Gus Rezende's life has been shaped by chance meetings with people who compliment his talents and bring about successful outcomes. A partner in Social Entertainment, Gus is a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and came to the United States in 1999 on a tennis scholarship at Georgia Southwestern State University.

While teaching at a summer tennis camp in New York, Gus struck up a friendship with Chad Hebert, a Lafayette native. Chad encouraged him to travel to Lafayette to teach tennis in 2002 which led Gus to gain permanent employment at the City Club of River Ranch. He spent seven years working at the City Club overseeing events and marketing endeavors. The experience would prove to be valuable as he considered his career options.

Today, Gus Rezende is a partner with BJ Crist in Social Entertainment and they co-own CENTRAL Pizza & Bar, four Tropical Smoothie Café locations, and Dix “Almost Famous Daiquiris. They were also co-owners of Jefferson Street Pub which has recently been sold.

B. J. Crist and Gus met, by chance, at the first Tropical Smoothie Café that Gus opened in River Ranch. While that location did not turn out to be a successful site, the two men became friend and partners. They learned together what restaurant concepts work through trial and error. (The team behind CENTRAL Pizza & Bar includes Collin Cormier of Pop's Po'boys, Michael Delcambre of The Greenroom, and John Peterson of Swamp Pop Soda.)

Gus's newest restaurant, Tula Tacos + Amigos, is scheduled to open in downtown Lafayette in June 2019. Located two doors down from Central Pizza, at the old "Frankie's Burger," it's a concept from the heart that celebrates bringing people together to enjoy tacos and each other in an authentic Mexico City style. The restaurant is intended to feel like Coastal California while the patrons enjoy true Mexican authentic fare.

Social Entertainment is known for its skill in coordinating events such as Uncle Sam’s Jam, Concerts at Couret Farms, and the Acadiana Po-boy Festival, as well as Bubbles and Brunch on May 18 at Sugar Mill Pond and the Mother’s Day Drag Brunch at Jefferson Street Pub.

In 2016, Social Entertainment was honored as the Start-Up Business of the Year, and this year, Gus was named the 2019 Rising Young Business Leader, both awards being given at the Junior Achievement’s annual Business Halls of Fame. For more information, visit https://www.socialentertainment.net.

In 2018, Gus Rezende became a U. S. Citizen. As many other immigrants in the U. S. experience, Gus came here legally yet found it a challenge to keep his status legal. He is grateful for the gift of citizenship and stays actively engaged in civic endeavors and in working to see downtown Lafayette reinvigorated.

This podcast is worth a listen to hear Gus speak of learning from failure, the importance of community involvement at the local level, and the many reasons that a downtown core is important to the region's successful development.

Our guest is Mark Falgout, owner of

Blue Moon Saloon, one of America's premier venues for roots music from around

the world.  He also owns Warehouse 535, a

popular venue for special events and live performances.

Mark and his wife, Nicole, were instrumental in creating the South Louisiana Songwriters Festival and Workshop, known as SOLO, which was successfully launched in 2018 in partnership with the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. The second annual SOLO Festival will take place May 21 through May 26, 2019, and once again, music insiders from around the world will travel to Lafayette to participate and share their expertise with locals who want to break into the business. SOLO provides aspiring songwriters the opportunity to collaborate in an intense four-day workshop with seasoned music professionals. Participants are placed in groups of three and work all day creating songs and lyrics and given the opportunity to network with successful industry insiders. On Friday, May 24, workshop organizers will select the top 10 to 15 compositions and notify the composers that they will debut their original creations at the Friday night performance at First United Methodist Church.

On Memorial Day Weekend, participating SOLO artists and well-known musical acts will perform Saturday and Sunday on six stages at Blue Moon Saloon and Warehouse 535.  You can view the entire schedule here and purchase tickets online. A pass for the entire five-day event, which gives you access to weekday and weekend events as well as the exclusive Friday night World Premiere of songs at First United Methodist Church, may be purchased for $250 and if you purchase with the Rader Solutions Access Code, you can save $50.00. Visit  https://www.radersolutions.com/solofest/ for this Access Code.

