About Us

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THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO I.N.S.P.I.R.E. STUDENTS TO INCREASE THE QUALITY OF THEIR READING BY RECOGNIZING AND REWARDING THEM FOR THEIR EFFORTS.

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I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Rewards & Recognition Program

Program Design

The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Rewards & Recognition Program motivates students to read for pleasure through positive reinforcement. By combining student choice with exciting incentives, we inspire readers at all levels to explore new stories, build academic confidence, and celebrate their accomplishments.

How It Works

The program uses school-approved reading management tools to track students' progress. Students begin by selecting books from curated reading lists tailored to their reading levels and interests. After finishing a book, they complete interactive comprehension activities to demonstrate mastery. Successful completion earns students "BUCKS" points that reflect their hard work and dedication. Students can exchange their points for high-interest rewards showcased all around the school, such as TVs, tech gadgets, toys, mountain bikes, and more.

Why Reading for Pleasure Matters

Research shows that reading for enjoyment is one of the most effective ways to boost student achievement. Regular independent reading directly enhances vocabulary, language mastery, critical comprehension, creative writing, and overall confidence inside and outside the classroom.

Unlocking Potential Through Recognition

Children thrive when their hard work is recognized and celebrated. The I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Program does more than hand out prizes. It strengthens self-esteem, builds healthy habits, and opens doors to the endless possibilities that literacy unlocks.

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Special program inspires children to read

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Leadership

Micah Blunt

Micah Blunt

Founder/Executive Director

Micah J. Blunt, husband, father, mentor, coach, and non-profit founder of I.N.S.P.I.R.E. RR, Inc., is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from East Jefferson High School and was the first player selected in Louisiana to be named to the distinguished McDonalds Top- Twenty High School All-American Basketball Team. He attended Tulane University on a full athletic scholarship while Captain of the men’s basketball team and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education. Upon graduating from Tulane, he was drafted by the NBA World Champion Los Angeles Lakers in 1982.

After a brief stint in the NBA and CBA, he continued a ten-year professional basketball career in Europe, where he won 5 championships in one season (European Guinness Book of World Records) while playing in the United Kingdom (England, Italy, and France and reigning MVP of the English Professional Basketball League. Upon his return to the United States, Micah embarked onto an NCAA-Div. I collegiate coaching career having coached Men and Women’s Basketball at three universities; Fairleigh- Dickinson University and CSUS- Sacramento State (Men) and George Mason University (Women) Basketball Coach. During his coaching tenure, his men’s team (FDU) played in the postseason NIT, and the GMU women’s team finished as conference champion runner-up.

Over the past 20 years, Micah has had a career in Human Resources Management and Leadership. His experience as a director, manager, and generalist in different industries such as Logistics and Distribution Centers, Poultry Industry, Corporate HR, Food Service Industry, Mfg., HealthCare, and the Gaming Industry. His unique sets of skills and knowledge are a perfect fit for serving people in the human capital industry.

Micah’s longtime community involvement goes back to his school days as a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Big Brothers, and Special Olympics Volunteer. His community involvement led to the creation of I.N.S.P.I.R.E. RR, Inc., a Rewards and Recognition Program for reading.

Micah is the father of Marie and Myles Blunt.

Micah Blunt
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Board of Directors

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Ethel Julien

President

Ethel Julien

President

After serving as judge ad hoc in the Orleans Parish Juvenile court and Judge pro tem Civil District Court, Division “A”, Ethel Julien was elected judge of the Civil District Division “N” where she has served since September 1995. For a brief period in 2000, the Louisiana State Supreme Court-appointed her ad hoc to the First Circuit Court of Appeal to assist in reducing the docket.

Judge Julien has worked tirelessly to encourage student advancement in education, having assisted in the founding of three different scholarship committees: The Austerlitz Street Baptist Church Scholarship fund, The First District Missionary Association Scholarship Fund as well as the Cornerstone Missionary Baptist General Association Scholarship Committee. Through these and other activities, young people are shown that education is valued and necessary.

She serves as Superintendent of her church Sunday school. She has three stepdaughters and three grandchildren.

