Donate
Apply For Services

Who We Are

Mission

Our mission is to assist aging adults in our communities, to age in place safely, by offering supportive care and personal assistance at no or low affordable cost.

Vision

Our vision is to increase awareness, and educate society on the concerns, needs, and desires of the aging adults in our communities, and to raise funds to offer the supportive care and personal assistance required to allow them to age in place, safely.

Cassondra Ferrand

A Note From the President and Founder

Can you remember a time when “the neighborhood” took care of their elderly neighbors? They would stop to see if “Mrs. Sara” needed anything from the grocery, or if “Mr. Bob” had his medications. Sadly, that kind assistance is no longer common place. There are more “aging adults” in our communities than ever before. The 2020 Census found that the older population grew almost five times faster than the total population. This increase is largely due to the aging of the Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, post-World War II. As of 2026, the first Baby Boomers, those born in 1946, will turn 80 years old, and it is projected that the number of Americans ages 65 and older will increase from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050. Please join the supporters of The Bourg Society and Adopt an Aging Adult. Most of their limited incomes cannot afford paid caregivers to assist in the activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living, such as personal hygiene assistance, meal preparation, dressing and grooming, and statistics show that 1 in every 5 aging adults prefer to “Age in Place”, and those who do, tend to have a longer life expectancy. ” Aging in Place,” refers to individuals that prefer to remain in their own homes if they can do so, safely. With supporters like you, we will bring quality of life to those seniors in their declining years.

What We Do

Non-medical care and assistance at home refers to supportive services provided to individuals—often seniors, those with disabilities, or people recovering from illness—that help them maintain independence and a good quality of life without involving medical treatment. These services typically include help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, light housekeeping, mobility support, companionship, and transportation to appointments or errands. The focus is on enhancing comfort and safety within the familiar surroundings of home, promoting autonomy, and reducing the need for institutional care.

We do not provide medical or nursing services. Non-medical home care does not require a doctor’s prescription and is often provided by trained caregivers or aides rather than licensed healthcare professionals.

Elisabet Trujillo

Elisabet Trujillo

Elisabet Trujillo is a dedicated Nutrition and Community Health Agent with a passion for promoting health and wellness in underserved communities. She began her journey at the LSU AgCenter in July 2022 under the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), teaching youth nutrition education in low-income schools, community centers, and after-school programs. In January 2024, she transitioned her role to work with the Flavors of Health program, where she completes food demonstrations and nutrition education workshops with adults and youth while recruiting partners willing to sponsor class activities. Elisabet is also involved in Healthy Communities policy systems and environmental change projects, collaborating with partners to create long-term health initiatives. While working full-time with the Flavors of Health program, Elisabet is completing her master’s in public administration part-time at LSU Baton Rouge. She currently holds a bachelor’s in nutrition and food science and has completed Tulane’s dietetic internship. 

Zoe Ferrand

Zoe Ferrand

Zoë is a dedicated communication doctoral student, educator, and filmmaker who combines rigorous academic inquiry with practical application in the arts. Focusing on how media and communication shape societal narratives, Zoë explores innovative ways to engage audiences through film and education.

In addition to academic pursuits, Zoë serves as the recording secretary for The Bourg Society, where she also coordinates events and initiatives.

Outside of work, Zoë enjoys leveraging her filmmaking skills to produce short films that address critical social issues. She believes in the transformative power of storytelling to evoke change and raise awareness.

Rio

Rio

Rio is a passionate professional with a diverse background in social work, architecture, interior design, and real estate. Rio holds a master’s degree in social work, from the University of Pittsburgh and an undergraduate from Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL. She is deeply committed to helping others, driven by her profound faith in God, that shapes her personal and professional endeavors.

Rio is currently a 2026 candidate for a Master of Architecture degree from Tulane University. She integrates creativity with compassion, believing that design has the power to improve lives and communities. Certified in interior design, Rio applies an eye for detail to create functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces that promote well-being.

As a licensed real estate agent, Rio assists clients in navigating the complexities of property transactions with a focus on their needs and aspirations. With a holistic approach to both design and social work, Rio strives to make a lasting positive impact on individuals and communities alike.

As The Bourg Society evolves into safe and affordable personal care homes, for the aging adult, Rio’s unique eye for design, comfort, and safety, will be invaluable to the organization’s continued desire to offer quality of life, throughout life, to the aging adults in our community.

Ari ferrand-goodwin

Ari Ferrand-Goodwin

Ari Ferrand-Goodwin serves as the Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development. In this role, she leads initiatives to attract and retain top talent, support workforce development, and streamline HR operations. Ari focuses on building organizational capacity through targeted training, development programs, and employee engagement initiatives that support the agency’s mission and evolving workforce needs.

Before joining NOPB, Ari worked in the private sector where she developed and implemented comprehensive HR strategies, supported leadership through complex organizational changes, and built foundational systems to improve efficiency and employee support. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism from Nicholls State University and an MBA in Human Resources Management from Capella University.

Ari is certified as a Human Resources Professional through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-CP) and is a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) through the Project Management Institute.

