Discover Lafayette

Justin and Marie Centanni joined Discover Lafayette to share their journey together and how they work as a team to support each other. Independently successful in their own fields, you'll hear in this interview how their loving bond makes each of them stronger to tackle the myriad of family, work, and political issues that come their way.

Marie and Justin Centanni on their wedding day in 2004.

The couple met while in college at a Kappa Alpha Rush party, and Marie jokingly added, "I'm 5'10". I looked over and saw a boy taller than me! He was well-dressed and smart," and Marie was impressed. They were friends for years and were married after she graduated with a Master in Legislative Affairs at the George Washington University in 2004.

Marie's interest in politics stems back to her early college days as a Page in the Louisiana House of Representatives where when she met Cavan Bordelon who was a general assignments reporter for KLFY. He showed her how a full day of news could be broken down into "one piece of paper" that could be shared easily on the evening news. For the first time in her life, "I became so interested in state government and civic life, which had been so foreign to me in my own upbringing" in a family immersed in the medical field. She was hooked and went on to work at KLFY in Lafayette for two years and eventually at WAFB in Baton Rouge as a Capitol Correspondent.

Marie had met Gov. Kathleen Blanco while she was at UL-Lafayette and had the honor of serving as her Press Secretary following the double-hit of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She spoke of Blanco's kindness and strength as well as how she cared for her staff members. Blanco's decision not to run for a second term as governor was a poignant one, as Marie stated, "She was the last bi-partisan governor that we'll see. The national party politics that focused on Louisiana (post-Katrina) divided our state and I don't know that we'll ever see that division come back together."

With Blanco's retirement, Marie started Centanni Communications in 2009, where she helps people and organizations achieve their goals through targeted messaging and legislative strategy. Additionally, she serves as Director of Public Affairs at Louisiana Association of Business and Industry ("LABI"), where she calls upon her news skills to relay what's going on at the State Capitol in a precise, memorable, easily understand, and impactful way to its members. Marie also serves as Program Facilitator for the Council for a Better Louisiana's Leadership Louisiana.

Marie and Justin Centanni at the groundbreaking of Southside High School.

Justin Centanni is a graduate of Nicholls State University in Computer Information Systems, and the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts in Natchitoches. He has worked with IBERIABANK since 2010 when he and Marie moved back to Lafayette, where they had always wanted to live. Working at the downtown branch, Justin is able to walk to work from the couple's Saints Street area home and he looks forward to doing that post-COVID. His current position is Assistant Vice President - Database Analyst for the bank, which is now a part of First Horizon.

On his 37th birthday, Justin decided to run for Lafayette Parish School Board, and made that decision only one week before candidate qualifying time. It was a time of immense turmoil on the school board during the tenure of Superintendent Pat Cooper and people were ready for change-makers who could bring peace as well as stability to the budget. Justin's background in finance gave him the tools that were a good fit for the job. He turned to his wife, Marie, for help, and in the first big project they did together, she ran his campaign on a budget of $16,

Mike Michot, Senior Director of State Affairs for the Picard Group, a leading governmental affairs and lobbying group in Louisiana and Washington DC, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his career of public service and community engagement.

Mike previously served the Acadiana area for 16 years, serving 12 years in the Louisiana State Senate after his initial one-term stint as Lafayette's District 43 member of the House of Representatives. In his final term in the State Senate, he was chair of the Senate Finance Committee which directs funding for all aspects of state government; he also served on various committees including the Louisiana State Bond Commission, Senate Natural Resources, Senate Revenue & Fiscal Affairs, Vice-Chair of Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs, and House Labor and Industrial Relations.

Left: Senator Mike Michot pictured center, with Representative Page Cortez (now Senator) and Senator Fred Mills. Right: Senator Mike Michot, with his wife Monique, after having been presented LegisGator of the Year Award by the Southwest Louisiana Chamber of Commerce

Mike has also been active in private business, having previously owned and operated Premier Medical Equipment in Lafayette for 20 years. Generous with his time, he has served as a volunteer for many community service organizations, including the Community Foundation of Acadiana, American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana, United Way of Acadiana, the Academy of the Sacred Heart School, and the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette’s Opus Christi Magnum fundraiser.  Mike is also a graduate of Leadership Lafayette and Leadership Louisiana.