This year, SOLO has added a two-day

conference on May 24 and 25 which include record label executives, publicists,

managers, engineers/producers, entertainment lawyers, and others who will

present nine sessions and share their insider knowledge on how artists can make

it in the music business. Speakers will cover topics such as “How to Promote

Yourself in the New Industry Model,” “Getting in Sync: How Artists and Music Supervisors

Work Together to Get Music in TV, Films, Video Games and Commercials,” and “Songwriting:

How Songwriters Pitch Their Songs.”  The

cost of attending the conference is $99.00, with a discount for students, and interested

parties may register here.

Another new component is working with local elementary, middle school and high school music students in “SOLO Schools. Two SOLO alumni and instructors have been brought in to teach the songwriting process. Mark shared that the young students have displayed an incredible ability to craft songs. Early exposure to the mechanics of a song’s structure can provide a meaningful head start on a career in the music industry. School of Rock will be assisting in the presentation of the artists who will be selected to perform at the Thursday night SOLO School Performance.

The event is presented with support

from the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, the CREATE initiative, Lafayette

Convention and Visitors Commission, BMG and many public and private sponsors,

including Rader Solutions.

Volunteers are needed to help with transportation,

ushering, merchandise sales, and even making coffee! All are welcome and can

sign up here.

Visit

https://www.solosongwriters.com for

more information.null

May 22nd – Opening Night – NICK LOWEat Warehouse 535 – Get your tickets NOWMay 23rd – SONGS OVER STYLE + SOLO School Program Performances at Warehouse 535!

2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding

of Lost Bayou Ramblers by Andre and Louis Michot. In this episode of Discover Lafayette,

the brothers had just come back from a five-month touring hiatus and visited

with Jan Swift about their journey to becoming an established international presence

on the music scene.

Worklight Pictures created the “rockumentary,” On Va Continuer, capturing the personal and professional story behind the band, whose members also include Johnny Campos (electronic guitarist), Eric Heigle (electronics and acoustic guitar), Bryan Webre (electric bassist) and drummer Kirkland Middleton. The film looks at the modern Cajun culture and the importance of sustaining the Cajun French language. Mark your calendar for the celebration of Lost Bayou Rambler’s 20th anniversary on September 28, 2019 and viewing of the film at the Acadiana Center for the Arts.

Growing up, Andre and Louis performed Cajun music as members

of Les Frères Michot, the band their father,

Tommy Michot, and uncles formed in the 1980's. While they had taken lessons to

learn guitar (Andre) and classical violin (Louis), their talent blossomed when

they picked up instruments and taught themselves the intricacies of the accordion

(Andre) and fiddle (Louis). Andre has actually mastered the art of building

accordions as an adult musician, and the brothers have learned to play other

instruments by ear and by watching each other as they jammed together and with Les Frere Michot.

The Lost Bayou Rambler’s musical lyrics are performed solely

in French, but the men didn’t grow up speaking the language. It took a solo

journey by Louis to St. Anne’s University in Nova Scotia in 1998 to learn

French and that is where he picked up the fiddle, using an instrument his

grandfather had handed down. For Louis, learning the language was facilitated

by singing the words and learning the rhythm as he played the fiddle on the

streets.

In August 1999, the brothers booked their first gig as a yet-to-be-named band at Café Rue Vermilion in downtown Lafayette. On the way, Louis stopped by to see his friend, the late Ryan Domingue, who asked what their name was. When Louis said, “We don’t have one,” Ryan offered up “Lost Bayou Ramblers” which both young men loved. For background on this story and information on the Rue Vermilion Revival and Flood Relief Fundraiser in 2016, visit here.

