"VOLUNTEERISM and CITIZEN SERVICE must lead Louisiana's recovery effort." -Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu The Louisiana Serve Commission is pleased to announce Volunteer Louisiana, a website and call center that matches volunteers with service opportunities throughout the state. Visit www.volunteerlouisiana.gov or call 866-286-3835 or 225-342-3070 to find out how you can begin a summer of service.

Capitol Park Welcome Center The main meeting room in the Capitol Park Welcome Center is named after Margaret Taylor, wife of U.S. President Zachary Taylor. The couple resided in a small house near the present day location of Capitol Park until Taylor was elected to the Presidency. Learn More >>

March 13, 2008

CONTACT:
Seth Harvey
(225) 342-8153
sharvey@crt.state.la.us

BATON ROUGE - Lt. Governor Landrieu will host a conference entitled "Changing Louisiana Through Volunteerism and Social Entrepreneurship" in Baton Rouge on Friday, March 14. The one-day seminar is designed to educate interested citizens and organizations about resources available to create projects that make a difference in the lives of Louisiana's citizens.

"With this initiative, we hope to act as facilitators - connecting citizens that want to make a difference in their communities with the tools they need," said Landrieu. "Today, we are shaping the future of Louisiana, and our cities are filled with pioneers who want to lead the way."

Since 2005, more than a million people have volunteered in Louisiana. To harness this desire to make our state a better place, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu's office created Changing Louisiana to promote social entrepreneurship and volunteerism as viable solutions to social problems. The first Changing Louisiana seminar was held in March 2007, and more than 1250 people have attended these events in New Orleans, Shreveport, Lake Charles and Alexandria. Future events are planned for Monroe, Houma, and Lafayette.

The Baton Rouge event will take place Friday, March 14, from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm at the Baton Rouge RiverCenter. Featured speakers include Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, Mayor Kip Holden, Jennifer Eplett Reilly of City Year Louisiana, and Andrew Wolk, CEO and founder of Root Cause, a social innovation organization.

The seminar is free and open to the public, and reservations are required. To make reservations, log onto www.crt.state.la.us/ltgovernor/socialentrepreneurship and click on "Changing Louisiana Seminar." For more information, call 225.342.8606 or e-mail changinglouisiana@crt.state.la.us.

Sponsors of this event include the Louisiana Serve Commission, the Lt. Governor's Office of Social Entrepreneurship, LSU-Shreveport, Tobacco Free Living, the Louisiana Association of Non Profit Organizations (LANO), City of Baton Rouge, Imagine Louisiana, and Echoing Green.

The Louisiana Serve Commission was established in the Office of the Lt. Governor in 1993 to rekindle the spirit of service among the citizens of Louisiana. The Louisiana Serve Commission's mission is to build and sustain high-quality programs that meet the needs of Louisiana's citizens and to promote an ethic of volunteer service. The Commission administers the AmeriCorps State and Learn & Serve America grants and manages the online statewide volunteer portal www.volunteerlouisiana.gov.

For more information, log onto www.volunteerlouisiana.gov, or call toll free: 866-286-3835.