Community Renewal

Community Renewal connects the diversity of people in communities, and as people connect and grow in relationship with one another, lives are changed and people empowered. As our lives are changed, our communities are transformed into safe and caring places. On this mission, we find meaning and purpose in life. This is the movement of Community Renewal.

This simple plan of intentional caring is producing remarkable results: Recent studies by both the Shreveport and Bossier City Police Departments revealed that major crime has dropped an average of 44 percent in our five local Friendship House target areas.

Communities are revitalized through three strategies:

Renewal Team. The Renewal Team is a large and diverse group of caring partners, connected by a desire to care for others and help make the community a better place for everyone. These volunteers connect individuals, businesses, churches, and others to build safer, stronger, and healthier communities. More than 51,000 people have joined the We Care team, with many of them identified by We Care signs in their front yards.

Haven House Block Leaders. Haven House leaders are trained how to turn strangers into friends on the block where they live. They may host block parties, take meals to a sick neighbor, help find a lost pet, share garden produce, mow a yard, or just offer a listening ear. More than 1,700 residents have been trained to serve as volunteer Haven House block leaders.

Friendship House. A Friendship House is a haven of hope in low-income, high-crime neighborhoods, offering K-12 after-school programs, service projects, family-building activities, and much more. Several locations offer an Adult Renewal Academy where students can earn their high school equivalency diploma. Community Renewal has 10 Friendship Houses in five neighborhoods: Allendale, Barksdale Annex, Cedar Grove, Highland, and Queensborough. More than 3,500 at-risk children and youth from impoverished neighborhoods have been helped through Friendship House programs.

In neighborhoods where violence and fear once reigned, there is now safety and trust. Playgrounds are replacing battlegrounds. Former gang members and drug addicts are renewing their lives, returning to school, and giving back to the community instead of taking from it.

"Many people have had their dreams crushed and through the power of friendship we give them the courage to dream again," said Community Renewal Founder and Coordinator Mack McCarter.

Testimonials

● "I've seen myself grow in a lot of ways and I've overcome a lot of things. I am a brand new woman. I love to encourage people and do for others what people have done for me. I have the heart now to help anybody." - Pam Morgan, who now works for CRI as a Community Coordinator at an Allendale Friendship House.

● "The whole neighborhood is becoming like a family. People are not scared to come back into the neighborhood now and that's wonderful." - Abraham Gardner, Cedar Grove neighborhood resident.

● "Without the Friendship House, I could have been shot dead or be in jail." - Carl Hines, Friendship House graduate who grew up in a high-crime area and became a full-time employee for a local retailer.

● "Community Renewal provided me the road to get out of my self-centered world that had led me to disappointment and even depression. I developed into a more compassionate person who now values people and relationships more than ever." - Paige Hoffpauir, Shreveport resident and businesswoman.

● "The Friendship House is more than just a place to go after school. It's like a shelter from a terrible storm. I was a shy little boy who was afraid and now I've grown spiritually, physically and mentally. I could never be what I am today without the Friendship House." - Ja'Marjay Tooke, Friendship House graduate.

● "You may think there is no hope, but there is hope. You can't give up. I didn't know I would be smiling as much as I do now. I want the world to know there is hope!" - Ashlee Donnaud, Adult Renewal Academy graduate.

● "The ARA is making a 100 percent positive difference in my life. This gives me a job skill I can do at my own pace. And when I accomplish something I feel very proud." - Theresa Brown, ARA student who is learning the welding trade.

● "If you want to build lifelong relationships and lift people up and give them hope, then you partner with Community Renewal. That's how you change the world." - Lee Jeter, executive director, The Fuller Center for Housing of Northwest Louisiana.