Lost Bayou Ramblers received a Grammy nomination for its 2007 release of Live a la Blue Moon. In 2012, the band released Mammoth Waltz with the help of producer Korey Richey and guest artists Gordon Gano, Scarlett Johansson, and Dr. John. Mammoth Waltz was named #2 in the “Top 21 Louisiana albums of the 21st Century” by Times Picayune.

Lost Bayou Ramblers’ contribution to the score of Beasts of the Southern Wild in 2012 brought them renown worldwide, and we end this interview with the haunting melody of their music from the film.

After their live appearance on NPR’s World Café, Lost Bayou

Ramblers was rated #1 on “David Dye’s five favorite live music moments in and

out of the World Café studio.” And then, in 2017, the band won a Grammy

for Best Regional Roots Music Album for Kalenda.

The bands' performance

on the 2017 PBS documentary series American

Epic, solidified Lost Bayou Ramblers' international reputation as an

iconic Cajun band.

Lost Bayou Ramblers recently released their score to the highly acclaimed and award-winning Rodents of an Unusual Size, which aired on PBS earlier this year. The film documents the unusual relationships people have with the large rodents.

Beau Beaullieu is a dynamic presence who is leaving an indelible and positive mark on New Iberia. On this episode of Discover Lafayette, Beau visits with Jan Swift about why he is motivated to enhance the lives of others, whether it's through his work as a financial retirement planner, as a community volunteer, or the good deeds accomplished through the Iberia Parish Foundation which he helped found in 2007. Since our original podcast, Beau Beaullieu was elected to serve as Louisiana State Representative for District 48.

An opportunity to meet with Simon Sinek, the author of "Start With Why" who has delivered one of the most popular Ted Talks ever, inspired Beau to think about what really motivates him in life. The "why" for Beau is to make choices in life which will enhance the lives of others. The path he follows is one of servant leadership which has resulted in successful outcomes in his business and philanthropic endeavors, and is in line with his faith and belief that he was created to do God's work on earth by helping others.

A partner in CoSource Financial Group, Beau specializes in creating comprehensive retirement plans for businesses and their employees.  He co-founded the company in June 2001, a couple of months before the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast. Beau jokingly states that he and his partner, Shawn Harrison' also weathered the dot com bubble bursting, the 2008 real estate crash, the BP Oil spill, and most recently, the oil and gas downturn which has challenged so many local businesses. They've not only survived these challenges, but they have also thrived and have offices in Lafayette, New Iberia, Thibodeaux, Beaumont, and plan to open a fifth office in New Orleans in late 2019.

The advisors at Co-Source Financial Group focus on getting all employees ready for retirement by teaching the need to increase savings. According to Beau, their "secret sauce" is painting a picture for each individual as to what their life might look like when they are 65 years old and able to reap the benefits of sound financial planning by saving throughout their work career.

A native of New Iberia, Beau graduated from LSU with a degree in finance and then earned an MBA at UL Lafayette.  He lives in New Iberia with his wife Kaci, and 4 children.

On the civic and volunteer side, Beau was named one of the 'Top 20 under 40 Leaders In Acadiana' by the Daily Advertiser and The705 in 2013. He is a Member of Council 11793 for the Knights of Columbus, an Iberia Cultural Resources Association Board Member, served on the Iberia Parish Industrial Development Foundation, as a member and past President of the New Iberia Kiwanis Club, and was awarded the Civic Service Award by the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce in 2018. 

He served as a leader on the team that established the Iberia Parish Foundation (which is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Acadiana). An initial $100 investment has now mushroomed into a fund worth almost $4 million dollars. One of the important projects supported by the Foundation is the Leader In Me program, a program taught to young students which is modeled upon the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People principles written by Stephen R. Covey. Students are taught the importance of self-discipline and teamwork, social and emotional awareness, and many other life skills that will get them ready for success in today's world. Leader In Me has been incorporated in New Iberia at Daspit Elementary, Jeanerette Elementary, North Street Elementary, and St. Charles Elementary Schools and the school system hopes to expand into a fifth school next year.