​The seventh of eight children of the late Louis and Patricia Ann Smith Michot, Mike grew up watching his father accomplish great business and political success with a mindset focused on hard work and giving back to others. As a young boy, Mike remembers his father flying off in his own plane to take care of business, whether it was tending to his 45 Burger Chef restaurants or heading off across the state when he was elected to the Louisiana State Board of Education in 1968 and later elected in 1971 as Louisiana Superintendent of Education. The elder Michot also was involved in various endeavors as diverse as opening the first drive-in theatre in Lafayette on Pinhook Road to running the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to serving Lafayette Parish as a State Representative to lobbying for the National Air Transport Association in Washington DC. For a wonderful look at the many accomplishments of Louis Joseph Michot Jr.'s storied life, please visit this Legacy site.

Left: Louis Michot, Jr., Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, reading "A Cajun Night Before Christmas." Right: Rep. Louis Michot, Jr. serving a Burger Chef shake and burger to Speaker of the House of Representatives Thomas Jewell.

Mike Michot jumped into politics in 1995 when State Representative Don Higginbotham announced he would not run for re-election. After having grown up around his father's influence in the political realm and having helped older brother, Rick Michot, run a three-parish race for 15th Judicial District Judge, Mike had valuable experience in campaigning. He won that race and then after one term, ran against sitting Senator Max Jordan and was also successful in that effort with the encouragement of the business sector.

His early time of service was during Governor Mike Foster's regime with a pro-business bent. Mike looked back with pride on the many accomplishments during the first term of Gov. Foster when he was honored to serve, including passage of the TOPS program, teacher pay raises to the Southern average, and other business-friendly measures. This era also brought in term-limits which limit legislators to th...

Nathanael Johnson, the owner of Rêve Coffee, joined Discover Lafayette to share his 15-year journey in the coffee business.

Since the age of eight, when Nathanael began rising early with his dad to share a cup of coffee before the elder Johnson left for work, he dreamed of having a coffee cafe in his hometown of Eunice. The dream nagged at him and eventually, he dropped out of college so that he could open his own shop.

It all started with Café Mosaic in downtown Eunice. Nathanael had already chosen the cafe's name as he felt it embodied a place that different age groups would enjoy...."a mosaic of people." When he located a desirable space in which to open, he was shocked when he walked in to see that the floor was mosaic! With financial help from his father and after a great deal of work to restore the building, Cafe Mosaic opened on March 3, 2006, when Nathanael was 21.

Cafe Mosaic in downtown Eunice, the first coffee shop opened by Nathanael Johnson on March 3, 2006, is still in business and going strong.

Nathanael shared how difficult those early days were, working around the clock and figuring out what an independent coffee shop should look like. Very few such shops existed and those that opened never seemed to stay in business very long. Further adding to the stress was a comment made by two customers within his first two weeks in business: "You're going to fail!" He was fearful of failing and remembers how he would work from 5:00 in the morning to 11:00 at night every single day. "My mom bought me one of those little kindergarten sleeping mats so I could sleep in my office when I had a chance to break away. I couldn't leave, I felt I needed to be there all the time."

Well, not only did Nathanael not fail, but three years into business he was approached to open Johnston St. Java in Lafayette. Within 2 1/2 years he decided to jump in head first and enter the roasting aspect of the business. His partner, Christopher Pickle, played a key role.

Chris Pickle after being certified by the Specialty Coffee Association. Chris is the Head Roaster for Rêve Coffee.

Nathanael knew he wanted to understand the roasting process and ensure that the highest quality of bean was selected, so he became certified by the Specialty Coffee Association, the largest coffee organization in the world. He found a broker who deals in the highest grade beans and started his micro-roasting business in 2013 in what was then Bibi's Patisserie on Pinhook.

Starting with a ten-pound Ozturk roaster that he purchased out of Turkey, he began roasting on a small scale, eventually working up to an average of 6000 pounds per month today. He says that "roasting is a trial by fire experience, and is similar to popping popcorn. When coffee beans start to release their moisture, it pops like popcorn. They call it 'first crack."

