LCAI Launches New Construction Seminar for Contractors

New Orleans resident Zachary Addison is an apprentice with Boudreaux Builders in Madisonville, Louisiana. Here, Zachary Addison shadows the business’ owner to learn about the design and construction of custom residential homes and commercial construction.

In June, the Louisiana Contractors Accreditation Institute began a new residential contractors seminar that would help contractors benefit from business opportunities. The seminar is the culmination of the program for general contractors that began in 2016, and its purpose is to focus on new residential construction and home renovation projects.

Started through the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), the seminar has educated 750 participants since its inception. The ten-week course was offered from June to August and focused primarily on residential construction with topics such as building calculations, demolition, construction, foundations, wood framing techniques, and a number of other related topics.

The program was accessible online throughout Louisiana through interactive distance learning. Enrollment for the program was available on a first-come, first-served basis. For information regarding this seminar, visit opportunitylouisiana.com/LCAI-RC. 

The Evolution of Basketball

A former manager in the food and beverage industry, Zachary Addison lives in the New Orleans area. In his free time, Zachary Addison enjoys watching Pelicans basketball games. Basketball is one of the oldest popular sports played in America, and was invented by the Canadian-American athlete and educator James Naismith at the end of 1891.

Naismith was a physical education instructor at the International Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In the first game, held on December 1st, he used two half-bushel peach baskets as goals, which is also the explanation for the sport's name. After that, basketball became popular at the school, with the number of players varying with the playing area's size.

In addition to being popular in the US, basketball quickly spread to Canada. In 1893, it was introduced in France, and it arrived in England in 1894. Teams like the Original Celtics were formed in the first three decades of the 20th century. In 1914, when the World War I broke out, the American Expeditionary Force shared basketball wherever it went.

Basketball slowly grew in popularity during the first three decades following World War II. It was popularized by television in the 80s with the advent of cable television, where players such as Larry Bird, Julius Erving, and Earvin "Magic" Johnson achieved superstar status. 

Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson Honored as NBA Award Recipients

An apprentice at Boudreaux Builders in Madisonville, Louisiana, Zachary Addison stays physically active by playing basketball in his free time. Also a fan of the game, Zachary Addison enjoys cheering on the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 2019-20 season ended in disappointment for the Pelicans, with the team failing to reach the NBA playoffs. All was not lost for the year, however, since September brought news that multiple Pelicans players had won 2019-20 NBA Awards.

Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram followed a season in which he notched his first All-Star selection by earning the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. Traded to the Pelicans in July of 2019, the 6-foot-7-inch North Carolina native averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and assists in his first year in New Orleans.

Joining Ingram as an NBA Award winner was Pelicans teammate Zion Williamson, who earned a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. The superstar forward, who also finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, logged a scoring average higher than any rookie since Michael Jordan in his first 24 games in New Orleans. Like Ingram, Williamson played his college ball at Duke, from which he was the No. 1 pick of the Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft. 

This Is How Children's Miracle Network Is Keeping Children Healthy

Zachary Addison has more than two decades of working and managerial experience in the restaurant industry. Outside of work, New Orleans resident Zachary Addison supports a number of charities. One of the charities that he supported recently was the Children's Miracle Network.

The Children's Miracle Network (CMN) is a charitable organization that raises funds for children's hospitals and medical research and also advocates on behalf of children's health issues. The organization, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, donates the funds it raises annually to a network of 170 pediatric hospitals in the US and Canada.

CMN started in 1983 with a televised fundraiser and has grown to host various fundraising activities, including college and university dance marathons, gaming marathons, radiothons, telethons, and local fundraising events like fruit stand sales and party events. It also raises funds through its partnership with retail centers by selling branded items to the public.

CMN has formal partnerships with more than 80 corporations and organizations to raise funds for its activities. Its fundraising events are usually community-based, with the proceeds allocated to treating local children with special medical needs in its partner hospitals in the region, providing medical equipment for them, and sponsoring research into ailments that afflict children. Approximately 17 million children benefit each year from treatments funded by CMN.