Beau is also a cook and alongside Andy Soileau and their New Iberia Kiwanis Club, the team has won first place eleven times at the World Championship G...

Elizabeth (“EB”) Brooks is well known in Lafayette for her service as Executive Director of Moncus Park, affectionately referred to by locals as “The Horse Farm.”

In 2005, while a student at UL – Lafayette, EB learned that the 100-acre UL Horse farm property was threatened by commercial development.  She and her friends, especially fellow activist Danica Adams, launched a successful community-wide campaign to save the property as green space for future generations to enjoy.

In early 2013, then-Mayor Joey Durel worked with volunteers to create the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the "Horse Farm" and in June 2013, 45 vendors participated in the first Saturday morning market. Today, vast crowds enjoy their weekly Saturday visit to the Farmers Market which is held from 8 a.m. to Noon.

In 2018, the initial ground-breaking occurred and Moncus Park is currently under construction creating lush walking and biking paths, gardens, pavilions, and lakes. On the evening of Wednesday, April 24, 2019, the park will open for viewing to allow guests to witness the transformation taking place. The entire vision for improvements to be built in Moncus Park is laid out in the Master Plan, which may be viewed here, and will be implemented in phases as funding becomes available.

In this interview with Jan Swift taped in 2017, EB discusses her love of Lafayette, her hopes for the future, and the lasting gift the “Horse Farm” offers to Lafayette and Acadiana.

For more information, go to https://moncuspark.org.

This post was updated on April 24, 2019.

Prolific Writer Covers All Topics from Travel, Food, and Romance to Paranormal Mysteries

Cheré Dastugue Coen, an award-winning journalist, has been writing her whole life. Never experiencing writer's block, she is the author of books of local interest such as "Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History," "Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana," and "Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Tour of Acadiana," the cookbook travelogue “Cooking in Cajun Country” with "Cajun" Karl Breaux, and “Magic's in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets” with Jude Bradley.

She has worked for Variety magazine in Hollywood, The Advocate in Baton Rouge, and Gambit Weekly in New Orleans, and currently writes freelance for Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, AAA Southern Traveler; New Orleans Magazine, Louisiana Life, Country Roads of Baton Rouge, 337 and many others. She pens three blogs: Weird, Wacky and Wild South, Louisiana Book News, and Haunted Deep South.

For those hungry for a good love story, Cheré also writes Cajun Romance Novels under the pseudonym Cherie Claire, which titles include "Emilie," "Rose," "Gabriel," "Delphine," "A Cajun Dream" and "The Letter." There is also the Cajun Embassy series including titles such as "Ticket to Paradise," "Damn Yankees," and "Gone Pecan."

Her most recent book, “Ghost Trippin” released on Valentine's Day this year, was the fourth book published as part of her Viola Valentine paranormal mysteries. The series features a New Orleans travel writer who experienced the opening of a psychic door after the trauma of Hurricane Katrina, and who now sees ghosts who have died by water.

Cheré Coen moved to Lafayette in 2005, right before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast. She brings a lifelong love of writing and a joie de vivre for life to all of the stories she creates.

This Discover Lafayette podcast interview introduces you to a very talented and delightful woman who has dedicated her life to journalism. The uncanny ability she possesses to write prolifically about the region she loves, the Deep South, will motivate aspiring writers to learn more about how a determined, freelance author can make a career publishing their works.

Thanks to our sponsors: IBERIABANK, Rader Solutions, and Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission for making this podcast possible!

Our guest on this episode of Discover Lafayette is Lauren Bercier, co-founder and CEO of Something Borrowed Blooms, a rent and return floral boutique in Upper Lafayette located at 102 Max Drive. 

Created with her cousin and co-founder Laken Swan in 2015, Something

Borrowed Blooms’ design team creates wedding flower collections using premium

silk flowers.

