The sounds of cheers and the music of a brass band cut through the quiet streets of New Orleans’ St. Roch neighborhood early this month, but this was no ordinary second line parade.
These uniquely New Orleans parades typically mark a celebration, such as a wedding or to honor a life that was lost. On this day, though, the brass band led a second line full of volunteers down St. Roch Avenue to St. Roch Park.
The festive tradition helped bring the flavor of New Orleans to Kickoff to Rebuild, an annual volunteer event held just before the pro football championship game in its host city. The second line parade was a fitting kickoff to the day’s events, as the volunteer project served and celebrated the community with a clean-up in the neighborhood’s central park.
ADT was a sponsor of the event and ADT employees from the nearby St. Rose, Louisiana, office spent the day turning piles of lumber into new picnic tables and park benches for people to enjoy.
“I played baseball in this park when I was a kid,” said Ronnie Griffin, an ADT Solutions Advisor. “I think this is really cool that my company is doing this. I think I’m going to come back out here more often now just because these benches are here.”
This was the 30th Kickoff to Rebuild event led by Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit that helps provide safe, healthy housing nationwide.
“I think ADT is a perfect partner for Rebuilding Together because we both believe in safety and security at home. It all starts there,” said William Stoudt, Executive Director for Rebuilding Together New Orleans. “And then you need to have safe spaces, like playgrounds. We can’t do the work that we do of making our neighborhoods safer without our partners like ADT.”
“ADT does a great job caring about the community,” said Jay Brian Rothrock, an ADT Small Business Solutions Advisor. “And that’s really what the heart of this is, about revitalizing this park. So they have a safe place, a secure place, to go.”
New Orleans City Councilman Eugene Green stopped by to see the progress at the park. The playground received a new slide, the bathrooms and community building were painted, and the new seating will help families come together outside.
“When kids come to the park, they are going to feel a sense that somebody cares about their community and about them,” Green said. “When children see change taking place, they recognize that as someone who is supportive of them and it makes them think differently and do differently. Because of this effort and ADT’s participation, we’re able to make substantive changes at this park, which are going to reflect positively upon everyone who comes here.”
For the ADT employees who volunteered to help make a difference, they said it was an easy decision. “My church is not far from this community,” said Cyril Grayson, an ADT Solutions Advisor. “I know a lot of people in this community, and they need every bit of what we’re doing today. When ADT was on board, I knew I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.”