NOLAsynchroniCITY

Email to Habitat for Humanity's arm: A Brush with Kindness
Re: Code Enforcement Judgment 17-00323-mpm

Thanks for your suggestion that I write personal details to include with my appeal to Habitat to Humanity Andrew

I will start with the reason that I need help. I am a 73-year-old handicapped woman struggling to live on the $1000 I gratefully receive from social security each month. However, it is not enough money to live on and I have little savings!

I am desperately reaching out to you because Code Enforcement of New Orleans (Judgment 17-00323-MPM) will cause me to lose my home if I cannot find a non-profit with volunteers to paint it!! If I am not compliant in their time frame (March 13, 2019), then I will be fined $500 a day plus, a lien will be placed on my home causing me to lose my house making me homeless and no longer able to protect the antiques and possessions of 5 generations of New Orleanians until my grandchildren (and future generations born after I die) are older and have homes!!

I inherited the home of my mother after having taken care of her full-time for 22 years. She was an invalid and blind so I was not able to work as much as I needed. I was lucky to be offered a part-time job teaching art (to more than 5000 inner city kids through a couple of decades). The luck was that I had a teaching partner which allowed me to go home every two hours and check on my mother, empty her catheter, feed meals to her and administer her medicines. Plus I was able to take off when she had appointments to see her doctors.

Organizations have asked about other things needing done in my home. I do have more needs, but the painting is all that I am requesting at this time because I have an immediate and extreme emergency need!!

I thought that PRC would help me since Rebuilding Together asked me to send info about me saying that volunteers like to know about the people they are helping. However, after using a month and a half of my time, I was told me that PRC will not help me at this time. I mention this because I recently compiled info to send her and can send copies if you want to read about me. I have been recognized by the community by receiving several lifetime achievement awards for my volunteerism.

From the beginning of my efforts, I have been in contact with a liaison for Jay Banks with the City Council keeping him abreast of correspondences with the different agencies I had entreated in asking for assistance. Since time is now of the essence, we recently discussed the possibility of Code Enforcement giving me a time extension dispelling the daily fines if I could provide a letter of intent, if ABWK is willing, stating that I have been accepted for the program and giving the approximate time frame that the work will be done if known.

I have already approached about a dozen possible agencies before contacting you and why I previously said that I am desperately reaching out to you because I do not know of any other possibilities!! (I will include info at the end of my "diary" of agencies that I have contacted)

The clock is ticking and I have no clue what to do if you do not accept my plea to paint my house!! At this point I have no other options than to BEG you to help me ... I cannot lose my home!!

In gratitude,
Pat Jolly

Pat Jolly
1820 Gen. Pershing Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
504.272.7123
jolly8994@gmail.com

 

 


* Letter to my PRC case worker:

 

Thanks Mikayla,

You asked that I send info about me so that your volunteers could read about my life.  

 

In all humility, everyone my age has had influential experiences and accomplished many interesting things, too many to write about. I have been honored with several lifetime achievement awards and had articles published about me that can explain most of my life in recognition of my efforts in volunteerism, especially working with and supporting the musicians and artists of this city in supporting this astounding community of New Orleans.

 

Most importantly, I was blessed to have had great role models, coming from a family where appreciable members dedicated their lives to being of service in many ways. So it has been easy for me to give of myself to this extraordinary culture and support what I love and hold dear!! 

 

My main volunteerism has been compiling information (for 35 years) in what began as my self-published weekly music calendar until it was underwritten and published by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in the 1980s, popularly known as the Jolly Jazz Calendar. It evolved in the 90s into what I call my Community Email Service, again compiling music events but also including information about art plus cultural and community events that are sent out bi-weekly as email blasts. I will add you to that list but only to receive them temporarily unless you would like to be added to my email service list to receive them regularly. 

 

I have another community email service sending inspirational emails daily called Earth Angels where I ask everyone to create a new habit by pretending to be angels on earth one day a week, on hump day Wednesdays, paying attention to their thoughts and actions and living in gratitude. I ask that they take time to say or email something thoughtful to someone about their value before doing anything for themselves that day. Earth Angels practice extending kindness to everyone God put in their path plus no complaining or yelling at their momma 'n em since what we practice we become!!! Even just one day a week helps develop new habits of thinking and reacting when we practice being considerate, compassionate and sympathetic, as well as using that day to be more tolerant and forgiving in hopes that in doing so that we become more kindhearted in thinking of others more automatically. 

 

I received a grant from Tulane to become an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher and volunteered to teach for the Spanish Apostate for several years to give back to my community. Unfortunately, the nuns did not return from Colorado to run their program after Katrina. However, I had an epiphany experience to instead use art as a language to teach children in our own astounding culture rather than teaching language skills to people from other countries. Having experienced 40+ hours of education classes gave me the tools to teach life lessons while opening the portals of imagination for more than 5000 inner city kids in my life calling. I am most proud of those decades of my life because it gave me the opportunity to foster self esteem to children who come from hard circumstances with many not having received love unconditionally. The first segment of every class was called the Art of Listening while explaining the projects of the day because listening skills are more difficult to develop living in loud, busy households of multiple family members. My other goals were opening thought systems of new possibilities, providing an environment where children had the opportunity to create in a cohesive group setting to recognize and experience feelings of being happy and pleased with themselves through creativity, and most importantly, generating the possibility for them to understand that they have the abilities of being their own gateway therefore having command of their future capabilities. 

 

So the city has deemed me guilty of needing to paint my house. Besides having to pay a $800+ mulct, if I am not compliant in their time frame, then I will be fined $500 a day, plus, a lien will be placed on my home causing me to lose my house!!  

 

 

Thank you for your help and inspiring my putting all this together!!