Lauren Bercier with co-founder (and cousin) Laken Swan

The floral arrangements, boutonnieres, table arrangements, and other designs are rented out to brides across the U. S and Canada and delivered in a manner similar to Amazon Prime. The bride receives her shipment two days prior to the wedding date with a prepaid return label and packaging to make the receipt and return stress-free and enjoyable. The shipment is topped with a liner that treats the recipient to the scent of fresh flowers.

The concept is similar to Rent the Runway where you can rent premium clothing for a fraction

of the cost.

In the case of a typical wedding, brides may spend $2000 to $3500 and up for flowers. They can rent similar arrangements from Something Borrowed Blooms for $500.00 and pocket the rest of their budget to be spent on other needs or perhaps, put in the bank for a rainy day!

Millennials bring a different sensibility in planning a wedding today than in days gone by. Many are marrying at a later age, paying for the wedding themselves, and are cost-conscious. Wedding budgets have been on the decline and millennials are more focused on the experience rather than needlessly overspending on the dress or flowers. Changing trends have opened the door to acceptance of this new rental concept which can provide great cost savings.

Something Borrowed Blooms was chosen in 2018 as Startup of the Year by Junior Achievement of Acadiana 21st Business Hall of Fame." While Lauren and Laken originally envisioned 12 weddings a month as a successful business endeavor, the company in 2020 now ships out approximately 500 floral packages a month. Business has steadily increased and the company experienced a 248% growth in sales in 2019.

Lauren and Laken keep up with current trends in bridal fare by attending the annual Bridal Fashion Week. 2019 color trends leaned to muted dusty mauves and roses. In 2020, the popular colors are jewel tones with a deep green being popular. Something Borrowed Blooms' most popular collection has been the 'Olivia' which is a soft, muted palette of ivory roses, mini ranunculus, rosemary & olive bushes. Other popular collections include the "Taylor" Collection which is composed of antique beige peonies, lavender scabiosa, and a variety of ivory-colored roses, as well as the 'Jane' and 'Cameron' Collections, all of which you can view here.

The Olivia Collection outsells all others by three to one.Olivia Aisle Marker is one example of accessories that may be rented.The newest option is the Taylor Collection with antique beige peonies.

Lauren's advice for other entrepreneurs who are starting up their own business: Find your # 1 thing that differentiates you. If you copy what others are doing, you will be lost in the crowd.

Something Borrowed Blooms is on the fast-track to achieving great success by following Lauren's sage advice of finding that perfect niche market, and of course, through the team's sheer discipline and hard work!

Update as of March 11, 2020: Something Borrowed Blooms was the 2019 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest Bronze Prize Winner. You can visit Fed Ex's website here to read more about their journey in shipping and how they rely upon FedEx for the delivery of their wares.

Will LaBar, Vice President of CGI Federal’s Digital Service and Onshore Delivery Center Programs, is our guest. A native of Somerset County, New Jersey, he graduated in Finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Upper State New York.

After college, Will moved to Northern Virginia where he met his future bride, Carlee Alm. He dated Carlee long distance for a year and took a leap of faith by moving to Lafayette in 2000 so he could be close to her as she worked in Church Point for Teach for America. Will actually has French Canadian roots, as his dad was born outside of Quebec City, Canada, and maintained dual citizenship. So while Lafayette LA was not on his radar as a young man growing up in New Jersey, Lafayette's Acadian and French heritage was appealing to Will.

Will's employer at the time, American Management Systems, accepted his request to work from Louisiana. The company was purchased by CGI in 2004 and Will continued to work as a telecommuter until 2014 when CGI selected Lafayette for its facility.

CGI was attracted to Lafayette due to several factors: 1) The company strategically locates in parts of the U. S. where there is not historically a technology workforce in place; 2) CGI recognized the ready partnership opportunity with UL-Lafayette, LEDA, LED and our local government working together to diversify the economy; 3) The existence of LUS Fiber provided the necessary technological infrastructure; and 4) Valuable incentives were offered by the State of Louisiana such as LED FastStart, ranked the nation’s No. 1 workforce development program for nine years in a row.

