LOVE

League Members in the CommunityWritten by: Sarah Roy and Jennifer SchwertzKEEPING WITH THIS ISSUE’S Freret-centrictheme, Lagniappe recognizes four JLNO members, MelissaEversmeyer, Adrienne Ehrensing, Liz Schafer and Maria Huete, fortheir commitments to the Freret Neighborhood.Melissa Eversmeyer, a New Orleans native, is the chair of theEdible Schoolyard at Samuel J. Green School. “I love workingside by side with students, parents, and fellow volunteers in thegarden, kitchen or classroom while learning about the EdibleSchoolyard program,” she says.Working with the Freret Neighborhood is special to Melissa becauseof the role the League plays in helping the neighborhood revive andgrow, and the Edible Schoolyard is a source of pride for Freret students,parents and neighbors. Melissa hopes to share the success of the EdibleSchoolyard with the entire New Orleans community.“I think that ESY has been a hidden little gem of the city. I’vetaken it upon myself to spread the word to whomever I can, wheneverI can,” she says.The exciting changes afoot in the Freret Neighborhood influencedAdrienne Ehrensing, Freret Neighborhood Outreach chair, to be partof the revitalization of the neighborhood. Adrienne’s committee hasalready successfully hosted and organized two of three scheduled specialevents for the Freret Neighborhood this year. The committeeworked hard to organize Night Out Against Crime, a HalloweenParty and Freret Fest. Adrienne provided each of the approximately500 children who attended the Halloween party with a costumedonated by the League.For Liz Schafer, the Freret neighborhood is a perfect example ofhow the people of New Orleans have banded together to improveour city since the storm. Liz comments, “I drive along Freret Streeton the way to work after dropping my son off at school, and it's beenso exciting to watch the growth and development on the street.”Liz has been a League member since 2008 and spends her timeas a mother of two, 6 year-old-son and a new baby daughter. She isalso the director of fraternity and sorority programs at Tulane.The residents and business owners along the Freret corridor sawan opportunity to revitalize the area, and Liz wanted to help supporttheir efforts. Liz has a goal this year to oversee events that providefun activities for children in the Freret neighborhood. She hopes8 Lagniappe