Missions Bayou

Sarah Barnet is a Nonprofit Coordinator at Gulf Coast Bank, where she helps lead Auctions in August, a unique fundraising initiative that has raised nearly $1.7 million for nonprofits across the Gulf South. We sat down with Sarah to talk about how the program works, why it was created, and how it helps organizations raise funds without taking on the burden of running their own auction. She shares...

Kenneth Hoffman is the Executive Director of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. We sat down with Kenneth to talk about the museum’s mission to preserve and share over 300 years of Jewish history in the American South, and why understanding these stories matters now more than ever. From immigration and identity to community-building and cultural exchange, Kenneth shares how Southern Jewi...

Emily Snyder is a Program Manager at Urban Conservancy. We sat down with Emily to talk about how Urban Conservancy is helping build a greener, healthier, and more resilient New Orleans through stormwater management, native plants, tree advocacy, and community-driven environmental education. From protecting the city’s tree canopy to helping residents better understand green infrastructure, Emily sh...

As part of our Maternal Health Month series this May, we’re highlighting the voices, organizations, and conversations shaping the future of care for families in New Orleans. Joined by guest host Dr. Lauren LaRose, psychiatrist and host of the Little Brain Campaign podcast, we’re bringing added perspective to these important conversations. Throughout the month, we’re diving into the realities of ma...

As part of our Maternal Health Month series this May, we’re highlighting the voices, organizations, and conversations shaping the future of care for families in New Orleans. Joined by guest host Dr. Lauren LaRose, psychiatrist and host of the Little Brain Campaign podcast, we’re bringing added perspective to these important conversations. Throughout the month, we’re diving into the realities of ma...

As part of our Maternal Health Month series this May, we’re highlighting the voices, organizations, and conversations shaping the future of care for families in New Orleans. Joined by guest host Dr. Lauren LaRose, psychiatrist and host of the Little Brain Campaign podcast, we’re bringing added perspective to these important conversations. Throughout the month, we’re diving into the realities of ma...

Dominique Jones-Johnson is the founder and executive director of Daughters Beyond Incarceration, an organization dedicated to supporting and empowering girls with incarcerated parents. We sit down with Dominique to talk about how DBI creates a safe, transformative space for girls ages 8–18 through mentorship, afterschool programming, and a powerful youth policy fellowship that teaches them how to...

Michael Williamson is the President and CEO of United Way of Southeast Louisiana. We sit down with Michael to break down United Way’s bold mission to eradicate poverty in our region and their goal of helping 100,000 individuals reach pathways to prosperity by 2035. We dive into the reality of ALICE households, working individuals and families who are still struggling to afford basic needs, and how...

Jeanne Geoffray is the co-founder of the 431 Exchange, and Jeanna Barrett is an educator and scholarship recipient. We sit down with Jeanne and Jeanna to explore how the 431 Exchange is expanding access to education across Louisiana by supporting adult learners with scholarships, mentorship, and long-term guidance. Jeanne shares the powerful origin story rooted in a 1965 New Orleans secretarial sc...

Ready to start planning your campaign? Grab our GiveNOLA Day Playbook Worksheet and map out your strategy, messaging, and donor outreach before the big day. Download the worksheet: comfystone.com/givenoladayplaybook The Missions Bayou GiveNOLA Day Series is a special set of conversations designed to help nonprofits make the most of one of the biggest giving days in New Orleans. Hosted by Maya McGe...

Ready to start planning your campaign? Grab our GiveNOLA Day Playbook Worksheet and map out your strategy, messaging, and donor outreach before the big day. Download the worksheet: comfystone.com/givenoladayplaybook The Missions Bayou GiveNOLA Day Series is a special set of conversations designed to help nonprofits make the most of one of the biggest giving days in New Orleans. Hosted by Maya McGe...

Ready to start planning your campaign? Grab our GiveNOLA Day Playbook Worksheet and map out your strategy, messaging, and donor outreach before the big day. Download the worksheet: comfystone.com/givenoladayplaybook The Missions Bayou GiveNOLA Day Series is a special set of conversations designed to help nonprofits make the most of one of the biggest giving days in New Orleans. Hosted by Maya McGe...

