Allendale Strong

Ballpark Mural Celebration
2023-09-09 15:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Galilee Baptist Church, 1500 Pierre Ave, Shreveport, LA, United States
Join us to commemorate Shreveport’s ballpark mural and all that it represents.
In 2021, a 400-foot mural was created at Galilee Baptist Church’s Stewart-Belle Stadium in Allendale. Shreveport’s Commission on Race and Diversity funded the community arts project. The painting on the mural depicts some of the history of Shreveport’s African American community. It is a rich, deep history that is not well known. I was proud to be lead artist for this important project.
Allendale Strong is working with Galilee Baptist to celebrate the mural, the history it represents, and the ballpark. The celebration is planned for September 9th, the day before the birthday of C.C. Antoine, a significant figure in our city and state’s history whose image is on the mural. The celebration will include music and stories, local food trucks, artists, and baseball. It will be a fun day for the whole family!
Learn more about the mural and upcoming celebration here.

MPC Workshop
2023-05-31 15:00 - 16:00 | Government Plaza, 505 Travis Street, 1st Floor Council Chambers, Shreveport, LA, 71101, United States
Grassroots group Allendale Strong will raise concerns about regional transportation planning in a public presentation to the Shreveport Metropolitan Planning Commission May 31.
The group contends that Shreveport’s 2030 Master Plan and its focus on “inside the loop” development are being undercut by outdated transportation planning that encourages suburban sprawl.
“Transportation planners for our region are using a 1950s approach to build a city for the 1970s,” said Allendale Strong member John Perkins.
“Shreveport citizens who helped write our Master Plan favored a modern focus on growth inside the loop to improve our downtown and our neighborhoods, rather than relentlessly growing outward.”
At its May 3rd meeting the MPC’s executive director, Alan Clarke, announced a special May 31 meeting of the commission to hear the Allendale Strong presentation. The public meeting will be held at 3 p.m. in the City Council chambers at Government Plaza.
Perkins said Allendale Strong will present historical data on the development of Shreveport’s urban highways and commentary by past city planners on the impact of freeways on the city.
“Shreveport planners going back to the 1950s predicted that the city would be divided by interstate highways cut through our city. They said they were powerless to stop these freeways because federal policymakers empowered transportation planners to ignore local land-use concerns.
“Shreveport citizens of today should learn from past mistakes and insist that those who plan our transportation projects be knowledgeable about our city’s land-use priorities and work to meet them.”
Allendale Strong has focused much of its attention on the Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments, a multi-parish agency charged with transportation planning. NLCOG is the primary champion of the 3-mile, $1-billion Interstate 49 Inner-city Connector through Allendale between I-20 and I-220.
MPC Chairman Bill Robertson asked Clarke to notify NLCOG and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development of the special May 31 meeting so they can hear Allendale Strong’s concerns.
“Shreveport has unchecked sprawl and serious infrastructure problems,” Robertson said. “Allendale Strong believes these problems are caused by a conflict between the goals of our city master plan and the goals of transportation planning.
“By airing these issues the MPC can expand the public conversation and help Shreveport citizens create a better future for our citizens.”
Allendale Strong is celebrating its 11th year as a grassroots organization dedicated to better transportation planning for Shreveport. The group’s focus is to renew Allendale relationally, environmentally, and economically.
Allendale Strong promotes two alternatives to the I-49 Inner-city Connector project that would separate local traffic from through traffic: (1) a “business boulevard” for local traffic connecting I-49 at I-20 downtown to North Shreveport, and (2) improvements to the existing freeway loop formed by Louisiana 3132 and Interstate 220 for through traffic.

Keep Allendale Strong! Support us with a tax-deductible donation to Allendale Strong at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/allendalestrong-1 or by mail to 1528 Clay Street, Shreveport LA 71101. Visit our website at https://allendalestrong.org/ .

Caddo Parish Housing Forum
2023-04-13 17:30 | Valencia Park Community Center, 1800 Viking Drive, Shreveport, LA, United States
The meeting is on April 13,2023 at 5:30 at the Valencia Park Center.

Meet & Greet with Curtis Davis
2023-04-02 16:00 - 19:00 | Allendale Friendship House, 1515 Clay Street, Shreveport, LA, United States

AllendaleStrong Monthly Zoom Meeting
2023-01-10 18:30 - 20:00, 2021-12-09 18:30 - 20:00, 2021-11-11 18:30 - 20:00, 2021-10-14 18:30 - 20:00, 2021-09-09 18:30 - 20:00, 2021-08-12 18:30 - 20:00, 2021-07-08 18:30 - 20:00, 2021-06-10 18:30 - 19:30 and 4 more dates
Email kmitchellarchitect@gmail.com for the zoom link.

