Update: Workers at the Bricolage location said they were paid for two of the three weeks they worked Wednesday evening.
Coach Lee Anderson reported that he would be paying the workers at Dryades YMCA Wednesday evening also. We are working to confirm this.
As of Wednesday night, The Hangout NOLA had still not been paid.
Original report here: Hundreds of parents across New Orleans are left scrambling to find childcare this week after they said their camps were abruptly canceled.
Camp leaders at two of the three locations said they had to close this week due to funding concerns.
We’re talking about the Asher Institute NOLA Summer Camp.
WDSU Reporter Shay O’Connor was at The Hangout NOLA, one of the locations with who camp leaders said is on the hook.
LaKee Moss, a parent said, “I was like so this is real? They are really closing camp? It was unexpected. It was disappointing. It was shocking.”
Moss is one of over a hundred parents who were told over the weekend that their kids’ camp was closed.
Moss said the free camp was something she needed as a positive outlet for her son while she was at work.
Moss said, ‘This is going to make me emotional. But just to have not had to find a babysitter. To not have had to worry about where he was while I’m at work. We didn’t even have to send food or anything.”
The Asher Institute NOLA Summer Camp was promoted as free to students. The sponsor is Lee Anderson. He is the stepdad of Pelicans Player Zion Williamson. Leaders from both the Hangout NOLA in New Orleans East and the Bricolage location said they provided the space and instructors for the camp but were forced to close their doors weeks later. They said they were promised money by Anderson that they never received.
Angell Love was an instructor at the Hangout NOLA. She was stunned when she received a pay stub days ago with no check.
“What do we do? We want to keep our families here. But we need money to run the space. People have livelihoods. I’m an instructor. This is my only pay for the summer.”
Raynard Bender, the CEO of The Hangout NOLA, said, “There were promises that were made, and unfortunately, those promises weren’t kept. I honestly don’t feel like it was in any kind of malice.”
Camp leaders at Bricolage said their camp was supposed to end this Friday, but they ended camp early after they did not receive pay for their staff. Leaders said there was no need to continue working if money was not coming through for the instructors who worked so hard.
Bender said from the start, he was never given the full money Anderson agreed to pay him for his space months ago. Which put a strain on his business. But he said he continued for weeks without pay out of love for the kids.
“Even though we had not received the money for our venue, I still kept going for four weeks because I wanted to make sure the staff and students were taken care of.. But when my staff didn’t get paid, that was like the last straw.”
Lee Anderson with the Asher Institute said, ” I am sorry about the situation at hand right now. But certainly, the salaries they alluded to as the reason for not wanting to move forward. Everyone should receive pay by Wednesday.
Anderson said camp would continue at the third location over at Dryades YMCA, although leaders there said they also have not been paid this last pay period.
WDSU spoke with Coach Anderson who said there were technical difficulties with his bank that prevented checks from being delivered.
He said the payments will be received this week.
In the meantime, the Hangout NOLA has started a fundraiser in hoping to raise enough money to be able to resume camp at least until the date they were supposed to end on August 1st.
To donate to the camp, press this link:
Fundraiser by Ray Bender : Urgent Help Needed for Youth Camp Reopening
READ MORE:Hundreds of New Orleans parents left scrambling for childcare after two summer camps close abruptly
