title IX Dr. Akai Smith, the Dolls will “navigate the rigors of practice, classes and upholding the legacy of the Forever Dolls that came before them” during the series.

Tate shared that Southern alumni and supporters should expect to feel pride for their time at the university upon watching the show

“They can expect the usual grand representation of Southern University and our students,” she said. “Additionally, some may find it nostalgic as former members of this illustrious group.”

Tate said the school may come up with a watch party or some other type of gathering ahead of the premier.

“I’m sure we’ll come up with something very special,” she hinted. “I can’t quite answer that right now today, but in true Southern fashion, I’m sure we’ll come up with something very special.”

Lawmakers and higher education officials are advancing efforts to establish “Hunger Free” zones at state universities and colleges. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed legislation this week to advance that cause.

State Rep. Barbara Reich Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, a former educator and school board member, said she sponsored the bill after proponents met with her before the legislation session in the spring. She said she came to better appreciate the need for the bill as it advanced and as hearings were held.

“When I got the data and research, especially among non-traditional students, I saw that a lot of college students were caught between programs — some were too old, some were working too many hours. In some cases, there was no federal assistance available for them,” she said.

“Testimony before the House Education Committee blew me away,” she added. That included testimony from Jim Henderson, president of the University of Louisiana System.

Henderson, who was president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches from 2015-2017, said he was approached by college seniors there about setting up a food bank on campus. He allocated space for it, he said, but within two weeks, the food bank had far outgrown its space due to need.

Henderson said when he was a college student, he could cover the cost of tuition and fees by working about 300 hours over the summers. But over the years, the state has transferred the cost of providing college education from the state to the students.

Now, he said, students have to work about 2,100 hours — a year of full-time work — to cover higher education costs each year. Students who earn TOPS money can more easily meet the cost, but other students, including non-traditional students, sometimes struggle. Sometimes, they have to forgo food to meet other bills or necessities, which undercuts their ability to succeed in school.

Henderson said all nine UL System campuses have food banks.

“It’s an ongoing, chronic issue,” he said of student hunger. He said situations like natural disasters – that includes Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Ida since 2020, have exacerbated the problem.

Meg Sunstrom, deputy commissioner for strategic communication; Louisiana Board of Regents, said Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed is enthusiastic about helping college students statewide.

“Food security is something we have been talking about at the board for some time,” Sunstrom said. Almost 50 percent of community college students and 47 percent of four-year students are sometimes uncertain if they can get food.

“That’s not just college meal plans but food for their families,” she said.

There’s no money attached to providing food banks or supplying them, she said, but Frieberg’s bill will ensure state campuses can make the effort to work with students to keep them from hunger.

That will mean that students receiving financial aid will be notified about other available programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Campuses will have to hold at one least one hunger awareness event annually. They’ll also have to set up task forces to meet at least three times a year in order to be designated as “Hunger Free Zones.”

Freiberg’s District 70 covers a “sliver” of the LSU campus. She said the legislation doesn’t force campuses to do anything, but it encourages them to be aware of student hunger and it sets up guidelines for establishing ways to fight student hunger.