Food Bank: The Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana geared up for its annual Empty Bowls fundraiser. The organization hosted a Community Bowl Painting Party on April 10 in the old Liz Claiborne location at the Louisiana Boardwalk. For a $5 donation or with the purchase of a ticket to the Empty Bowls event, guests of all ages could paint a ceramic bowl that will be used during the event June 5 at Eldorado Resort Casino. The ultimate raffle prize is a free one-year lease of a Toyota Tundra Crew Max truck.

Makers Fair: The Texas Avenue Makers Fair, the Holiday in Dixie Parade and Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s UNSCENE! were part of a huge event April 12. The day started with the Makers Fair, then UNSCENE! had three stages throughout Texas Avenue to animate the street. Later in the day, the Holiday in Dixie Parade went through Shreveport Common and the Makers Fair. As the parade exited the area, musician Theresa Andersson took the stage with a brand new show featuring local choreographers, a local choir and a digital artist animating the stage via tablet.

Spring Tea: For the third year, women filled Stonewall Missionary Baptist Church for the C. Wright Pink Ribbon Project Elegant Spring Tea on April 26. Songs, scripture and praise dancing were among the activities. The funds generated from ticket sales will be used for helping those women in need who are battling breast cancer. Melody Scott spoke from personal experience. She said her tears were preparation for her storm. The C. Wright Pink Ribbon Project has helped dozens of women with transportation to and from medical appointments, doctor/facility co-payments, pharmacy expenses and monetary support to maintain necessary living expenses.

WK Center: The former Bossier Medical Center has been repurposed and renovated to serve as Willis-Knighton’s Innovation Center. It houses a virtual hospital with operating suites. One of the suites has a mannequin that can bleed, seize, sweat, froth and cry as students learn heart, lung and belly sounds and another teaches how to position and drape the patient and count surgical instruments. Future healthcare professionals will use the latest simulators in their training. There are also banquet areas, a theater and coffee car. The facility opened for a public tour May 4. The Talbot Medical Museum is inside the location. It preserves, reveals and interprets the history of modern medicine over the past century-and-a-half.

Center for Families: The Center for Families celebrated 125 years with a birthday soiree May 6 at its Serenity Garden behind the office on Olive Street. The garden was a service project of the South Shreveport Rotary Club and includes a pond and walkway. The evening included live music from Heather Bryson and Cristina Pisani from the Shreveport Opera, the Four Seasons String Quartet and Jazziana. The event was on Give for Good day and the Center for Families was a participating partner. Guests were asked to hang a healing thought or wish on a trellis upon leaving.

Derby: Tresa and David Frye hosted a Kentucky Derby Party on Derby Day on May 3 at the Barksdale Air Force Base golf clubhouse with proceeds benefiting the Krewe of Barkus and Meow. Guests put in $50 for a chip that was pulled to win the pot. Guests wore pins that said “Talk Derby to Me” and drank mint juleps. Food included chocolate derby pie, bourbon balls, mini meat pies, sugarcured ham, biscuits with mint jelly, wings and sandwiches. Tables were decorated with red rose petals.

Donation: A donation was presented by University Health to benefit Camp I’m Still Me, a summer camp for burn survivors. The money was raised by employees during National Hospital Week on May 11-17 that celebrated all of the dedicated men and women at University Health who support the health and well-being of the community.

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