ST ANNAS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Our mission is to be a church is to be a church that walks the talk. We strive to be a site for all who would know the realities of poverty, the richness of diversity and the depth of a faith.

Our vision, expressed in living terms, means that we are an active part of our neighborhood doing justice and defending those who are hurt or abused because of their social location or history of economic injustice, and by engaging in acts of mercy, social justice and hospitality to make a difference in the lives of our community. To do this we establish "mission programs" to address specific areas of need such as After-school tutoring and mentoring and free health screenings and education.

We are a diverse church where we welcome all people, are kid and pet friendly, and seek to make a real community out of our church.

Continuing outreach programs and incorporating neighborhood voices within the process, our missions present a holistic approach to human health, wellness, and spirituality, and includes aspects of art and culture. This work is accomplished through our Youth Programs, Health Outreach Program, Food Pantry and Murder Board Ministry.

We maintain a strict "no proselytization" policy with respect to our mission work – we may offer to pray with or for our clients, staff and volunteers, but we will not try to “convert" anyone or demand anyone participate in religious activity.

We have a history of doing a lot of work with not a lot of funds...we make every penny count. General administrative costs are supported mainly through the giving of parishioners in "pledge and plate", while mission work is supported through donations, grants and fundraisers. The church offers "in-kind" support to the missions in the way of space, utilities, accounting/bookkeeping services, payroll services, some office supplies and some administrative duties.

Since Hurricane Katrina, we have established and maintained our mission programs utilizing a minimal staff and relying on volunteers and partnering with other organizations to keep costs down while providing quality programming. Some of these other organizations include:
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Loyola and Tulane Universities, Second Harvest Food Bank, Sylvan Learning, Inc., NOLA Code, Electric Girls, Odyssey House of Louisiana, New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation & Clinic, New Orleans Museum of Art, Microsoft Store, NOLA Project, University of California in Los Angeles, Boy Scouts of America, several Episcopal Churches around the country, and local artists and musicians.

We have become a "charity of choice" for several local carnival krewes and social clubs, as well as some local bars/lounges.

Our long-term goal is to improve the lives of the people of our community to one where people live in harmony, with integrity, hope and possibility. We hope to impact the high rates of poverty, crime and health inequities historically associated with our area. To do this we will:
• Develop the Dodwell House Community Center as a sanctuary or cross-roads for diversity. This Center will allow for spatial needs to expand our current programs and be an access point for the varied cultural communities around St. Anna's. This is an historic mansion just down the street which we have a lease-purchase agreement. In deplorable condition when obtained, we have put in hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. There is still a lot of repairs and renovations to be done (approximately $1 million) but we can't get the grant funding we'd hoped for until we fully own the property. We are about $150,000 shy of paying off the lease (see www.dodwellhouse.org)
• Continue to improve our Youth Programs to have a positive impact on their future. We realized we are not experts in all things and began to collaborate with other organizations to provide quality programming. Sylvan Learning, Inc. started us on this road by providing data regarding literacy levels and providing us with tutoring. This led to collaborations with other groups (Electric Girls, NOLA Code) to provide STEM activities. As youth who have been with us for 7 years get older, we recognize the need for diversity in our program based on age to keep them engaged. To this end we are reorganizing the program into three “sections" – grades K-3 will focus on reading enhancement with the help of the STAIR program; grades 4-6 will focus on STEM learning; grade 7 will focus on job readiness, a piece we're still working to formulate.
• Health outreach has taken several shapes since 2006 – we started as a mobile outreach program, added mental health & resiliency aspects, changed to a stationary outreach for our immediate community and participate in several mental health community partnered research projects. We are seeing a need to change again due to the changing landscape – more Air B&B's (decrease in “locals"), increased availability of health insurance and community clinics,for example – so are looking at community needs and how we might fit.
• Our food pantry has changed over the years as well. In 2005 we were handing out “lunch bags" from our front door to anyone who would ask. Because of challenges that developed, we changed to a monthly distribution, mainly to elderly and those in hospice or with AIDS. Over time we added families that voiced a need and our program grew. Recently we refocused, identified our limitations, defined our goals, developed guidelines and continued the program in a more efficient way. We currently distribute bags of food monthly to families who meet a few criteria to establish need.