Where is Reconcile today?
Though Father Tompson died in 2001, his legacy flourishes in the daily activities of the Reconcile programs. To date, Reconcile New Orleans’ Workforce Development Program has successfully graduated more than 500 youth between the ages of 16 and 22. These students leave the nine-week program with basic life skills, interpersonal skills and work skills, enabling and empowering them to successfully enter the workforce.
Currently housed in a five-story, 12,000 square foot building reclaimed in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans, Reconcile New Orleans strives to provide:
- youth from at-risk communities with an opportunity to learn the life, job, and educational skills necessary for successful entry into the food service and construction industries.
- a cornerstone for the economic recovery of the Central City neighborhood.
- services to address unmet neighborhood needs, such as GED education, computer literacy, parenting skills, and organizational support for aspiring local entrepreneurs.
- a gathering place where people of goodwill can work together to solve difficult social problems.
Ways to help
Founding
In 1996, Rev. Harry Tompson, S.J., then pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, joined with concerned community members Craig Cuccia and Tim Falcon to address the system of neglect, violence, and generational poverty that had plagued out-of-school youth in New Orleans’ troubled Central City neighborhood. Gathering with likeminded community activists in prayer, research, and dialogue, the group worked hard to understand the difficult social reality.
They consulted newspapers, police reports, television news, and existing research, and they shared their own personal experiences in order to pinpoint the causes and effects of such widespread destructive behavior and economic stagnation.
In an effort to stem the tide of violence, and to generate a glimmer of hope for the community’s young people, the group began to develop a model to provide a safe and supportive place where at-risk youth could gather and grow. The initial goals were simple: 1) provide young people who desired a change with a chance to gain the life, work and educational skills necessary to put themselves on a productive path; and 2) establish a positive presence in the Central City neighborhood, helping to restore a sense of community and stimulate economic growth.
Using funds from generous donors, the founders purchased a blighted but historic five-story building in the heart of Central City to serve as the center of Reconcile’s operations and be the cornerstone for the broader rehabilitation of the neighborhood. The corner lot on which the building is situated was, at the time, a hotbed for drug activity and prostitution.
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Sweet Shop
To establish a positive presence in the community, the founders opened a sweet shop, called “Sweet T,” in a small room on the ground floor. Neighborhood youth quickly began gathering at the shop to get a tasty treat, and before long the founders noticed that the young people were sticking around to talk, make friends and, for many, avoid the negative situations awaiting them at home. Sweet T was operated by Mr. Tyrone Hall, Reconcile’s first success story and social entrepreneur. A lifelong resident of Central City, Mr. Tyrone now owns a local courier service. He has served on Reconcile’s board of directors, and he remains closely tied to the mission and the community.
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Café Reconcile
With Sweet T as a foundation, Café Reconcile opened for business on September 5, 2000, providing an environment for the kind of life-skills and job training that had been the founders’ dream. In addition to being recognized as a pioneer in culinary training and life skills development, Café Reconcile quickly earned praise from local and national food critics (including Gambit Weekly and Zagat) for the quality of the food served. Since opening, Café Reconcile has successfully trained more than 500 young people (ages 16-22), placing them in jobs in restaurants, hospitals, and other food services providers in New Orleans.
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Katrina and Response
Hurricane Katrina dealt a devastating blow to the entire city. Though Café Reconcile sustained significant damage, the Central City neighborhood was spared the kind of large scale flooding that had affected other parts of the city. With lots of hard work and determination to move forward, Café Reconcile was among first 12 restaurants to re-open in New Orleans, just five weeks after the storm. The workforce development program was suspended for nearly a year, but Reconcile staff members served lunch to first responders and other disaster relief providers. The efforts of the Reconcile community were recognized by the President, when founder Craig Cuccia was invited to attend the State of the Union Address in 2006 as a guest of honor.
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Construction Program
Aware of the city’s dire need for skilled construction workers to help with rebuilding, Reconcile launched a construction training program in 2006 to complement the culinary training program that had been in place for years.
