Our History
One woman’s vision of providing high quality after school and summer learning opportunities through exposure to diverse perspectives, cultures and activities have changed an entire community. Donna Gaignard has a passion for children and families that is undeniable.
When Donna returned to her hometown of Donaldsonville, Louisiana (a historic south Louisiana town located on the banks of the Mississippi River) she was saddened by the lack of opportunity for the young people. While there was a beautiful downtown development transformation and the city itself boasted the second largest historic district in Louisiana – second only to the New Orleans French Quarters - there were not many opportunities for out-of-school-time learning for the growing population of at-risk children.
When Donna returned to her hometown of Donaldsonville, Louisiana (a historic south Louisiana town located on the banks of the Mississippi River) she was saddened by the lack of opportunity for the young people. While there was a beautiful downtown development transformation and the city itself boasted the second largest historic district in Louisiana – second only to the New Orleans French Quarters - there were not many opportunities for out-of-school-time learning for the growing population of at-risk children.
A Place with Potential
Donna made it her mission to expose the children of Donaldsonville to the power of the arts to motivate and transform. She was at that time the founder & CEO of Bright Futures CLC an organization whose mission it was to create opportunities and experiences for young people in rural areas that they otherwise would not have. Her greatest work to that end has come from a partnership with the City of Donaldsonville to meet critical needs in afterschool programming; a collaboration that has proven very fruitful for the entire community.
The Program
The program revolves around art education and is designed to cultivate children’s ability to think perceptively and innovatively. The Mayor was like-minded and as a result, Bright Futures CLC today has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Donaldsonville that positions itself as the administrator and the city as the fiscal agent of the program. As the fiscal agent, the city provides all of the fiduciary and facilities support for the organization. With the city’s support, Bright Futures CLC is able to operate year-round, including a six-week summer program.
Bright Futures wants our audience to know that we have included different things in our curriculum that focus on S.T.E.M., science, technology, engineering, and math. Students engage in activities every day that challenge their critical thinking skills, reasoning, and communication skills. Our S.T.E.M. activities are very popular among the students because they are given the chance to create their own robots that they configure to do simple tasks, and even race.
The small hardworking staff operates the afterschool programming in a community center owned by the city that includes classrooms, a gymnasium and a stage. They also provide in-school support in a number of different schools thanks to the collaborative efforts and strong support of the school district.
Bright Futures works to provide quality hands on academic and skill-centered enrichment programming while also providing afterschool snacks and meals. The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is another critical partner that helps to bring artists from across Louisiana to teach varying art classes including instruction in violin, piano, dance, guitar, fine arts and drama.
Bright Futures wants our audience to know that we have included different things in our curriculum that focus on S.T.E.M., science, technology, engineering, and math. Students engage in activities every day that challenge their critical thinking skills, reasoning, and communication skills. Our S.T.E.M. activities are very popular among the students because they are given the chance to create their own robots that they configure to do simple tasks, and even race.
The small hardworking staff operates the afterschool programming in a community center owned by the city that includes classrooms, a gymnasium and a stage. They also provide in-school support in a number of different schools thanks to the collaborative efforts and strong support of the school district.
Bright Futures works to provide quality hands on academic and skill-centered enrichment programming while also providing afterschool snacks and meals. The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is another critical partner that helps to bring artists from across Louisiana to teach varying art classes including instruction in violin, piano, dance, guitar, fine arts and drama.
The Benefits
The children have the benefit of learning varying arts media while also being exposed to different cultures as was the case when a metal sculptor from Turkey not only taught the art of sculpting but also exposed them to Turkish music cuisine and culture. There is no doubt that this small town in Donaldsonville has leveraged the arts through strong community partnerships and support of one woman’s passionate belief that every child deserves a bright future!
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Bright Futures in the News
City Spotlight: Leveraging Partnerships to Support Afterschool in Donaldsonville, La.
Go to site
One woman’s vision of providing high quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities through exposure to diverse perspectives, cultures and activities has changed an entire community. Donna Gaignard has a passion for improving the lives of children and families. When she returned to her hometown of Donaldsonville (a historic south Louisiana town located on the banks of the Mississippi River) she was disappointed by the lack of opportunities for young people.
While there had been a lot of new development downtown, and the city boasts the second largest historic district in Louisiana, second only to the French Quarter in New Orleans, there were not many opportunities for afterschool and arts education for the growing population of at-risk children. Ms. Gaignard made it her mission to expose the children of Donaldsonville to the power of the arts to motivate and transform.