Rêve Coffee beans are now sold at over 100 locations, including Whole Foods and Champagne's locally, and micro market stores. Nathanael says he never really wanted to open up a retail Rêve Coffee shop, but he quickly realized that if he wanted the coffee sales to be successful, people needed the opportunity to taste it. "It was a hard beginning as I just wanted to be a roaster. But we wanted to make a name for ourselves" and this was the right route to take. If you’re wondering what Reve means, it is a French masculine noun translating to “dream” in English.

Nathanael was approached to enter the Baton Rouge coffee market and first opened up a kiosk at White Star Market on Government Street, which marketplace eventually closed due to the COVID shutdown. But he wanted to be in the Baton Rouge area and also ready to redefine what Rêve was going to look like in the future,

Discover Lafayette welcomed Christiaan Mader, founder and executive editor of the Current, Lafayette’s first non-profit digital news organization which he launched in 2018, to our show. He is also the host of Out to Lunch Acadiana, a radio show and podcast on KRVS that features Acadiana business community members.

Christian is an award-winning investigative and culture journalist, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Vice, Offbeat, Gambit, the USA Today Network, and The Advocate.

Most notably, Christiaan Mader, in an investigative series as the lead reporter involving former Lafayette City Marshall Brian Pope for The Independent, along with IND editors Leslie Turk and Walter Pierce and photographers Robin May and Wynce Nonelly, was awarded the Freedom of Information Award by the Louisiana Press Association. This award is the highest honor that can be awarded to journalists in their field.

Pictured: Christiaan Mader, Leslie Turk, Robin May, Wynce Nolley and Walter Pierce celebrating winning the Freedom of Information Award on their investigative reporting of past Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope. Photo by Travis Gauthier.

A Lafayette native, Christiaan graduated from high school at Episcopal School of Acadiana and Emory University in journalism. He spent a decade touring as a musician with The Brass Bed and to this day says, " If I had my druthers, I'd be Paul McCartney!" And, we think he really means it!

Christiaan Mader pictured alongside members of The Brass Bed, a band he toured with for ten years after college.

Christiaan loves Lafayette and attributes his good fortune of traveling as a musician for ten years as satisfying his curiosity to see the world. He realized at a young age that he loved Lafayette and was very happy to be a part of the fabric of his beloved Lafayette community; yet, he is grateful to have had the opportunity to see other places and be able to have freely chosen Lafayette as his home with no regrets.

A few years back, Christiaan returned to his journalism roots and wrote cultural pieces for Lafayette Travel (Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission). That work led to other opportunities, initially encouraged by Mary Tutwiler who was a writer for the former local periodical, The Independent. Christiaan enjoyed writing local pieces but never thought he'd end up writing political pieces, which editors Steve and Cherry May eventually encouraged him to do.

The Current has gained traction since its initial launch in a news market which includes The Advocate and the Daily Advertiser. Christiaan shared that when he originally began his digital publication, both local newspapers were following the national trends of smaller local staffs and downsizing operations. Within 14 to 16 months thereafter, things were quite different, and both local newspapers were back in the game as viable news organizations. In fact, The Advocate, owned by the John Georges family, is invested in preserving its print product and its market has grown across South Louisiana.

The cultural shift to digital media has greatly impacted traditional print journalism. Google and other social media platforms are very inexpensive ways advertisers can get out their word, and it has affected profitability of print media. Lafayette is very unusual as it may be one of the smallest markets in the U. S. with two print newspapers.

Christiaan spoke of two big trends in journalism: the loss of revenue resulting in a loss of paid journalists on staff, and fewer companies overall due to consolidation of publications. He shared that most people don't realize how labor-intensive journalism is; experience and institutional knowledge are criti...

Yvette Quantz, Ochsner Health System's Eat Fit Acadiana Operations and Marketing Dietitian, joined Discover Lafayette to talk about her lifelong commitment to helping others live in a state of health. Her philosophy is pretty simple: when people feel well on the inside, they can live and work well in their community.

Eat Fit is a statewide, nonprofit initiative of Ochsner designed to help the community live their healthiest, strongest lives possible that started with Molly Kimball, a registered dietitian with Ochsner Fitness Center, who set out to take the guesswork out of dining out healthfully, to make the healthy choice the easy choice.