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Ken Raymond, Jr.

Ken Raymond, Jr.

Ken Raymond, Jr. is a Vice-President & Employee Benefits Consultant for HUB International. Raised in Metairie, LA he graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School as a 2x letterman in Swimming. While at Rummel, he also participated in Seniors Teaching Underclassmen Discipleship and Spirituality (STUDS) and Big Brother. He then attended Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing. Shortly after graduation, he began his career in Employee Benefits with HUB International.

Ken has grown with and through HUB International over the last 15+ years. He has held an ascending array of positions within the company’s Employee Benefits division. He began as a Benefits Analyst marketing clients’ employee benefits offerings, later moving into a strategic client facing role of Account Manager. More recently, he has served as an Employee Benefits Consultant. As Benefits Consultant, Ken is responsible for managing all aspects of his team and their clients’ employee benefits programs while also acting as a seamless extension of their clients’ Human Resources team. In 2018, Ken was promoted to Vice-President and was also invited to join HUB Gulf South’s Employee Benefits Leadership Team. As a Vice-President, Ken leads a team of employee benefits professionals, leads client meetings, engages in business development, and initiates and participates in community outreach through HUB
GIVES. Through his career with HUB, Ken has been a part of the company’s initiatives to retain a boutique brokerage experience for its clients, while rising to the 5 th largest insurance brokerage in the world!

Ken and his team manage a company’s second largest expense behind payroll through tailored solutions, financial consulting, and client advocacy. His experience includes working with non-profits, schools, retailers, oil and gas companies, grocery stores, law firms, hospitality, technology, and staffing firms. Through working with diverse industries, Ken has learned how to assimilate with anyone and have whoever he is talking with feel embraced.

Ken is a firm believer that doing good by others brings value to our lives. This guiding principle shapes Ken’s outlook professionally and personally, steering him to spend his time and efforts being the light in someone’s day.

Ken is the loving husband to Tracey Henneman Raymond. Together they are the proud parents of their outgoing, charismatic, and energetic son Ryan.

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Board Members

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Ro Brown

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Sports Journalist
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Jeremy Tobias

Peak Momentum
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Stephen Smith Jr

Peak Momentum
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Carmen Jones

New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame

Carmen Jones

Carmen Jones has been a dedicated educator, coach, and mentor for over 20 years. Carmen was a standout athlete at Eleanor McMain Secondary School in New Orleans which led to a Hall of Fame Career at Tulane University where she received a degree from the Freeman School of Business. She later received a Master’s degree in Education from the University Of New Orleans. Carmen decided to become an educator so that she could share her life experiences and inspire students and athletes in the way that she was inspired by her wonderful teachers with an unwavering commitment to student growth and development.  Her favorite quote is: “Your Reputation comes from other people’s thoughts; Your Character comes from your own spiritual blessings.” 

Carmen is known to be guided by an inner strength that she often displays through kindness and support as well as an innate desire to achieve. 

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Trikelle Otkins

Pierre A. Capdau School Principal

Trikelle Otkins 

Ms. Trikelle Otkins is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. She began her educational journey in the New Orleans Public Schools, attending Lafayette Elementary School, and later graduated from Eleanor McMain Magnet High School. Following high school, Ms. Otkins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Southern University of New Orleans. She continued her academic pursuits by obtaining a master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and later an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.

As a rising leader in education, Ms. Otkins was selected as a candidate for the Tennessee Governor’s Leadership Academy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where she successfully completed the program and earned a certificate in educational leadership.

With a career spanning nearly three decades, Ms. Otkins has proudly served as an educator, transformational leader, and steadfast advocate for educational equity since 1996. She currently serves as the school leader of Pierre A. Capdau STEAM Charter School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she is committed to academic excellence, innovation, and cultivating a strong school culture centered on student success.

Ms. Otkins is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, where she lives by the organization’s principle of being “of Service to All Mankind.”

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Board Members

Hall of Fame

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    Paula Brown

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    Kendal Francis

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    Angélique Reed

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    Caycee Allen Francis

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    Debra Dean