What’s an Awesome New Orleans trustee? Basically, they are the folks who volunteer to read through the applications, and then meet, discuss and ultimately decide which project will receive the Awesome New Orleans $1000 grant for the month. On top of that, they also pitch in money every month to fund 4 months of grants per year. They are a pretty cool bunch of folks! (Dare I say… AWESOME?!)

This month, we caught up with one of our trustees – Megan Hargroder, who recounts her experience at the very first Awesome NOLA trustee meeting:

Megan Hargroder
Awesome NOLA Trustee

“As fun and AWESOME as it is to be a part of the Awesome New Orleans Trustee Board, choosing just one project every month to fund is HARD. Really hard. Because there are so many amazing projects and ideas submitted that there is never ever a clear winner right off the bat.

In fact, at our first meeting – we ended up at a dead stand still between two projects after two hours of discussion.

We didn’t have a process in place to deal with that, because no one expected the room to be divided so passionately on two different (but equally amazing) projects. We considered (only for a brief moment) to flip a coin, or play rock paper scissors, but those types of tie breakers were quickly vetoed by the group and we ended up establishing a fair protocol for re-voting whenever we had a tie.”

Awesome New Orleans trustees come together monthly with passion and conviction, and often as advocates for projects. But ultimately, we can only choose one per month. It’s a fun process, and it’s constantly evolving. Sound interesting to you? Awesome New Orleans is seeking new trustees! To apply, start by telling our current trustees about yourself.

Awesome New Orleans gives away $1000 each month to projects that make our city…. well, more AWESOME! This month, Ride New Orleans stood out among the 20+ applications with their “Giving Riders the Seat They Deserve” campaign.

On August 17th, Adelaide and Rachel from Ride New Orleans accepted the $1000 check at our August Awesome Hours event at Tru Rootz Natural Hair Salon on Kabel Drive in Algiers.

“Giving Riders the Seat They Deserve” will send a message to decision-makers in New Orleans: invest in a true CBD transfer station that provides basic comforts to current riders and encourages new ridership from tourists and residents who typically drive. More than 40% of RTA riders wait at the transfer point for 45 minutes or longer, and there are no public restrooms, route maps, shelter, and very few places to sit. Awesome New Orleans is happy to support Ride New Orleans in advocating for the rights of bus-riders!

How will they use the money? Ride New Orleans will use the $1000 to host their first action and press conference about the poor conditions at the CBD transfer station. They’ll set up 200+ chairs with signs and handouts explaining that transferring riders should have a place to sit. They plan to develop a campaign video and create outreach materials, as well as capture riders’ reactions with mini video interviews and photos of them relaxing in their seats. During the action/press conference, riders will have a chance to sign a petition and join Ride New Orleans’ efforts.

Thanks again to Tru Rootz for hosting us!!