In 2013, Kimball and her team collaborated with some of the most iconic restaurants in the New Orleans region to create Ochsner Eat Fit, a program that encourages chefs to offer nutritious, delicious meals for those who want to eat clean, watch their weight, and manage diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. In a land of "decadent food," there is a great need to provide diners with information that allows them to eat delicious food with a better idea of what they are actually consuming.

With the support of funding in 2018 by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, Eat Fit has expanded throughout Louisiana and Yvette Quantz serves as a proud member of the Acadiana team. Eat Fit is now operating in New Orleans, Northshore, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, Monroe, and Shreveport. Over 500 Eat Fit partners exist statewide and the numbers are growing.

Anyone can download the Eat Fit App for free at https://www.ochsner.org/eat-fit

The team of Eat Fit collaborates as a free service with local chefs and community leaders to increase awareness and improve access to healthy food options in Acadiana that meet the Eat Fit nutritional criteria. Eat Fit doesn't promote "diets" per se with strict management of calories but instead encourages people to make choices that are essential for a healthy life. So don't look for guidance on the latest fad diets; the nutritionists are more focused on how to assist restaurants in bringing food to the table that are healthy for you, without overloading patrons with foods that are high in sodium, animal fats, or added sugars. Rather than following a restrictive regimen, Eat Fit encourages a way to fuel your body with delicious foods that are prepared in a way to sustain good health.

The Eat Fit App provides resources for local, locally-owned restaurants based upon zip code that offer healthy choices, as well as recipes, events in the community, and downloadable grocery guides to help you as you shop.

At the start of LENT, Eat Fit launched an Alcohol-Free for 40 challenge that is inspiring people across the region to give up libations for 40 or so days and see firsthand the amazing health benefits they will experience.

The challenge presented by Ochsner General Health's Eat Fit: Give up alcohol completely from Ash Wednesday through Easter. Participants paid $25 to receive in-depth pre- and post-challenge metrics including labs, body composition analysis, weight, blood pressure, and before-and-after photos to get a better idea of the impacts of alcohol on their wellness. This is the sixth year of the annual challenge to encourage people to make healthy choices during Lent and be inspired to make lifelong better choices.

Ochsner General Health Systems Eat Fit - Acadiana is a supporting member of Healthy Acadiana. So many of our young people test as overweight or obese and the coalition works to change the mindset of food choices made by our local population. It brings together businesses and individuals to get out awareness of best practices in diet and exercise.

Mike Fruge, founder and owner of JT Meleck Distillers, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss the evolution of his family's farming business and what led him to create award-winning vodka from rice.

Mike has a great story to tell, one which not only captures the tenacity of our Louisiana farmers but also one of an entrepreneurial spirit that has led him to continue to evolve his farming operations to eke out all he can from the land. In this podcast, we celebrate that precious food commodity which our South Louisiana culture revolves around: rice. We also celebrate the tenacity of our Louisiana farmers which is exemplified by our guest.

Mike Fruge is a rice and crawfish farmer along with his brother, Mark, and he descends from a long line of rice farmers in Acadia Parish. He grew up in Branch, LA on the family rice farm founded by his great, great uncle, John “JT” Meleck, who started growing “Providence Style” rice in 1896.

John Meleck originally migrated to Louisiana from the Midwest right after the Civil War years in search of cheap land. It took the family two years to complete the trek to Louisiana by covered wagons. After learning the hard way that corn and other commodities didn't grow in Louisiana as well as they had in the Midwest, Meleck started growing what was called "Providence style rice:" the rice was planted on low-lying bottomland which depended on Mother Nature to provide the rainwater which would seep down from the higher ground to nourish the crop. Meleck's rice farm joined many other rice industry operations which took off around the turn of the 20th century.

Pictured is John Meleck, Mike Fruge's great, great uncle, driving the vehicle along with Mike’s grandfather, the little boy in the back. John Meleck is the inspiration behind the name of Fruge's JT Meleck Distillers.

Fast forward to the 1980s, when Mike and his brother, Mark, were among the first to enter the aquaculture industry. At that time, most crawfishing was considered a hobby and there weren't many commercial crawfish farms. Fruge Farms was one of the first to convert to 100% crawfish farming as a way to make a living while preventing their rice fields from being depleted. As Mike says, "We weren't the first, but we were pioneers." The terrain of Southwest Louisiana provides ideal growing conditions as the production requires flatlands that can be easily flooded and now almost all rice farmers are also crawfishermen. Today, Fruge Aquafarms is a thriving rice and crawfish farm that has grown to roughly 4000 acres.

