Terrell Joseph has big plans when he gets released from the Lafourche Parish jail.
“I feel that I’m being given a second chance,” the 28-year-old from Raceland said while taking a break from his welding class Saturday. “They’re giving me a real chance to go back into society. I’ve been taking different classes and my credits go toward Nicholls. So when I get out I can go to Nicholls. With this class I’m getting qualifications so that it gives me a better chance to beat the odds.”
Joseph is one of 21 Lafourche inmates who are participating in a new partnership between the Sheriff’s Office and Fletcher Technical Community College to offer industrial certification classes to people who are incarcerated.
The coronavirus pandemic s toll on jobs and income has made people s lives more difficult, increasing demand on local food banks.
As a result, agencies whose purpose is helping to fulfill the most basic human function are seeing an explosion in the number of people who struggle to feed themselves and their families.
Lawrence DeHart, president of the Terrebonne Churches United Good Samaritan Food Bank in Houma, said the number of people his agency serves has doubled. The year before last, we did 10,500 people, DeHart said. In the last 12 months, we did 21,800.
Catholic Charities Executive Director Nicole Bourgeois said the volume of people fed by the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux has also doubled.
Closing Ceremony held for Fletcher Cohort 6 Lineworker Students
January 7, 2021
Family members, staff, and faculty gathered on Monday, December 21, 2020, for the socially distanced closing ceremony of Fletcher Technical Community College’s Certified Line Worker Training Program. This is the sixth group to complete the program. Cohort 6 graduates are: Jack Blanchard; Greg Landry; Jordan Caillouet; Nathan Rhodes; Brent Oubre; Ricky Savana; Colt Stevens; and Derek Stevens, Jr. All eight students have secured employment with Linetec Services, South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association, and Chain Electric Company.
“We would like to congratulate all of our cohort six graduates of our line worker program,” commented Fletcher Chancellor, Dr. Kristine Strickland. “Once again all of our students have secured employment in the industry. The students have continued the long tradition of hard work and commitment to success and we wish them much luck as they start their careers.