Louisiana Changemakers Awarded LSU Reilly Center Grants to Implement Community Projects

December 6, 2023

BATON ROUGE—The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication has selected its third cohort of grantees for the community building program, “The Community Collaborative: By the Community, For the Community.”

The program featured a four-part training session led by 2022-2023 Reilly Center Public Policy Fellow Katie Knobloch, an associate professor of communication studies at Colorado State University, and a Louisiana native.

Four $5,000 grants were awarded to participants for implementation of their community projects following completion of workshops focused on community engagement, project development and grant writing.

Grantees are listed below:

  • Anna Cattar: ELL Resource Fair
    • The ELL Resource Fair is a one-stop shop to help immigrant families with students at Tara High School gain access to needed services. Anna Cattar, a 20-year-old Louisiana native, leads this project. In addition to attending LSU, Cattar manages 30 volunteers at the Adelante Leadership Initiative, an organization dedicated to providing public school ELL students with additional resources.
  • Charles Champagne: Q+UMBO
    • Q+UMBO is a healing workshop for the LGBTQIA+ community. This workshop is intended to create a safe space for local queer people to come together for community building through art-making. The project lead, Charlie Champagne, is a photographer, graphic designer, publisher and event producer currently residing in Baton Rouge. They are currently the Communications & Marketing Manager at Capital Area United Way, and actively serve as the Community Events Chair for Baton Rouge Pride.
  • Jordyn Martin: Plan P Baton Rouge
    • Jordyn Martin developed Plan P Baton Rouge to provide reusable period packs to those experiencing poverty and homelessness as a reliable, long-term solution for regular menstruation. An Allentown, Pennsylvania native, Martin has volunteered with Planned Parenthood in a number of roles and speaks regularly to educate women on HIV-related issues.
  • Reatha Wright: Youth Domestic Violence and Awareness
    • The Youth Domestic Violence and Awareness project will provide youth with education about abuse to combat current and potential mental health issues. Reatha Wright, the project developer, is passionate about advocating for social justice surrounding education and work opportunities. Professionally, she has worked in the information technology space and currently works as a workforce development coordinator for the city of Baker.

“I am excited to continue working with each grantee as we venture through the implementation process,” said Jenée Slocum, director of the LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs. “The participants have shown their dedication to bettering their communities.”

“The grantees have demonstrated the possibility for a brighter future in local communities,” said Knobloch. “Each individual is committed to bettering the quality of life for community members by working together to face tough issues and create new opportunities.”

The Community Collaborative launched in May 2021 as an initiative to empower Louisiana residents to engage in collective decision-making and development within their local communities.

To view the complete cohort please visit the Reilly Center's website.

For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.

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The Community Collaborative: By the Community, For the Community at The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is designed to enhance citizens’ ability to actively engage in community planning and decision making for the betterment of local well-being. Greater capacity ensures community members are better able to assess needs, identify solutions, and utilize resources to address local challenges.

The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: master of mass communication, Ph.D. in media and public affairs, certificate of strategic communication, and dual MMC/law degree.

 

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