With the initial growth of his aquaculture endeavor, Mike looked for a market and took to the road in his pickup to find buyers. He began selling his crawfish product in Dallas in 1989 and had to educate the market on how to prepare the crawfish with which they were unfamiliar. "My timing was a little early!" he said.

Today that pickup truck in which he personally delivered crawfish has grown into Dallas-based Fruge Seafood Co. which is a regional wholesale distributor of fine seafood in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. Its #1 top seller is salmon and the company specializes in upscale fish choices for fine dining experiences. Mike is a conservative businessman who learned through the school of hard knocks how to stay profitable, without going to outside investors, while keeping this family business afloat. "Coming of age in the oilfield in the 1980s, I can't describe how bad things were. 20% of the population literally left the area. I never wanted to borrow money unless it was absolutely necessary. We've been very conservative and our risks were calculated."

Fruge Seafood has grown into a Dallas-Based regional wholesale distributor of fine seafood in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Lafayette, Louisiana welcomed our new police chief, Thomas Lee Glover, Sr., on December 23, 2020. He joined Jan Swift of Discover Lafayette to discuss what his career in law enforcement has taught him and his belief in the utmost importance of involving the community as a means of enhancing law enforcement effectiveness.

A native of Tallulah, Louisiana with maternal roots from Lafayette, Chief Glover graduated from Grambling State University with a degree in criminal justice. He immediately joined the Dallas Police Department and was with the department on active duty for 36 1/2 years; the day after retiring, he immediately joined the force as a reserve officer performing many of the same duties.

Chief Glover applied for the position of Police Chief because he thought he could make a difference in Lafayette. "I came from a department that mirrored what Lafayette is going through, in Dallas we experienced the same things 25 to 30 years ago. We had the same issues on the table. I was a part of the Police Association that worked to mend the tears in the community. I am very honored to have been selected. I thank Mayor Guillory for employing me as police chief. "

"I came from a department (in Dallas, TX) that mirrored what Lafayette is going through, that we experienced 25 to 30 years ago. We had the same issues on the table. I was a part of the Police Association that worked to mend the tears in the community. I am very honored to have been selected. I thank Mayor Guillory for employing me as police chief." Photo by Leslie Westbrook of The Acadiana Advocate

Mending fences in Dallas entailed hiring outside consultants to review policies from top to bottom, especially on the use of deadly force which had disproportionately affected Blacks and Hispanics. The department amended its curriculum to address appropriate training and procedures on the use of force. They also learned the importance of getting the community involved in law enforcement. While the chief says Dallas still has issues and is still working on relationships, they have come a long way, and continue to work on a daily basis to improve relations.

The Chief has learned that community policing is effective; it has been tested and it works in practice. He's learned firsthand that involving clergy, business owners, and the legal and educational communities with the police department works to take care of social ills works and successfully reduces crime. It helps to have as many eyes as possible watching the streets. "I'd rather have the 132,000 people here in Lafayette with their eyes watching out than to have only 289 officers working on crime," says Chief Glover.

As a means to encourage community engagement, all Lafayette police officers will be required to attend at least one event per week, be it a Girls Scout meeting, local church events, or other similar happenings. He's also directing a set of officers to address social ills such as trash not being picked up or code violations. His goal is also to partner with charitable groups such as Catholic Charities of Acadiana to reduce crime and reduce the number of calls coming into the 911 Center.

On community policing: "My analogy is this on how to prevent crime: think about a yard with a lot of weeds growing. You call on your yard person to cut the weeds down but they always come back. Community policing is you calling that lawn person and they treat the yard with weed preventer. And then, you only need the police or the yard guy once every other season. If community policing works like it is designed, the same thing would happen to reduce the need for policing services. Neighborhoods that traditionally have needed policing services would no longer need services because the things that created that need would have been eliminated....

Liz Webb Hebert, Chair of the Lafayette City Council and representative for City Council District 3, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss her passion for service at the local level and working to improve the region's quality of life.

Liz Webb Hebert and Nanette Cook were selected as council chairperson and vice chair in 2021. Photo by Brad Bowie of The Advocate.