Regina Wilkins

Regina Wilkins

Regina Wilkins brings extensive experience in corporate relations, nonprofit governance, strategic planning, funding and communications. Having worked in corporate, government and nonprofit arenas, she draws upon a wide range of expertise to collaborate with board members, volunteers and external stakeholders.

Regina has served as Board Chair of the Marigny Opera House in the past, as well as a volunteer and board member of various other boards in the New Orleans area. Currently she is an active member of the Historic Faubourg Treme Association and the City of New Orleans’s Rampart Street Working Group, working to improve safety, mobility and quality of life in the Treme neighborhood. She brings experience in sales and other funding mechanisms, crisis communications, marketing, strategic planning, spanning Fortune 500 public corporations, private industry, local government, and nonprofit organizations. She currently serves as the Director of Communications and Development at the Pontchartrain Conservancy and as a member of the Communications Committee of Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Regina holds a Master of Fines Art from Western Michigan University and a Certificate in Fundraising Copywriting from the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy. After several moves for college, graduate school and career, she moved to New Orleans in 2003 and has lived on the same block in Treme since then. She is an avid photographer, loves true crime podcasts and is passionate about leaving the world better than she found it. She and her husband love to travel, and they always love coming home to New Orleans.

Rachel Banks

Rachel Banks

Rae is a native New Orleanian, however she spent her formative years in Detroit, Michigan. She is the mother of three amazing young people whom she absolutely adores.

Rae has worked in operations in charter schools since 2015. She is dedicated to blurring the line between private and public education, by seeking adequate and exceptional resources for the total student experience.

She is dedicated to lending her expertise in creating data systems to the non-profit private sector missions that strike her interest in life-changing work such as The Bourg Society.

Andretta Allen

Andretta Allen

Andretta is a New Orleans native and the mother of two sons. She is a graduate of New Orleans Public Schools, Dillard University and Tulane University School of Social Work. Andretta has worked as a Social Worker in New Orleans Public Schools, University Medical Center and Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital. Having now retired she spends her time reading, gardesning and learning Kiswahili and Spanish.

Helping people live better lives has been Andretta’s motivation professionally and personally. That motivation has not diminished in retirement. The Bourg Society is the perfect opportunity to use the knowledge she gained in the over 25 years of professional work.

Marianna Don

Marianna Don

As Chief Operating Officer for the St. Margaret’s Group in New Orleans, Marianna Roppolo Dion brings a deep and enduring commitment to both community and healthcare. A proud alumna of Huntingdon College, where she earned her liberal arts degree, Marianna felt a strong calling to return to her beloved hometown in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Motivated by a deep sense of responsibility and compassion, she dedicated herself to helping rebuild the fabric of the city and supporting those most in need.

For nearly 16 years, Marianna has played an integral role within the St. Margaret’s organization, serving an often-underserved population through a wide range of leadership roles. Her steady presence and consistent advocacy have helped shape a culture centered on dignity, access, and quality of care. Her passion for delivering compassionate, high-quality care in the face of a constantly evolving healthcare landscape continues to be a tremendous asset to the team and the community they serve. Through her leadership, she exemplifies a steadfast commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

fumnanya

Fumnanya Okokwu-Sartin

Fumnanya Okokwu-Sartin is a dedicated 9th-grade Environmental Science educator, and a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at Xavier University of Louisiana. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Miles College and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Passionate about sustainability, equity, and student empowerment, she integrates hands-on, real-world learning experiences into her classroom to inspire students as environmental stewards and critical thinkers.

Fumnanya is deeply committed to fostering community partnerships and creating meaningful educational opportunities that prepare young people to lead with purpose and resilience.

As a self-proclaimed “granddaddy’s little girl,” she is an advocate of supporting the care and comfort of the aging adult. She understands the importance of allowing one to age in place safely to foster a sense of independence and security.

In her limited spare time, she enjoys fitness and exercising, cooking, gardening, shopping, family time, and outdoor events.

Cassondra Ferrand

Cassondra Ferrand

As founder and CEO of The Bourg Society, Cassondra Ferrand has over 40 years of nursing experience in a variety of areas such as med-surg, dialysis, pediatrics, school health, critical care, transplant, home health, surgery/recovery, and her most beloved geriatrics. She has spent many years in school health and has served as a nursing supervisor at many of the areas’ long-term care facilities.

Cassondra is a member of the American Society on Aging, the National Association and Louisiana School Nurse Organizations. She has also served on the Board of the Louisiana School Based Health Initiative and is also a senior fitness coach.

She is a baccalaureate prepared registered nurse and has a master’s degree from the University of Louisiana Monroe in gerontology. She received her undergraduate from Mississippi University for Women, in Columbus, MS. She is a native New Orleanian, and except for 10 years spent in Mississippi and Texas, for education and career, she has been a resident of the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans.

Along with enhancing the lives of aging adults, and The Bourg Society, she works in her other passion, school health. She enjoys reading historical nonfiction, and loves being on, or near the water. She is married and has three adult daughters.