MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The NELA Children's Coalition is using grant money to buy a 'One Simple Decision' driving simulator, which is already planning to be used to teach teens the dangers of impaired and distracted driving.
Courtesy: KNOE 8 NewsThe simulator looks like a video game, but it isn't programmed for a good time. In fact, it's a reality check.
"They actually will understand the dangers of impaired and distracted driving. They will go through the consequences of their actions," says Lamar Briggs, who teaches the 'One Simple Decision' simulator.
The simulator has three modes: practice, impaired and distracted.
"If they have an accident [in the simulator], then they'll through the program, go to court... they may go to jail," says Briggs.
It's a tool Briggs has used to teach safe driving for years. As a former sheriff's deputy, he's seen it all.
"I actually watched a child die in the backseat of a car as a result of an accident, a DUI," says Briggs.
A grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is paying for one for the Northeast Louisiana Children's Coalition, which Louisiana State Police Troop F is already planning to put to good use.
"We cover 12 parishes. We do lots of stuff at schools in just about all of those parishes, so it'll be good to get that simulator out and in the community," says LSP Sgt. Michael Reichardt.
The simulator costs $12,000.
There are already plans to use it at schools in Ouachita, Union, Lincoln and Morehouse Parishes.

Wednesday, March 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Northeast Louisiana Children's Coalition  will be hosting 'A Day of Education for Educators and Professionals'. This event will be held in the Kitty Degree School of Nursing's auditorium, and will focus on the STI, suicide, and sex trafficking statistics of the area and how being youth friendly can allow students to open up.

Jan Daniels, Youth Development Coordinator at the Children's Coalition, shares the topics to be discussed at the Day of Education seminar. According to Jan Daniels, the Youth Development Coordinator at the Children's Coalition, Ouachita Parish has one of the highest STI rates in the nation. In a study from 2013, it was seen that Ouachita Parish's Chlamydia rate was 125% higher than the national average. 

This event will be in conjunction with many other organizations throughout the parish. Region 7 from the Office of Public Health will be sharing on STIs, the Ouachita Parish Investigative Department will be sharing on sex trafficking, Jan will be give a speech on suicide prevention, and the Louisiana Public Health will be sharing on how to create a youth friendly atmosphere. 

The event is open to the public, but you are asked to make a reservation so that they can have a head count. To RSVP to this event contact Jan Daniels at [email protected].

The 2017 First National Bank Bayou DeSiard Dragon Boat Festival will take place 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Saturday, May 13, on beautiful Bayou DeSiard, at the corner of Loop and Forsythe Roads.
Paddlers of all ages, skill and fitness levels can participate, making it the ultimate team-building event. Proceeds benefit the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana. Dragon Boat racing puts teams of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steersman in an authentic 41-foot long Chinese dragon boat racing to the finish line.
While the races start at noon, the fun begins at 9 a.m. with a Family Fun Run hosted by Fleet Feet and a Community Health Fair that includes health screenings, fitness classes, food trucks, live music, and a children’s area. All activities are free and family friendly.
Dating back over 2,000 years with its roots in Chinese legend, dragon boat racing has evolved into a powerful team building tool for businesses and organizations that emphasizes the power of working in harmony to achieve a common goal. This year teams from global businesses like CenturyLink and Coca Cola will compete aside local businesses and youth organizations for the sector and sweepstakes trophies.
In addition to race day, teams will get free “dry-land” training at inFit Infinity Fitness, team rallies with a special “Dragon Brew” at Flying Tiger Brewery, practice sessions on the water, and admission to the Dotting of the Eye party the night before the race. “There are still a few boats left if businesses want to get in on the fun,” said Lynn Clark, Executive Director of the Children’s Coalition, “Whether you get a whole boat, half boat or even an individual seat—it is really about working together for children and families in our community for the kids”
This year, some teams and individuals are assuming an even greater challenge. Using social media and an innovative peer-to-peer platform, team members can pick one of four focus areas at the Children’s Coalition—Early Childhood, Parenting, Youth or Health—and fundraise for programs in those areas.
“I chose youth programs because I know how essential programs like Signs of Suicide are to keeping our kids safe,” said Russell Kicey of Tonore's Wine Cellar. “It is easy to invite my friends and customers to support my team page."
Participants do not have to be in a boat to fundraise. The community can join the fun by visiting: www.childrenscoalition.org/dragon-boat-festival and creating a fundraising team. Simply click on Challenge #1 to fundraise or Challenge #2 to row. If participants meet their fundraising goal, they can earn a free seat on a boat—or even a whole boat.
These funds are essential to many programs at the Children’s Coalition, said Antoinette heard, Early Head Start Director.
“The funds raised at last year’s Dragon Boat Festival literally kept us afloat,” she said.
Event sponsors also include: Choice Brands and Southern Beverages

Coalition. Collaboration. Alliance.  These words are bantered about often by those involved with non-profit organizations and programs aimed at social change.  Yet these concepts are not always easy to grasp or to implement.  Cambridge Dictionary defines the word “coalition” as “a group formed of different organizations or people who agree to act together, usually temporarily, to achieve something.”  Members of a coalition forge alliances and collaborate, working toward a common goal.
An excellent illustration of this can be found in The Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana, an alliance of educators, organizations, government entities and professionals who care for and about children.  Coalition members come together in pursuit of a common goal, to help children thrive.  They collaborate with one another to identify and address the needs of children within the communities they serve.  They facilitate change through programs designed to help and educate children and those who care for them.
Dr. Lynn Clark, who serves as Executive Director of the Children’s Coalition, describes it this way:  “Our goal,” Clark says, “is for children and families in our communities to thrive.  We meet that goal by connecting people who work with and care about children with the programs, organizations and people that can assist them and offer solutions to whatever issues they encounter. If a solution or program doesn’t exist, the coalition helps build one.”
As Executive Director, Clark oversees this non-profit organization serving children in twelve parishes throughout Northeast Louisiana. Before coming to the Children’s Coalition, she was a professor in the Department of Education at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, a published textbook author and editor, and former middle school teacher.  Clark beams when she discusses her work with the Children’s Coalition. “If a child in our area has a need, it is almost certain that the Children’s Coalition can meet it,” she says.
Clark succeeded former Executive Director Lynda Gavioli, one of the Coalition founders. The Children’s Coalition was formed in 1998 by what Clark describes as “a group of powerful women in our community.” Along with Gavioli, the group included Janet Durden with the United Way of Northeast Louisiana and Judy Bell with The Wellspring Alliance, among others.
From the beginning, the Children’s Coalition sought to address the needs of children, as identified at a Youth Summit held in Monroe in 1998 and by area taskforces that began to meet and brainstorm as a result of that summit.  The needs identified include: a caring adult in every child’s life; a safe place with structured activities in non-school hours; a healthy start for children; access to health care; an effective education with marketable skills; and an opportunity to give back to their community.
Using funds donated by the Mintz family of Monroe, the Coalition’s first Board of Directors commissioned a year-long study of the status of children in Ouachita Parish and the Northeast Louisiana region. Out of this study came the newly-formed Coalition’s plan for meeting the identified needs by creating a system of resources to support children, their families and their educators.
Almost two decades later, the Coalition successfully operates programs that benefit infants, young children, preteens and teenagers in Northeast Louisiana.  The Coalition now focuses on four important areas that impact children:  Early Childhood Education, Healthy Living, Youth Development and Parenting.