Here is a photo of the building where the St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) has its headquarters here in the New Orleans neighborhood called Gentilly. The door to our school is to the right of the photo. (Most of this neighborhood was flooded during Hurricane Katrina.)
The St. Vincent de Paul Society, which works with the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, has been helping the needy of this great city since 1852. (That's right, 1852!) SVDP has several other operations including a department store (or thrift store), a free pharmacy (staffed mainly by volunteers), and maintains the St. Vincent de Paul cemeteries in the Ninth Ward in old New Orleans. (Much of the Ninth Ward was devastated in Hurricane Katrina, as was seen world-wide on TV.) SVDP also maintains another cemetery for the poor located near St. Patrick's Cemetery Number One in New Orleans.
Our school (technically called the Adult Learning Center) is one of the latest additions to SVDP, and provides GED education and an ABE program. (GED edcation helps students get their high school equivalency diploma; and ABE -- adult basic education -- helps students increase their literacy skills in English language and mathematics mainly, but also in social studies and science.
SVDP-ALC was created after Hurricane Katrina devastated most of New Orleans, and it seeks to help adult learners in this struggling and recovering city improve their lives and their community through the benefits of education.
All of our classes are, of course, free of charge and open to the public.
Posted by Adrian
