While the needs of the community have changed over the years, we have retained our fundamental mission to educate children, strengthen families and build community. We are proud of our rich history of helping to improve the lives of families in the community, whether helping immigrants settle in New Orleans during the end of the 19th century, providing children and families with educational, developmental and recreational opportunities throughout the 20th century, or helping residents resettle and recover after Hurricane Katrina in the 21st century.
Leucht of Touro Synagogue, as the first settlement house in the South, Kingsley House was established to help immigrants overcome language, cultural, social and family displacement barriers as they settled in New Orleans. Eleanor McMain was instrumental in shaping the organization into a model of excellence in the field of social work.
After taking over day-to-day operations as head resident in , she ensured the programs offered were comparable to any in the country to meet the needs of residents and the surrounding community. In fact, she helped establish the Tulane School of Social Work, which was formally instituted at the historic campus in and is the fifth-oldest school of social work in the country. Her vision and legacy continue to shape the mission of the organization to this day. Staff have always actively identified problems facing the community and worked together with key stakeholders to develop solutions.
For example, staff and members gathered facts about tuberculosis and formed the Anti-Tuberculosis League, where doctors provided free health clinical visits and checkups. The organization also worked to pass a child labor law and helped eradicate yellow fever by screening windows and cisterns throughout the neighborhood. In addition, classes were offered to teach valuable trade skills and general education. In fact, the first kindergarten in the state of Louisiana was introduced by Kingsley House and was provided free of charge to children living in the neighborhood.
Lighthouse for the Blind also evolved from on-campus classes for the sight impaired in Throughout history, we have been a recreational, educational and social center for thousands upon thousands of youth in the surrounding area, particularly among residents of the adjacent St. Thomas housing development which was erected in the s. Over the years, a myriad of sporting events, dances and other recreational activities have been held on our grounds. Our swimming pool, which opened in , was the first integrated pool in the city of New Orleans and provided all children in the area with hours of enjoyment and much needed swim instruction during the sweltering summer months.
