New Friendship House ready to serve the community
Community Renewal is expanding its outreach into the community with the summertime completion of its newest Friendship House – the 11th one in the Shreveport-Bossier City area and the first one in North Shreveport’s Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood.
Our new friends at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway are sponsoring this project to help children, youth and families in the neighborhood.
This is one of the best days of my career. We are so pleased and proud to be a part of this.” – former KCS President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer
This is one of the best days of my career. We are so pleased and proud to be a part of this.” – former KCS President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer
A Friendship House builds hope in the community through after-school programs, adult education, family events, service projects and more. Construction on this newest symbol of neighborhood renewal is being handled by Brad Rivers and T&B Construction.
“This is one of the best days of my career. We are so pleased and proud to be a part of this,” former KCS President and CEO Pat Ottensmeyer said at the Feb. 10 groundbreaking ceremony.
“If you build up neighborhoods, you build up companies, you build up institutions, you build up everything. This is at the heart and soul of our company and our community. We are extremely pleased and proud to be here.”
Community Renewal formally started work in 1994 and the first Friendship House opened soon after. Today the 10 Friendship Houses are operating in the Allendale, Cedar Grove, Highland and Queensborough neighborhoods in Shreveport and the Barksdale Annex neighborhood in Bossier City.
“All of us are encouraged beyond words to have this high opportunity to partner together with Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway and with the people of our historic MLK neighborhood in advancing the cause of caring for one another. CPKC is demonstrating that they not only serve all of our communities along their rails but they are stepping out to strengthen the very life of those communities as well,” said CRI Founder and Coordinator Mack McCarter.
Patrick Drew is serving as community coordinator at the new Friendship House.
“I thank God for this opportunity. I was born and raised in this neighborhood and I haven’t always done the right thing. But coming back to the neighborhood to serve this community is a big opportunity,” he said. “I used to tear down the neighborhood and now I am part of building back the neighborhood.”