SWEPCO Park Committee Zoom
2023-01-04 10:00 - 11:00
Email kmitchellarchitect@gmail.com for the zoom link to join

CNU Webinar with Dorothy Wiley as panelist
2022-07-12 11:00 - 12:00
Tuesday, July 12th at 12pm ET, join us for our next On the Park Bench webinar “Freeway Fighters: Pushing Back Against Freeway Expansions” with panelists Dorothy Wiley, Dennis Grzezinski, and Mark Nowotarski and moderated by Rob Steuteville.
What can people do when a planned freeway threatens to tear their community apart? A growing movement is opposing freeway expansions that damage cities, towns and regions. Join Freeway Fighters from Shreveport, Louisiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Southern Indiana, who will discuss strategies and learn from one another.
Register Now!
Thank you to those who attended our last webinar, “Freeway Fighters: Reconnecting the City” with panelists Scott Townsend, Sean Haney, and Scott Bonjukian and moderated by Lauren Mayer. You can watch it here.
Thank you so much for your continued support of On the Park Bench. Do you have some feedback for us? Or an idea for a webinar? Please share your thoughts here!

Homeowners Summit
2022-05-07 11:00 - 13:00 | Allendale Friendship House, 1515 Clay Street, Shreveport, LA, United States
Homeowners in the Shreveport area are invited to learn with us at the inaugural Homeowner’s Summit to be held Saturday, May 7, 2022. This free event is spearheaded by Allendale Strong, and will begin at 11am and conclude at 1pm. This summit will be packed with useful information for anyone who owns a home, or anyone who is interested in purchasing a home. Following the presentations and panel discussions, participants will be led on a walking tour of the surrounding areas of interest in Allendale. The summit will be held at the Community Renewal International Friendship House at 1515 Clay Street, an ideal starting point for viewing local points of interest and discussing the many upcoming projects and investments that are in the works now.
The motivation to convene a Homeowner’s Summit came out of a desire to learn from and replicate some of the positive changes in the Allendale neighborhood over the past 10-15 years. A neighborhood that was once the most dangerous in Shreveport is today one of the safest – a change sparked by small, individual investments that snowballed to transform the entire neighborhood. Homeowners in this area have more power than most Shreveport citizens are aware of, and summit organizers are excited to share knowledge and perspective on how to spark similar healthy changes in neighborhoods across the city.
Representatives from Caddo Action Agency, Caddo Council on Aging and Shreveport Community Development will be on hand to provide information about their programs to help homeowners in the community. In addition, the panel discussion will feature some of the key players and observers of the changes in Allendale over the years. Moderated by Roosevelt Bryant, who was raised in Allendale, the discussion will gain insight from Pam Morgan, the Allendale Friendship House Community Coordinator; Terri Thrash, a current Allendale homeowner; Rosie Chaffold, homeowner and Friendship Garden of Hope & Love founder; Dorothy Wiley, Allendale homeowner & Allendale Strong President; Mike Leonard, Community Renewal Coordinator and Fuller Center for Housing board member; and Kim Mitchell Director of the Community Renewal Center & Institute.
Refreshments in the form of sandwiches, snacks and water will be available throughout the summit thanks to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. Reservations are not required to attend, and anyone interested in homeownership (current or future) are welcome to attend.
“Shreveport is only as strong as its weakest neighborhood.” Allendale Strong is a learning-doing group of citizens, working together to renew our community Relationally, Economically, and Environmentally. Its vision is to empower our community of willing citizens, and share its knowledge and experiences with other neighborhoods, enabling each to grow to potential wholeness. Its ongoing initiatives include forming a food co-op corner store in Allendale, renewal of the neighborhood’s SWEPCO park, and advocating for a wealth-building business boulevard through Allendale.

