Save the Village!

Join Alternative Spring Break's Team New Orleans as they host Save the Village! with New Orleans resident Mack McLendon on Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. in the Flag Room.

For more than five years, Keene State College students participating in the Alternative Spring Break program have traveled to New Orleans to work with the United Saints, a nonprofit helping rebuild communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In 2011, one project was the beginning of a lasting friendship between KSC students and Mack McCLendon: The Lower 9th Ward Village. KSC students painted the Village and heard about Mack's story. Since then, KSCAB trips have returned to hear Mack share his experiences and the incredible work he's done for the Lower 9th Ward Community.

This past March, KSC students returned to the Village to catch up with Mack to find out that the Village, which the main community structure in the neighborhood, is in need of serious help. It faces foreclosure and needs help to bring the building back to its potential as an operational and flourishing hub of resources that provides job development programs, a truth library, a computer lab, and a space for the community.

The KSCAB team knew they could help with the support of the campus and greater community. They're bringing Mack to Keene State College at 7 p.m. on April 29th in an attempt to share his story and fundraise to Save the Village. The event is free and everyone is encouraged to listen in on the victories, the struggles, and the stories of resilience and continued uphill battles of government neglect and daily struggles this community faces, such as the lack of a grocery store, only 2 of 7 schools back, no banks, 600 lots of blight, and a lack of basic infrastructure here in the Lower 9th Ward community within New Orleans.

Please come hear Mack's incredible story and enjoy some snacks, visit our website, make a donation, and spread awareness by tweeting #savetheL9Wvillage #mackspeakstruth.

Can't attend? Contribute online.