CGI's Digital Service and Onshore Delivery Center program is at UL - Lafayette's Research Park. The program was begun in 2006 and has 7 centers across the US and has created more than 1,600 jobs in partnership with local communities and universities. 400 employees are based here in Lafayette and CGI plans to double that number of workers to 800. When asked what "onshore delivery" meant, Will explained, "The company assists both government and business clients and serves as an interface to make it easier to input data and compress the time it takes to retrieve the data. The end result is that the public can more easily obtain information and businesses stay in compliance. CGI modernizes IT." For more information, visit CGi's site here.

Ever wonder how big CGI really is? It is the world’s 5th largest independent IT and business process services company with over 74,000 members in 400 offices across 40 countries.

One program of importance to CGI is the STEM@CGI Program. This nationwide K-12 program aims to train and mentor young people for STEM careers and teaches the students computer building and coding in one-day programs. Launched in Lafayette in 2016, STEM@CGI was envisioned by Anne Swanson, CGI's U. S. Education and Workforce Development Coordinator, and resulted initially in a partnership with UL Lafayette and the Lafayette Parish School System. The program took off like wildfire and CGI's team members have now taught over 3000 students at 45 events in 10 communities nationwide. Local partners include GEAR Up and New Vision Leadership, and the students utilize UL - Lafayette Computer labs and resources at the Lafayette Parish Library.

Half of the local team members are recent graduates of Louisiana universities and half are hired on the open market. The majority of employees have technical backgrounds in traditional programming, yet some have backgrounds in non-traditional studies that offer transferable skills to the IT sector. Will spoke of the importance of hires trained in "informatics," offered at UL - Lafayette in fields such as business, healthcare, digital media and more. Informatics is a blend of technology and business application that teache...

Our guests today are local attorneys Tommy Guilbeau and Jim Lambert who both believe that Louisiana should outlaw the death penalty.

Along with fellow attorney, Paul Hebert, they will be speaking on behalf of the Friends of the Humanities at the Hilliard Art Museum’s Lunch and Learn Series on April 5, 2019, at noon, in conjunction with the exhibition entitled:  Slavery, The Prison Industrial Complex. Note: this event is not a debate or discussion of the morality or legality of the death penalty, but rather an opportunity to provide information and insight to those present.  Attendance is free and you will need to bring your own brown bag lunch.

Both Jim and Tommy work directly with persons who have been accused or convicted of committing crimes.  Tommy Guilbeau is a prominent criminal lawyer who has handled seven death penalty cases. He personally witnessed the execution of one of his clients, Dalton Prejean. Tommy is knowledgeable about death row, application of the death penalty and where Louisiana stands today on the death sentence.

Jim Lambert has been involved with Kairos Prison Ministry at Angola since 2001. Kairos Prison Ministry’s mission is to "share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated persons and their families, so as to assist them in becoming loving and productive citizens of their communities".

While Angola has welcomed Kairos for 25 years, it was only in February 2018 that the Louisiana Department of Corrections allowed inmates on Death Row at Angola to be exposed to the loving message of Kairos. Jim has been meeting with ten Death Row inmates on a spiritual basis at Angola on behalf of Kairos since last February. All Death Row inmates have been there for more than twenty years. Jim shared that the men are not what you'd think: they are intellectual, affable and sociable...his initial expectations were turned upside down as he's gotten to know the men.

In Louisiana there are 19 different ways you can be sentenced to death for the killing of another human being: in the great majority of the cases, the perpetrators act in the heat of passion or were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Guilbeau stated that less than 1% of murderers recommit any crimes and as an example mentioned the number of "lifer" inmates that work at the Governors Mansion because they are the best and safest inmates to have around.