Sponsored by: Allendale Strong, Community Renewal International, Ledbetter Heights, Lakeside, Allendale Partnership, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Fuller Center for Housing

Promotional Video: https://www.facebook.com/roosevelt.bryant/videos/1294974137662007

Annual Lenten Fish Fry at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church
2022-04-15 11:00 - 14:00 | Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 1558 Buena Vista Street , Shreveport, LA, 71101, United States
(Fridays During Lent)
Friday, March 4, 2022-Good Friday, April 15, 2022
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Dinners are $10.00
Catfish Filet, Potato Salad, Green Beans, Bread, Tartar Sauce &
Desert
***EAT IN/TAKE OUT***
OLBS Community Center
1558 Buena Vista Street
Shreveport, LA
Telephone: 318-222-3790 (Information/Deliveries)

Urban League Panel
2022-03-16 15:10 - 16:10
Dorothy Wiley and Amy Stelly will participate in an Urban League panel moderated by Representative Cedric Glover.
Click here to sign up for the Zoom session.

NLCOG Board of Directors Meeting
2022-03-09 09:30 - 17:00
625 Texas Street Shreveport, LA 71101

[POSTPONED] Lead Belly Bash
2021-09-25 12:00 - 18:00 | SWEPCO Park
Due to rising Covid numbers, we are postponing this event until 2022.

Growing an Agile Community Workshop - A city is only as strong as its weakest neighborhood
2021-09-23 09:00 - 11:30 | First Presbyterian Church, 900 Jordan St., Shreveport, LA, 71101, United States
Guided conversations for panelists will be about crafting a compelling inclusive vision for Shreveport that prioritizes people and relationships over real estate value and leadership belief in bigger is better (the current drivers of city planning, public investment and decision-making that have not worked well). Chuck’s contribution to this essential conversation is the Strong Towns approach which is citizen lead and builds on small and incremental steps.

Admission: Free
Presented by: Community Renewal Institute, Allendale Strong, First Presbyterian Church and the University of First Presbyterian speaker series
Panelists: Chuck Marohn, Dorothy Wiley, Danielle Richard, Chris Coe, Roosevelt Bryant
Workshop Guide: Kim Mitchell

Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: How to make Human-centered transportation decisions for all of Shreveport’s residents
2021-09-22 18:00 - 20:00 | First Presbyterian Church, 900 Jordan St., Shreveport, LA, 71101, United States
Charles Marohn, professional engineer and founder of the Strong Towns movement, lifts the curtain on America’s transportation system in his newest book, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer. In this book tour presentation, Marohn demonstrates how the values of engineers and other transportation professionals are applied in the design process, and how those priorities differ from the values of the general public. By showing how transportation investments are a means to an end and not an end unto themselves, Marohn reveals how the standard approach to issues like fighting congestion, addressing speeding, and designing intersections only makes transportation problems worse, at great cost in terms of both safety and resources. By contrast, the Strong Towns approach to transportation focuses on bottom-up techniques for spending less and getting higher returns, all while improving quality of life for residents of a community. Fixing our broken transportation system will involve not just engineers, but local residents and officials who have become effective and empowered advocates, connected with others to make real change.

Admission: Free
Presented by: Community Renewal Institute, Allendale Strong, First Presbyterian Church and the University of First Presbyterian speaker series

Roy's Kids Backpack Giveaway honoring Robert Handy
2021-08-14 11:00 - 15:00 | SWEPCO Park

#NoNewRoads: Fighting an Urban Highway Expansion in Shreveport
2021-07-21 11:00 - 17:00
A Live Panel Discussion, hosted by Charles Marohn
July 21, 12 p.m. Eastern

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

For years, the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, has been planning an urban highway expansion that would cut through the heart of the city, the I-49 “inner-city connector.” And for years, residents—especially of the Allendale neighborhood that the project would most directly impact—have been fighting back. (Read more about this ongoing fight against highway expansion in Shreveport.)
In this free webcast, you’ll learn from local experts who are leading the charge. They’re spurring important conversation about what an economically thriving neighborhood can be and how people-oriented places, not highspeed roads, are the only way to achieve this goal.
You’ll hear from neighborhood podcast host Roosevelt Bryant, city councilwoman LeVette Fuller, local nonprofit director Kim Mitchell, and Shreveport-based engineer Tim Wright, in a discussion hosted by Strong Towns president Charles Marohn. These panelists will share their insights on the complex nature of highway projects and politics, and discuss their ideas for a stronger Shreveport.
This webcast will be helpful for anyone who’s tired of excessive highway spending, damaging road projects, and transportation systems that fail to serve residents. If you’re ready for a change, join the conversation.

REGISTER NOW

P.S. If you’re frustrated by the high costs and dangerous design of transportation in your city and want to learn more about a better way forward, check out Charles Marohn’s newest book, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town. Preorder your copy today and receive several special bonuses.
