[StBernard] Chalmette column has a new writer, Goodwill Store opens: Chalmette Matters

[Westley Annis]

Chalmette column has a new writer, Goodwill Store opens: Chalmette Matters
Print Annette Phillips By Annette Phillips 
on December 05, 2013 at 6:03 AM, updated December 05, 2013 at 6:35 AM

One of the things I was grateful for this Thanksgiving was the opportunity
to write the Chalmette neighborhood news column for NOLA.com | The
Times-Picayune. I will be following in the big footsteps of Becca Chapman,
with the hope that I will represent the people of Chalmette well. 

I wrote for The Times-Picayune under my maiden name, Annette Campo, six
years ago. I started my first column the very first semester I became a
teacher, and boy, was that a challenging year. I am still teaching today,
fifth graders, at Chalmette Elementary School. I have gleaned a few words of
wisdom from that first semester of teaching: Children hear everything you
say, and remember everything you promise. Children want to put their trust
in you, if you give them the chance. And, never turn your back on them, even
for a minute.

I have lived most of my life in St. Bernard Parish, with the exception of a
brief Katrina relocation to Kenner. St. Bernard is a place of family,
friends, food, and fond memories. It is my childhood. It is a place where I
passed the now burned down Lebeau Plantation on my bike, and followed my mom
around the Chalmette Battlefiled on her walks. It is where I graduated, from
Andrew Jackson Magnet High School, and returned to teach there after the
storm. It is where I met my husband, and I am now raising my family. I plan
to display the warmth and vitality of this community through the dynamic
people, cultural and educational events, and historical places.

Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister, said, "We make a living by
what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

Goodwill Store opens

Goodwill Industries, a non-profit organization, makes a business out of
giving back to the community. After 18 months of scouting for a new
location, the store has reopened its doors in Chalmette for the first time
since Hurricane Katrina. The store is at 3200 Paris Road, Park Plaza
Shopping Center, next to Winn Dixie.

The Goodwill organization offers employment, job training, education and
support services to individuals with disabilities.

Goodwill representatives and St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta
attended the ribbon- cutting ceremony Nov. 21.

"It was a heartwarming ceremony," said Sabrina Written, public relations
manager for Goodwill. "It was really nice to get back down there in
Chalmette where the people are so warm and friendly."

Written said Goodwill received "tremendous support" from parish leadership.
"It has been great to work together with parish leaders to change lives,"
Written said.

It is the third Goodwill store that has opened in St. Bernard Parish. The
first store was lost to a fire in 1995, and the second store was lost in
Hurricane Katrina.

"The residents seem really excited to have us back," Written said. "We are
happy to be back. It is a community that you can wrap your arms around."

The store and donation center hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.
to 8 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. It accepts donations everyday, of
household items, books, electronics, computers, accessories, and used
clothing. They accept most items except for appliances.

The store also provides home pick-up of donation items. For appointments
call 504.234.6324. For more information about donations, or about Goodwill
Industries of Southeastern Louisiana, call 504.456.2622 or visit
www.goodwillno.org.

Annette Phillips writes about people, places, and events in Chalmette. Send
Chalmette community news to Annette at chalmettematterstp at gmail.com or call
504.250.6248.