• The Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana is bringing more visual art into Downtown Monroe. Supported in part by a grant from the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council with funds from the City of Monroe, this initiative will include a mural within our Family Garden by Vitus Shell.

The mission of the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana is to “Create communities where children and families thrive.” The project CHILDREN THRIVE, seeks to capture the essence of this mission in our community by creating the first of a series of public art mural panels designed by muralist Vitus Shell and painted with help of children and youth in our community. 

Monroe native, Vitus Shell, will work with a group of artists and local children and youth to implement the proposed project. Vitus Shell has exhibited at universities, museums, and private galleries across the country; painting a mural for the National Civil Rights Museum's NBA Pioneers exhibit; and being commissioned to do public art by the Memphis UrbanArt Commission. His artwork allows aspects of African American history to meet the complexities of African American culture in present day.

The mural will be on the fence that surrounds the Children’s Coalition Family Garden. The Children's Coalition Family Garden garden is open to the community and contains an early childhood outdoor learning center and an edible garden that feeds over 100 children in our Early Head Start centers. Over the past year, the garden has become a visible symbol of the revitalization of downtown Monroe. Situated between the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter and the Monroe Transit Bus Depot, the Children’s Coalition Family literally blooms in a desert of abandoned buildings and grey fields. The Family Garden surrounds the main office of the Children’s Coalition—a one-stop-shop that connects families to child care and parent education. In addition to the thousands of constituents served by Coalition programs each year, the garden hosts hundreds of community members each month as part of Super Saturday, a chance for families to participate in garden-based play and volunteer opportunities. 
 
Families will be able to witness and participate in the growth of the CHILDREN THRIVE mural by observing the artistic design process in action, and then lending a hand to help create a high-quality public work of art of the course of three months. The CHILDREN THRIVE mural will celebrate who we are as a community and who we serve as an organization, by highlighting the African-American perspective in relation to the land and demonstrate how art can help CHILDREN THRIVE. 

Images by Nicolas Galindo/The News-Star

MONROE, La, (KNOE) - Jasmine and her mom, Lylia, say they're always in a giving mood.
That's why they're at the Children's Coalition in Monroe for Giving Tuesday.
"We're here to not only get volunteer hours but to also be with the community and do activities," Jasmine said.
Giving Tuesday is celebrated every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to kick off the giving season. The mother-daughter duo is giving their time to volunteer.
"I'm giving back to the community,” said Jasmine. “That's what LSU Ag Master Gardeners is all about. It's just being hands-on with the different organizations and different schools here."
But Jasmine says this is not just a one-day thing, she and her mom are members of an LSU Ag Masters Gardeners class and they volunteer at other gardens too. Coming to the coalition has become a normal routine.
"She's the one that encouraged me to get into this,” Lylia said. “Even though I've always gardened as a child, my parents gardened."
But this is not the only way to help the coalition. Executive director Lynn Clark says there are other ways people can help out during the holiday season and all year long.
"We're also asking for donations of books for our free little library, which is something that's there for the community,” Clark said. “And we are asking for donations of money."
"Very thankful for this beautiful day, so we should get quite a bit done today," Lylia said.
Lylia says more people should take part in Giving Tuesday.
"I think it's a great thing,” said Lylia. “I really do. We've met some great people, got some great experience."
There are many ways you can volunteer at the children's coalition. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/ccnela/.

MONROE, La (KNOE) The Family Garden at the Children's Coalition of Northeast Louisiana is a 25 raised-bed garden and outdoor learning center to promote healthy eating, positive family interactions and garden-based learning and play.
The garden and outdoor learning center supports Coalition programs and the community by growing fresh food for Early Head Start centers, training early childhood educators in garden-based learning and providing a space for families to grow, play and learn together.
Super Saturday will feature garden-based activities for children and adults as well as seminars for parents.
Volunteer opportunities are available for all ages, groups are welcome.
The next Super Saturday event is scheduled for August 18, 2018 at their location at 117 Hall street in Monroe. For more info you can call 318-323-8775

MONROE, La (KNOE) - It was another Super Saturday at the Children's Coalition of Northeast Louisiana and a time to work in the community garden in downtown Monroe.
This garden plot is a joint effort between the Children's Coalition, the LSU Ag Center and the Monroe Garden Study League.
Families are encouraged to come out on the third Saturday of the month and learn about growing their own food.
"Children and people in general just aren't exposed to it and when you're not exposed to it you don't understand,” said Damon Nailer. “You don't know what's going on. But once you're exposed to it you understand it's important. You understand it's good for health, just for longevity. It's great for you."
Saturday's focus was on pollinators.
The event was also free and there will be another garden-based event coming up on August 18.

​Family Garden and Super Saturday is June 16th at the Children's Coalition Headquarters at 117 Hall Street.

MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 NEWS) - If you saw dragons in Bayou DeSiard over the weekend, most likely 
you weren't simply imagining mythical creatures going for a swim... You were witnessing this year's Dragon Boat Festival.
More than 400 people rowed in about 20 boats all the way across the bayou.
The executive director of the Children's Coalition says it's all about encouraging families to be healthy and go outside.
"It goes to the Children's Coalition, what it does is we serve the 12 parishes of northeast Louisiana, so we do things that really help children zero to eighteen and their families thrive so so we start with the family resources center by bringing families back together," says Executive Director Lynn Clark.
Anyone looking to participate next year can either join a team individually or sign a group up to compete.