Who is on Death Row? Mostly people of color populate Death Row and statistics show that one in four cases are reversible, according to The Innocence Project. This group, founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck at Cardozo School of Law, exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. Inadequate counsel and prosecutorial misconduct can result in erroneous convictions that disproportionately affect those who do not have adequate resources to pursue justice.

In Louisiana, 69 people are on Death Row, which is a smaller and separate facility contained within the larger complex of Angola. The building is modern and manned by elite security personnel. It has no air conditioning by design, which has generated great controversy. The inmates live in "tiers" in separate 6-by 8-foot cells, and the prisoners can now visit with each other for two hours. In the past, the inmates only had one hour outside of their cells, but a successful lawsuit on the issue of Death Row's cruel and unusual punishment opened up their opportunity to have interactions with others.

It has been years since anyone has been executed in Louisiana due to the inability to access the lethal injection drug.  Only one person has been executed since 2000, and that person voluntarily abandoned all of his appeals and was administered the lethal injection in 2010.

Kacee Thompson, Executive Director of the Hospice of Acadiana Foundation, joined Jan Swift of Discover Lafayette to explain the mission and services offered by the area's oldest and only nonprofit hospice. Fate and faith led Kacee to serve this organization which has brought great solace to those in our community at the end of their life.

Many of us are familiar with the concept of hospice but don’t know much about the mechanics of what occurs when a patient is ready for end of life care or how the cost of services is covered.

In Acadiana, we have been fortunate to have had the leadership of Father Louis Richard in bringing hospice to our region.

Following the death of his grandmother while he was a seminarian studying in Belgium, Lafayette-native Father Louis worked at St. Christopher's House near London with British physician, Dr. Cicely Saunders. Dr. Saunders is considered to be the founder of the modern-day Hospice movement, and it was there that Father Louie developed a deep commitment to caring for the dying.

Returning home to Lafayette following his ordination, Father Louis met with other community leaders and, in 1983, helped establish Hospice of Acadiana, Inc.—a nonprofit hospice committed to providing quality care at the end of life for all, regardless of their ability to pay for these services.

Hospice of Acadiana remains the only nonprofit hospice in our area. With the longest record of continuous service of any hospice in Louisiana, since 1983 they have served over 24,000 patients and their families. With a full-time staff physician, 300 volunteers, 70 full-time employees, and a dozen volunteer physicians, Hospice serves a 9 parish area for patients who live within a fifty-mile radius of the organization's offices at 2600 Johnston St. in Lafayette.

Patients with a terminal illness or condition that have a prognosis of six months or less to live are eligible for Hospice of Acadiana's services. The main goal is always to keep the patients at home where they will be most comfortable. In some instances, home care is not available and the patient will be admitted to a hospital or nursing home. A long term goal of Hospice of Acadiana is to build an in-patient hospice facility for those who are not able to remain in their home.

Hospice of Acadiana treats much more than the medical condition of the patient. They offer chaplains, social workers, therapists, and volunteers who can tend to the social, emotional, and financial needs of the patient as well as the patient's family. Emotional and social factors arise upon an end of life diagnosis, and the hospice team brings experienced counseling for those in need.

Several programs are available for patients and their families: The Center for Loss & Transition offers grief counseling by certified bereavement counselors in an interactive approach to assist individuals process their grief. Camp Brave Hearts is a two day camp for children ages 7 to 11 who have experienced loss in a fun setting run by volunteers. Pet Peace of Mind is a national organization that locals can join to help hospice patients as they become unable to tend to their pets: volunteers walk, feed and clean up after the pets, and provide permanent placement for the pet after the patient passes. We Honor Veterans Program thanks veterans while they are still alive by presenting pins, Commendations from the State Legislature to thank the patient for their service to our country.

Hospice of Acadiana was selected by New York University to participate in a five-year study on how to better care for dementia patients who are in hospice care. This collaborative effort with Hospice will determine how caregivers may best meet the needs of patients who

Hospice began offering palliative care in January 2019 for those who have a terminal condition that may have a longer prog...