Congratulations to reference librarian, Sonnet Ireland, who was selected to be a part of Leadership Northshore’s Class of 2019.
“I have really enjoyed my time with Leadership North Shore. I have made so many strong connections to people that I might never have met otherwise,” says Sonnet. “I also have a better understanding of St. Tammany Parish and everything that it offers.”
As part of the program, Sonnet will be working with a team to develop the Let It Grow project, which aims to teach underprivileged children about gardening and growing their own food. While Sonnet knows that these skills can still be learned from books, she believes there is no substitute for hands-on experience.
“I am very excited about Let It Grow. I think many skills that were once common knowledge are being lost to future generations,” says Sonnet.
Let It Grow will connect community partners like Northshore Ace Hardware, the Garden Spot, the National Association of Women in Construction, Slidell Memorial Hospital, Ochsner, the St. Tammany Master Gardener Association, and the Northshore High School Agriculture Department with the Slidell Unit of Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Louisiana to create a sustainable community gardening program to help children improve their nutrition, mental health, stress levels, and self-esteem.
“My hope is that this project will expose children to a healthy outlet that may turn into a lifelong hobby or even spark an interest in a future career,” says Sonnet.
