Address:
1001 Charbonnet Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70117
Email Address:
lower9thwardvillage@gmail.com
Audiences:
Families and Daily Living
Services:
Empowers Ninth Ward Community Members to be Self-Sufficient and to Sustain an Equitable Quality of Life
About:
The main goal of the Village is to bring together the entire Lower 9th Ward and to empower community members to be self-sufficient and to sustain an equitable quality of life.
The Lower Ninth Ward Village was the vision of Ward “Mack” McClendon. After looking to distract himself from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in his Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, McClendon looked into leasing or buying an old building a few blocks away from his old home to work on old cars. But when the former telephone technician walked into the building at 1001 Charbonnet Street, he envisioned more than just a garage.
He began to envision a community center with a gymnasium, job training programs (recording studio, culinary area, computer labs) for youths, free meals for the homeless and more. McClendon put renovating his home on hold. He bought the building in August 2007 and started working with community groups and volunteers to open the Lower 9th Ward Village Community Center.
Through the center, McClendon hopes to “bring the community back, make it whole.” McClendon healed after the storm by listening to other people’s stories, including tales of losing loved ones during Katrina. He realized that his problems – red tape with insurance and the Road Home program – were small compared with those of others he knew.
Mack wants to build a full-size basketball court with stands in the building to give children an after-school activity to keep them off the streets and to be able to encourage adults to act as coaches and mentors to the children. He also wants to use the basketball court as part of a summer program.