Growing up in Carencro, Louisiana, and the baby girl of her family with four older brothers, Liz learned early about the importance of speaking up effectively for herself. A lifelong resident of Lafayette Parish, she graduated from Teurlings Catholic High School and Northwestern State University.

After college, she was blessed to work for wonderful bosses who gave her free rein in using her skills in an imaginative way: first for Leonard Louvierre of Zea Rotisserie & Bar in Lafayette, and then with Greg Davis and Pam Deville at the Cajundome Arena & Convention Center. The freedom she was afforded to execute her ideas to grow business opportunities are experiences she will always cherish.

Yet, Liz was called to explore service at a higher level as a young adult. "I've always wanted to make our community better," Hebert explained, and her experience in Leadership Lafayette led her to better understand the issues facing our city and parish and how she could get involved in the process as an elected official.

In 2015, her mentors approached her to consider running for the Lafayette City-Parish Council which had an open seat upon the retirement of then-Councilman Keith Patin. With encouragement from her family and husband, Aaron Hebert, she leapt into the race, which included two formidable opponents who she describes as "incredible, friendly, courteous and kind." She made the runoff and was elected to serve her first term on the Lafayette City-Parish Council which began in January 2016.

"Fix the Charter" was passed by Lafayette Parish residents and now we have two councils: the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council. Liz ran and was elected to serve in Lafayette Council District 3 and assumed office January 2020.

The Lafayette City Council. Pictured from left to right: Nanette Cook, Andy Naquin, Glenn Lazard, Pat Lewis, and Liz Webb Hebert.

District 3 has 26,000 residents, and Liz says they are a joy to represent; they stay informed of the issues, are engaged, well-educated, and enjoy the highest wealth per capita among other districts in our city.

Typical issues brought to her attention by citizens include trash, rezoning issues, or concerns about not getting services. Proactive in her outreach to constituents, she attends meetings of Homeowners' Associations in her district so she can stay on top of issues of importance. Liz always encourages people to first call 311 or go online to the 311 website to report concerns such as panhandling, animal control issues, noise complaints, etc. She also wants you to reach out to her via her Facebook page to message her about problems you need help with or to use the Next Door app.

Liz Hebert also sends out a monthly newsletter to keep people abreast of issues and you can subscribe here. She fields calls and emails for those of us outside of her district to request her support for the issues facing their neighborhood and welcomes us all to inform her of current concerns.

"I want my constituents to call me so we can address issues. I can't fix a problem if I don't know about it. People may be upset about an issue for a year before they call me and I could have helped them early on." Liz Webb Hebert encouraging people to reach out for help.

Dr. Courtney Hopkins, Senior Chief Medical Officer of Vitalant Blood Services, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss how to adequately prepare to donate blood, a resource much needed to keep our community safe and healthy, and one that is always in short supply.

Most of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but only about 3% actually donate.

Board Certified in Clinical Pathology and in Transfusion Medicine/Blood Banking by the American Board of Pathology, Dr. Hopkins previously spent seven years with the American Red Cross.

She graduated with a BA in Biology from Arcadia University and earned her medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Hopkins completed her transfusion medicine fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the David School of Medicine at UCLA.

We asked Dr. Hopkins to join us as a follow up to our interview with Amanda Landers, Regional Director of Vitalant Blood Services, which was produced in November 2020. Our discussion was centered around the fact that our region has been experiencing a critical shortage of blood donations, amplified by the COVID shutdown which has negatively impacted blood drives at schools and businesses. The shelf life of blood is short, and we must ensure an adequate supply to help patients in need. Red Cell units last from 21 to 42 days; platelets last 5 days; and plasma can be stored up to one year if frozen properly.

After that initial interview with Amanda Landers, Jan Swift was motivated to contribute to the blood supply and attempted to give blood twice, but was not qualified due to a low hemoglobin count. 

While Swift's doctor said she had healthy iron levels, the criteria for someone to qualify for a blood donation is a bit more complicated. We wanted to get to the bottom of this and asked Dr. Hopkins to explain how the blood donation process works and why Vitalant wants to ensure that blood donors remain healthy as they contribute to our community.

Low hemoglobin is a common reason people are turned away from donating blood. When you sign up to donate blood at Vitalant, technicians prick your finger to screen your hemoglobin level.