Ready to start planning your campaign? Grab our GiveNOLA Day Playbook Worksheet and map out your strategy, messaging, and donor outreach before the big day. Download the worksheet: comfystone.com/givenoladayplaybook The Missions Bayou GiveNOLA Day Series is a special set of conversations designed to help nonprofits make the most of one of the biggest giving days in New Orleans. Hosted by Maya McGe...

Jonshell Johnson is the Education Coordinator at Grow Dat Youth Farm, and To'Nae is a member of the Youth Assistants Crew. Together, they join us to share how this seven-acre farm in City Park is doing far more than growing food—it’s growing leaders. We talk about how the organization hires and mentors young people through paid job training, hands-on farming, and workshops that explore food ju...

Samantha Rohr is the Cohort Leader, and Alaina Dunn is the Program Director of The COOL Cooperative, a nonprofit equipping New Orleans youth with filmmaking and workforce skills that extend far beyond the camera. We talk with them about how Cool Cooperative provides free, hands-on film education to middle and high school students through year-round cohorts, summer camp, in-school programs, and ind...

Heather West is the Executive Director of Community Sailing New Orleans. She joins us to talk about how her organization is increasing access to Lake Pontchartrain and making the sport of sailing available to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. We discuss how Community Sailing removes financial and skill barriers, offers youth programs, adaptive sailing opportunities, veterans initiati...

Dexter Ellis is the Board Vice President of the Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans, and he joins us to break down why native plants matter for our environment, our infrastructure, and our everyday lives. We talk through the mission of the Native Plant Initiative, an all-volunteer organization focused on increasing the use and public awareness of native plants through public gardens, fr...

Noam Platt is an architect and the founder of Make Good, a nonprofit using design and 3D printing to create low-cost, open-source assistive devices for people with disabilities and chronic conditions. We talk with Noam about how his background in architecture translated into assistive technology, why so many essential tools are overpriced or inaccessible, and how Make Good works directly with the...

Brett Davis is the founding director of Grounds Krewe, a New Orleans nonprofit working to reduce waste during Mardi Gras and other large-scale events. We sit down with Brett to unpack how Mardi Gras has become one of the most waste-producing events in the world, why plastic parade throws are at the center of the problem, and how the structure of an unsponsored, unticketed celebration has unintenti...

Jaleesa Jackson is the co-founder of Women of Wakanda, and Krysten Perkins is a Vibranium Council Member within the collective. We sit down with Jaleesa and Krysten to talk about how Women of Wakanda began in 2018 and grew into an Afro-futurist, joy-centered community rooted in mutual aid, imagination, and care for Black women in New Orleans. Together, we explore how the group mirrors the legacy o...

Alex Owens is the Executive Director of Be Loud Studios, and Jace is a Junior Producer at Be Loud Studios. In this conversation, we talk about how Be Loud started as a classroom experiment and grew into a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying youth voice through radio, podcasting, and digital media. Alex shares the origin story of the organization, how giving young people a microphone transformed enga...

Daniel Harris is the Executive Director of Winston Rhea, a nonprofit supporting young adults as they age out of the foster care system. We talk with Daniel about the deeply personal origin of Winston Rhea, the mentors who shaped his life while he was in foster care, and how that experience led him to build a four-year, hands-on support program rooted in consistency, grace, and long-term commitment...

Greg Ravy is the CEO of Heroes of New Orleans, an organization expanding opportunities for youth through workforce development, entrepreneurship, and family support. We sit down with Greg to talk about why so many young people struggle to access meaningful career paths, how his team helps students build real-world skills, and the importance of exposing youth to options beyond what they see every d...

Dan Fox is the Editor-In-Chief and publisher of ANTIGRAVITY Magazine, one of New Orleans’ most trusted alternative print publications. We sit down with Dan to talk about the origins of ANTIGRAVITY, its mission to document underrepresented culture, and how the magazine has grown from a DIY alt-rag to a community institution that’s influenced writers, artists, and local media for two decades. We als...

Amanda Takacs is the Program Coordinator and Seth Blitch is the Director of Conservation at The Nature Conservancy. We sit down with them to unpack the Louisiana Treesilience Program: how restoring and expanding urban tree canopy on public land keeps neighborhoods cooler, buffers storms, absorbs floodwater, supports wildlife, and even calms traffic. They break down the “right tree, right place” ap...