Recently at the Gardere Initiative

Law Enforcement Day 2024

Gardere Initiative and local law enforcement host community outreach event.

Through a series of career building activities like afternoon career workshops and employment readiness skill trainings, an average of 40 students each day were impacted.

18th Back to School Extravaganza

More than 300 children and adults attended the fun and informative event that included music, food, games, and educational booths staffed by various agencies and organizations that focus on helping families.

The Clay Young Show

Feeding the Community

With the help of our premier sponsor of United We Feed, AGives!, the 501c3 affiliate of Associated Grocers Baton Rouge, and our incredible community partners, Gardere Initiative, our team of staff & volunteers were able to distribute over 200 bags of healthy food & fresh produce to families living in the Gardere community.

Gardere Takes Flight!

In a vibrant display of community spirit, The Gardere Initiative united residents in a fun-filled day of joy, laughter, celebration, and the spirit of togetherness. This event was a showcase of the best of Gardere’s community spirit, featuring a kite-flying competition, kite-making, drone flying, an Easter Egg hunt, and delicious homemade meals.

Angel Award Honorees Attend Saints Game

Now in its 29^th year, The Angel Award specifically recognizes people who have directly improved outcomes for young people. Each honoree takes an active approach to meeting the needs of children and has a history of persisting in the face of significant challenges – sometimes including loss of resources, operational challenges, or even personal tragedy

BCBS Angel Award Honoree

Meet 2023 Angel Award honoree, Dr. Murelle Harrison, the executive director of the Gardere Initiative, which delivers services, after-school education, meals and spaces for safe play to the children of Gardere, many of whom have parents who are first-generation immigrants. #AngelAward2023

Gardere’s Ultimate Goal…

Top Crime Fighter

At age 75, Murelle Harrison is regarded as a top crime fighter in one of Baton Rouge’s toughest neighborhoods.

Beginning in 2005, Gardere gained a reputation for being a dangerous area. As Hurricane Katrina evacuees crowded into the area’s fourplexes and duplexes, the crime rate skyrocketed and clashes between “225s” and “504s” resulted in violence.

MLK Day of Service

“I decided to participate in service on Martin Luther King Jr. day because I wanted to reach out and help our community on a day dedicated to service,” says freshman and community volunteer Jordan Harvey. “The experience showed me that the Baton Rouge community is much larger than I thought it was. I also learned that many different groups working together could make an impact and help those who need it most.”

A Safe and Healthy Community

he Gardere Initiative has worked hard over the last two decades to make Baton Rouge's Gardere neighborhood, formerly a higher-crime area, a safe, family-friendly place to live.

Community Job Fair

“Workforce development and career readiness are two significant challenges we presently face in our community,” said EBR District 3 Metropolitan Councilmember Rowdy Gaudet.

It Takes a Village

As the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child.” And local nonprofit Gardere Initiative is that village for many families in the Gardere area.

From providing postage stamps to finding a ride to a dentist appointment, the faith-based coalition is a one-stop-shop for the community.

Impacting the Community

The grassroots organization has made an outsize impact in an unincorporated part of the parish that battles crime and poverty. It has done it on a shoestring budget with a paid staff of two and volunteers from community partners and churches that helped get it started 15 years ago.

MLK Day of Service

"It's just bringing all of these people together to improve the lives of people in our community," event organizer Murelle Harrison said.

Prayer Walk

Thursday's walk was also a way to take a symbolic stand against rising crime rates and bring a positive influence to the neighborhood.

Meeting the Needs

"We have kids from all walks of life who have neither WiFi nor any laptops or electronic capabilities, but a lot of times they have to provide reports, access homework, things of that nature," Vilas said. "Now we'll be able to help with that."

A Community’s Response to a Tragic Event

Mileydi Estrada-Cruz, 11, gets a hug and a lift from Abigail Perez, 15, right, as the friends meet at the Gardere Initiative. The Gardere Initiative has worked hard over the last two decades to make Baton Rouge's Gardere neighborhood, formerly a higher-crime area, a safe, family-friendly place to live. In the wake of the Nov. 7 abduction and rape of a 17-year-old Gardere girl by a Livingston Parish man impersonating a police officer.

Gardere uses art to teach kids self-expression

"It's an ultimate way to communicate," said Grant Benoit, an educator with the LSU Museum of Art, which regularly hosts events in Gardere with the goal of making art accessible to everyone.

New Sidewalks for Gardere

Most people would shudder at the thought of walking alongside a busy road to run errands, however when you don’t have a choice, you grit your teeth and bear it.

“I have to travel this road to get where I’m going,” said Dale Bell, who lives on Gardere Lane. “Oh, it’s scary, especially when it gets dark.”

Crime Rates are Dropping

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says back then, Gardere was exploding with crime.

"We had more calls for service come out of this area than any other area that we serviced and a lot of it was violent crimes," said Gautreaux. "We had shootings, we had homicides that were occurring, and we had a lot of robberies."

Be My Neighbor

Buried deep within Baton Rouge is the Gardere neighborhood, a low-income, heavily minority community that often goes overlooked by the city at large. Enter the Gardere Initiative, aimed at keeping the kids of Gardere off the streets, away from drugs and crime and engaged with their neighbors.

Gardere Initiative needs you to help bring positive community change

A community improvement project is taking another step to make a portion of Baton Rouge a better place, but they need your help.