She founded Bright Futures Community Learning Center (CLC), an organization whose mission it is to create opportunities and experiences for young people that they would otherwise not have. Her greatest work has come from a partnership with the City of Donaldsonville to meet critical needs in afterschool programming, a collaboration that has proven very fruitful for the entire community. The program revolves around art education and is designed to cultivate children’s ability to think perceptively and innovatively.
The mayor was a strong supporter of this work and as a result, Bright Futures CLC today has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Donaldsonville that positions the organization as the administrator and the city as the fiscal agent of the program. As the fiscal agent, the city provides all of the fiduciary and facilities support for the organization.
With the city’s support, Bright Futures CLC is able to operate year-round, including a six-week summer program. The small, hardworking staff operates the afterschool programming in a community center owned by the city that includes classrooms, a gymnasium and a stage. They also provide in-school support in a number of schools thanks to the collaborative efforts and strong support of the local school district.
The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is another critical partner that helps to bring artists from across Louisiana to provide instruction in violin, piano, dance, guitar, fine arts and drama. The children benefit from exposure to varying art mediums while also being learning about different cultures. For example, a metal sculptor from Turkey not only taught the art of sculpting, but exposed the young people to Turkish music, cuisine and culture.
Donaldsonville has leveraged support for the arts in afterschool through strong community partnerships and support of one woman’s passionate belief that every child deserves a bright future.
Go to site
One woman’s vision of providing high quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities through exposure to diverse perspectives, cultures and activities has changed an entire community. Donna Gaignard has a passion for improving the lives of children and families. When she returned to her hometown of Donaldsonville (a historic south Louisiana town located on the banks of the Mississippi River) she was disappointed by the lack of opportunities for young people.
While there had been a lot of new development downtown, and the city boasts the second largest historic district in Louisiana, second only to the French Quarter in New Orleans, there were not many opportunities for afterschool and arts education for the growing population of at-risk children. Ms. Gaignard made it her mission to expose the children of Donaldsonville to the power of the arts to motivate and transform.
She founded Bright Futures Community Learning Center (CLC), an organization whose mission it is to create opportunities and experiences for young people that they would otherwise not have. Her greatest work has come from a partnership with the City of Donaldsonville to meet critical needs in afterschool programming, a collaboration that has proven very fruitful for the entire community. The program revolves around art education and is designed to cultivate children’s ability to think perceptively and innovatively.
The mayor was a strong supporter of this work and as a result, Bright Futures CLC today has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Donaldsonville that positions the organization as the administrator and the city as the fiscal agent of the program. As the fiscal agent, the city provides all of the fiduciary and facilities support for the organization.
With the city’s support, Bright Futures CLC is able to operate year-round, including a six-week summer program. The small, hardworking staff operates the afterschool programming in a community center owned by the city that includes classrooms, a gymnasium and a stage. They also provide in-school support in a number of schools thanks to the collaborative efforts and strong support of the local school district.
The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is another critical partner that helps to bring artists from across Louisiana to provide instruction in violin, piano, dance, guitar, fine arts and drama. The children benefit from exposure to varying art mediums while also being learning about different cultures. For example, a metal sculptor from Turkey not only taught the art of sculpting, but exposed the young people to Turkish music, cuisine and culture.
Donaldsonville has leveraged support for the arts in afterschool through strong community partnerships and support of one woman’s passionate belief that every child deserves a bright future.
SERVING ON MLK DAY http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20150122/NEWS/150129912/0/SEARCH
BRIGHT FUTURES VISIT SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20141008/NEWS/141009714
BRIGHT FUTURES STARTS FALL GARDEN AT SOTHERN UNIVERSITY
http://suagcenter.blogspot.com/2014/12/bright-futures-community-learning.html
BRIGHT FUTURES STUDENTS MAKE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20131218/NEWS/131219703
BRIGHT FUTURES PREPARES FOR SUMMER EXTRAVAGANZA http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20120709/NEWS/307099982
BRIGHT FUTURES PROGRAM EXTRAVAGANZA APPROACHING http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20110714/News/307149952
21st CENTURY GRANT HUGE SUCCESS
http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20090723/NEWS/307239967
BRIGHT FUTURES VISIT SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20141008/NEWS/141009714
BRIGHT FUTURES STARTS FALL GARDEN AT SOTHERN UNIVERSITY
http://suagcenter.blogspot.com/2014/12/bright-futures-community-learning.html
BRIGHT FUTURES STUDENTS MAKE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20131218/NEWS/131219703
BRIGHT FUTURES PREPARES FOR SUMMER EXTRAVAGANZA http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20120709/NEWS/307099982
BRIGHT FUTURES PROGRAM EXTRAVAGANZA APPROACHING http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20110714/News/307149952
21st CENTURY GRANT HUGE SUCCESS
http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20090723/NEWS/307239967
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