By: Quinten Baurie
Can we lift up our great city during these uncertain times? How did we get to this point in human development? Well, some would say it was the development of community collaboration that allowed us to get this far. The roots of community development grow deep into the history of humanity. Even until this very day, we can see someone like Frank Briseno striving to lift the community that birthed society’s greatest gifts into existence. Anthills are never built alone, just as the pyramids were built by an entire society of individuals. This tells us that it takes more than one person to lift our social structure into the future of development. Today, Frank can be seen as an example to the rest of the community. Collaborating with Orleans and St.Bernard Parish charities was the key to demonstrating the impact we can have on our collective community. His example is an important one to the citizens of the Greater New Orleans Area because it shows that we can all play our part in this path of progress.
Science has pointed toward the trail of success that often follows happiness. After 225 studies were reviewed throughout the Psychological Bulletin it was found that just working does not automatically cause happiness. They find that, in fact, it is actually the opposite. This review shows that happiness leads to success in work and other areas of life. We aren’t sure if Frank is aware of this, but he is showing that we can all have a collective effect on society if we just take up the task of lifting others up one by one. “According to the study’s findings, happy people seek out and undertake new goals that reinforce their happiness and other positive emotions,” says PsychCentral when relaying the synopsis of the review’s findings. The next question is, How do we induce happiness? We can see The Crisis HMR’s 2017 survey of 500 homeless individuals shows that happiness can be linked to activities, and events held to socially engage with others also strive to succeed. “Good relationships keep us happier and healthier,” said Dr. Robert Waldinger, the lead psychiatrist, and director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development relayed in a “TED Talk” that was released in 2015.
Mr. Briseno knew that it was time to take action so he could help put on an event for the less fortunate. Frank found his chance for collaboration with Covenant House, and The Crisis HMR, on a crawfish boil. Throughout the collaboration, the relationship between the organizations developed so well that Covenant House wanted to double down on the amount of local crawfish that Mr.Briseno brought from Chalmette, totaling 240lbs of crawfish! The spirit of giving is almost as contagious as laughter among friends. We can take the example of Covenant House going above and beyond for its residents as a demonstration of dedication to an underserved community. Frank Briseno looks at this event fondly in relation to his continuous food/disaster relief efforts ever since Katrina. He even volunteered to stay an extra 2 hours to clean up after the event had ended. At the end of the day, we can all take a page out of the book of this moment. We can all see that it is beneficial to collaborate with people, and organizations, that give their time to lift the self-esteem of people going through hardships. Caring about others, just as much as we care about our own self, is the key to understanding each other. These organizations and these people are just one step closer after an event like this. What can we hope for next, amidst these difficult times? Can we be strong enough to lift each other out of this current situation plaguing society, as the COVID pandemic leaves a wake of economic destruction? Only you can decide what happens next in this story we all write together.
