The Neighborhood Leadership Academy  provides hands-on leadership training that emphasizes community building principles, organizational leadership and management practices, and personal leadership skills. More than 170 neighborhood leaders from throughout the St. Louis region have participated in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, learning the skills and building the networks to create livable communities. Each year the NLA brings together a diverse group of current or potential neighborhood leaders who are actively involved in their neighborhoods and represent communities from throughout the St. Louis region. Academy participants may be municipal elected officials, neighborhood association members, community-based organization staff, or resident volunteers.

Enrollment is now open:
10 sessions, February 14-May 22, 2012

Academy sessions are held on select Tuesdays and Saturdays

Registration fee: $400
Scholarships available by need – apply early
Registration deadline: February 8, 2012

For more information or to register online, visit http://ce.umsl.edu/nla or call 314.516.5994.

“Livable Communities don’t just HAPPEN. They are CREATED by the PEOPLE who LIVE in them.”

Send us your pics from around the ward and we’ll post them on the website!

On the last “Rebuilding Day” of this summer, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill joined more than 300 volunteers, most from the Boeing Company, on Red Bud Avenue where more than 400 volunteers helped rehab 15 homes in the 4400 and 4500 blocks. Earlier in the year, another 15 homes were rehabbed on Lee Avenue.

The project is funded through federal community development block grant funds. But it would be impossible to pull off without skilled volunteers who donate their time and expertise.

“It’s a blessing for me, because I couldn’t afford it,” said Janise M. Taylor, one of the lucky homeowners. While volunteers worked upstairs, inspired, Taylor was busy cleaning out her basement. “Everybody’s here to work. That’s put me motivated.”

Dave Ervin, executive director of Rebuilding Together—St. Louis, described the tasks volunteers completed. “We’re fixing electric problems, painting, putting in new flooring, fixing some plumbing. Just making things generally safer and more pleasant for the homeowners.”

The “Rebuilding Days” are more than just making a positive difference for individual residents, said Alderman French.

“We do this about three times a year, where we tackle an entire street and really try to make a big dent in transforming the neighborhood block-by-block.”

Senator McCaskill was able to observe firsthand the rehab effort and progress in the ward, which includes efforts to stem crime and to revitalize the northside community.

“It’s about St. Louis as an urban center remaining strong and vibrant. That’s why these rebuilding efforts are so important,” said McCaskill.

For residents interested in applying for the 21st Ward’s “Block by Block” program, call the 21st Ward Community Office at (314) 769-9000. Organizers caution that there is far more demand than there are resources, so please be patient.

O’FALLON PARK — In what has become an all too familiar scene on Sunday mornings, a man wearing a heavy padded suit waits by a tree in O’Fallon Park as another man, standing about 40 yards away, releases an excited dog from his leash.

The dog darts towards the man in the padded suit and leaps to bite his arm. The man hits the dog with an orange detergent bottle, making the dog angrier and causing him to pull at his arm more violently.

After a few seconds, the man with the leash begins to walk over to the dog, instructing him to let go.

This kind of attack dog training has been going on in O’Fallon Park for years, but thanks to a new law passed by the Board of Aldermen, it is now illegal and carries a hefty $500 fine.

Alderman Antonio French (D-21st Ward) introduced the bill earlier this year. It was just signed into law by the mayor in October. The bill makes any kind of attack dog training in which dogs are taught to attack a human or another animal strictly prohibited. It further mandates that any kind of dog training require a city permit so that such activity can be regulated.

“This issue is very simple,” said French. “The parks are for everyone. No one person or group’s activities should make others feel uncomfortable or unsafe”

French said he has overseen more than a million dollars in investment in O’Fallon Park which has resulted in families returning to the large northside park.

“But on Sunday mornings, when those trainers are there with sometimes as many as a dozen or more dogs, the normal walkers and joggers steer clear. That’s not right. And it no longer will be tolerated.”

The new law went into effect October 20th.

The new Save-A-Lot Food Store opened its doors this month at 4447 Natural Bridge, the site of the old Renderers Drug Store. The new store boasts a nice selection of fresh, healthy vegetables and fruits, as well as affordable prices on other foods — up to 40 percent savings compared to conventional grocery stores, according to the company.

Save-A-Lot is one of the nation’s leading extreme value, carefully selected assortment grocery chains, operating nearly 1,200 value-oriented stores in all types of neighborhoods — urban, rural and suburban.

The Save-A-Lot grocery store network spans from Maine to California, serving more than 4 million shoppers each week. Customers enjoy grocery store bargains on exclusive Save-A-Lot brands and national brands, plus USDA-inspected beef, pork and poultry, farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and non-food items.

“It’s great to see new businesses coming to the 21st Ward,” said Alderman Antonio French. “Especially one that will provide affordable fresh fruits and vegetables in our community.”

The company has local roots. In 1977, company founder and Illinois native Bill Moran developed a business model that would allow small grocery stores to compete against large chain groceries by offering a limited number of high-quality products. The first Save-A-Lot opened in Cahokia, Ill. in 1977.

Later that year, General Grocer Co., working from Moran’s model, opened five more stores in the St. Louis area. By the next year, the store had 20 additional locations. Just three years later, it had 52 locations and a  large warehouse located in Jackson, Tenn.

Now, Save-A-Lot is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest grocery companies in the United States. It also owns the Shop’n Save chain, which will oversee this location’s pharmacy services.

According to the Save-A-Lot website, the company’s goal is to offer “great food, great prices, great people.” Because they have their own highly efficient supply chain, they are able to offer their own house brands (including Baumann’s Best, Cowboy Billy’s, Ferratto’s and World’s Fair) at a price far below their competitors’.

The company adds that it strives to create a positive shopping experience for its customers by making sure stores are clean, bright, and staffed by helpful, friendly and respectful staff.

Save-A-Lot says it also strives to be “consumer-centric,” and hopes to save customers time previously spent comparison-shopping. They also hope that the money customers save on food  can be used for having fun with their families.

In addition to fresh produce, the store carries basic staples that can be used to cook healthy meals, including a variety of frozen foods; rice, pasta and beans; hot breakfast cereals; and baking supplies.

They will also be a convenient stop-off for young families, as they carry a number of baby supplies, baby foods, and household supplies.

One of Save-A-Lot’s primary goals is to promote healthy eating on a budget, and offers options for shoppers who want a healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner for under $5. They also have options for those who are on special diets, including diabetics.

The company’s resident nutrition experts advise those looking to purchase healthy food to “shop the perimeter,” of the store, where they stock fresh fruits and vegetables, plus meat and dairy products.

They also advise shoppers to purchase less fatty meats, such as chicken breasts, fish, turkey and lean beef, and to choose skim over whole milk.

Save-A-Lot says it also has healthy options in its aisles, including whole wheat breads and rolls and frozen fruits and vegetables, which have more vitamins than canned. Beans and rice can be a low-fat-, healthy alternative to meat that also saves quite a bit on a weekly food budget. They also advise people to shop on a full stomach, in order to resist the pull of sugary or salty snack foods, which only offer empty calories.

The company’s website, save-a-lot.com, offers special offers, a Smart Shoppers’ Club, recipes, and advice on how to shop healthy on a budget.