About 70 percent of your body's iron is found in the red blood cells of your blood called hemoglobin and in muscle cells called myoglobin. Hemoglobin is essential for transferring oxygen in your blood from the lungs to the tissues.

Your blood is not actually tested for "iron," but for the hemoglobin which contains the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body. When you donate a whole unit of blood, your body loses about 250 mg. of iron in that one unit donation. Vitalant wants to ensure that you leave their facility healthy and whole.

Iron deficiency is a common reason someone would have a low hemoglobin count, but not the only reason. You can increase your hemoglobin levels by eating a healthy, low-fat meal prior to your blood donation, in addition to ingesting a salty snack immediately prior to showing up for your donation.

"Hydration is key to having a positive blood donation experience. Eat a healthy, low-fat meal prior to giving blood, and ingest a salty snack immediately prior to your appointment. Drink plenty of fluids, and forgo coffee and other caffeine laden beverages as they are diuretics and will affect the outcome." Dr. Courtney Hopkins, Senior Chief Medical Officer of Vitalant Blood Services.

It's also important to be well hydrated before showing up to donate blood; coffee is a diuretic and causes dehydration so you should not count your coffee as a "beverage" when preparing to donate blood.

David Cheramie, CEO of the Bayou Vermilion District ("BVD"), joined Discover Lafayette to discuss the operations of his organization.

Passionate about his calling to preserve our unique culture while educating others on the topic, and stressing the interdependence of our people with the land and water, Cheramie brings a poetic voice to our podcast.

Serving as CEO of the BVD since 2011, Cheramie previously served as Executive Director of CODIFIL, the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana. His entire adult career has focused on francophone issues, from teaching in schools to educating others about the unique culture our region enjoys.

He calls himself a "member of the lost generation," a child and grandchild of a French-speaking family who never taught the young ones to speak the language due to the stigma of speaking "Cajun French" in the 1950s and 1960s. But fourteen generations ago, his family moved from France and his nuclear family raised him in the French ways; he always wanted to learn the language. An opportunity to spend a year in Montpellier, France as a sponsored student of CODIFIL gave him the opportunity to become fluent. An added bonus and the most wonderful lagniappe, Cheramie met "the prettiest French girl," to whom he has now been married for almost forty years.

Cheramie shared the beauty of learning a second language and how the "floodgates were broken" when he realized he was speaking, thinking, and dreaming in French. "I felt this was my real personality coming out."

He lived in France for seven years and worked as a clothing salesperson in stores throughout Southern France. Calling it a great experience as he got to know the people and culture, he became indistinguishable from the French natives. People were shocked to learn that he was a U. S. citizen and hadn't grown up in France.

In January 1989, a chance encounter with Dr. David Barry at a banquet celebrating the Bicentennial of the French Revolution led Cheramie to come back to Louisiana. At that time, Barry was Department Head of Foreign Languages at USL (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and was creating a new Ph.D. program in Francophone studies. He successfully courted Cheramie to move back and join the program; Cheramie became the second person to earn a Ph.D. in Francophone studies.

Cheramie was inspired by Dr. Barry Ancelet, another USL professor, who has been an active spokesperson in promoting the Acadiana culture and dispelling myths that denigrated the "Cajun." A prolific writer, Cheramie began writing in French and quickly published three books of poetry which were published by Centenary College's "Les Editions Tintamarre. Since those early days, he has published dozens of articles and has been a keynote speaker and presenter at conferences around the world.

David Cheramie is a passionate spokesperson for helping people understand the symbiotic relationship between our culture, the land and water. "We're a part of the land and the land is a part of us. It's inseparable. We wouldn't have the same culture if it weren't for the fisherman, the hunters, the trappers, the farmers and ranchers. It informs our culture. "

Cheramie authors En Francais, S'il Vous Plait in French and English for Acadiana Profile Magazine, and his writings bring to life the unique culture we enjoy in this region. Focusing on artists, musicians, the food, historical figures and events, he captures the essence of what makes South Louisiana so special. Cheramie quoted the old saying, "The spoken word flies away but the written word stays," to reinforce his belief that writing in French/Cajun words will guarantee that ensuing generations will retain the knowledge of this precious culture and its manner o...