Campers learned how to use a leafblower after trimming bushes

Giving Back: Essence Fest Day of Service Helps Beautify Ashé Cultural Arts Center

by Alex Galbraith | July 5, 2018

There’s no question that Essence Fest has a major impact on the city of New Orleans. The megafest, which celebrates the art, music and hustle of African-American women, is the second-largest event of the calendar year in New Orleans, after Mardi Gras. But it isn’t enough for Essence Fest to leave local pockets a little fatter in the Crescent City, the festival organizers also like to make a point of giving back in more straightforward ways.

Every year, Essence starts with a Day of Service where volunteers donate their time to help with beautification projects and clean-up throughout the city. This year’s edition couldn’t have come at a better time and aligns with the re-opening of the Ashe Cultural Arts Center. With Central City as the adopted hub of goodwill for non-Superdome activities, Essence volunteers were able to lend a hand at the historic home of Black commerce in the city. This year, children from the Milne Inspiration Center‘s Adolescence Making Positive Educated Decisions (MIC-AMPED) helped clean the Ashe Center and provide landscaping.

Under the direction of MIC founder La’Kedra Robinson and several volunteer leaders, kids helped to beautify the center that celebrates artists of African descent.

Click through the photos above to see how it all went down. 

Stream original series on the Very Local app

What is Very Local?

Very Local is your best source for shows about local communities, bringing you 24/7 access to news from your trusted local news source, weather updates, and more. The Very Local app also brings you fresh, untold stories from your city and communities like yours, with exclusive original shows and local stories specific to where you live. Get the channel to stream Very Local free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

Follow Very Local on Facebook and @VeryLocal on Instagram for more

Alex Galbraith

Alex Galbraith

He has a distinct voice that you will come to know more as you follow VL NOLA. He has shown himself to be an intrepid entertainment and culture writer, who always knows about the best events, happenings and performers before anybody else. Now, he’s going to tell you all about them here at Very Local NOLA.

Download the Very Local app to stream all of the Very Local original series for FREE!

Download the Very Local app to stream all of the Very Local original series for FREE!