Christmas in Gardere

Songs and prayers filled the night Dec. 22 during Christmas in Gardere. The Gardere Initiative sponsored the event in the Gardere neighborhood.

High school volunteers gathered at 9 a.m. to fill bags with resource information and gift-wrapped books for children. They also prepared about 200 luminaries to be placed around the neighborhood.

Construction on Gardere Lane sidewalks, bike lanes to begin within two years

Trying to walk along Gardere Lane is as dangerous as it is unsightly.

Pedestrians are forced to walk in the street or along ditches where trash bobs in the murky water. Crossing the street is nearly impossible at high-traffic times with no crosswalks, while parents pushing strollers in the road are left at the mercy of drivers who often cannot see them at night.

Gardere Initiative celebrates MLK

Students, teachers and volunteers with the Gardere Initiative gathered Monday for a daylong celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr.

Police, community efforts help Gardere see a turnaround in crime

“That’s all I used to hear in high school was that it was really horrible,” McCaleb said on a recent afternoon as she typed up notes at the Gardere Initiative’s Ned Avenue headquarters. “What I was thinking, what I’d see doesn’t really match. My perception of the neighborhood doesn’t really match what it is.”

Gardere Initiative offers resources, supplies

The diverse group, composed of law enforcement, educators, church groups and medical service groups, gathers each month to plan events that will hopefully get tools of empowerment to Gardere’s children and adults, the Baton Rouge attorney said.

Art Camp

There was a free art camp for two hours in the early afternoon (1 P.M. – 3 P.M.) at 8435 Ned Avenue in Baton Rouge, on April 12, 2014.

The LSU Museum of Art is involved with reaching out to the local community with an effort called the Neighborhood Arts Project.

This event was dubbed the Gardere Initiative and had the added participation of the Red Stick Mobile Farmers Market.

The idea is to provide free art making supplies and activities for children of all ages to explore the possibilities of art.

Recently at the Gardere Initiative

Law Enforcement Day 2024

Gardere Initiative and local law enforcement host community outreach event.

Summer Program Success

Through a series of career building activities like afternoon career workshops and employment readiness skill trainings, an average of 40 students each day were impacted.

18th Back to School Extravaganza

The Clay Young Show

Feeding the Community

Gardere Takes Flight!

Angel Award Honorees Attend Saints Game

BCBS Angel Award Honoree

Gardere’s Ultimate Goal…

Top Crime Fighter

At age 75, Murelle Harrison is regarded as a top crime fighter in one of Baton Rouge’s toughest neighborhoods.

MLK Day of Service

A Safe and Healthy Community

he Gardere Initiative has worked hard over the last two decades to make Baton Rouge's Gardere neighborhood, formerly a higher-crime area, a safe, family-friendly place to live.

Community Job Fair

“Workforce development and career readiness are two significant challenges we presently face in our community,” said EBR District 3 Metropolitan Councilmember Rowdy Gaudet.

It Takes a Village

As the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child.” And local nonprofit Gardere Initiative is that village for many families in the Gardere area.

From providing postage stamps to finding a ride to a dentist appointment, the faith-based coalition is a one-stop-shop for the community.

Impacting the Community

MLK Day of Service

"It's just bringing all of these people together to improve the lives of people in our community," event organizer Murelle Harrison said.

Prayer Walk

Thursday's walk was also a way to take a symbolic stand against rising crime rates and bring a positive influence to the neighborhood.

Meeting the Needs

A Community’s Response to a Tragic Event

Gardere uses art to teach kids self-expression

"It's an ultimate way to communicate," said Grant Benoit, an educator with the LSU Museum of Art, which regularly hosts events in Gardere with the goal of making art accessible to everyone.

New Sidewalks for Gardere

Most people would shudder at the thought of walking alongside a busy road to run errands, however when you don’t have a choice, you grit your teeth and bear it.

“I have to travel this road to get where I’m going,” said Dale Bell, who lives on Gardere Lane. “Oh, it’s scary, especially when it gets dark.”

Crime Rates are Dropping

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says back then, Gardere was exploding with crime.

Be My Neighbor

Gardere Initiative needs you to help bring positive community change

A community improvement project is taking another step to make a portion of Baton Rouge a better place, but they need your help.

Christmas in Gardere

Songs and prayers filled the night Dec. 22 during Christmas in Gardere. The Gardere Initiative sponsored the event in the Gardere neighborhood.

High school volunteers gathered at 9 a.m. to fill bags with resource information and gift-wrapped books for children. They also prepared about 200 luminaries to be placed around the neighborhood.

Construction on Gardere Lane sidewalks, bike lanes to begin within two years

Trying to walk along Gardere Lane is as dangerous as it is unsightly.

Gardere Initiative celebrates MLK

Students, teachers and volunteers with the Gardere Initiative gathered Monday for a daylong celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr.

Police, community efforts help Gardere see a turnaround in crime

Gardere Initiative offers resources, supplies

Art Camp

There was a free art camp for two hours in the early afternoon (1 P.M. – 3 P.M.) at 8435 Ned Avenue in Baton Rouge, on April 12, 2014.

The LSU Museum of Art is involved with reaching out to the local community with an effort called the Neighborhood Arts Project.

This event was dubbed the Gardere Initiative and had the added participation of the Red Stick Mobile Farmers Market.

The idea is to provide free art making supplies and activities for children of all ages to explore the possibilities of art.

March 28, 2026

10 AM to 1 PM

Hartley/Vey Park (1702 Gardere Lane)

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