Discover Lafayette

Monique Boulet, CEO for the Acadiana Planning Commission, joins Jan Swift, Host of Discover Lafayette. Monique’s day to day job involves working across all political and economic boundaries. When it comes to flood control or when new roads and highways are proposed, Monique Boulet and her team are front and center.

Just to define what The Acadiana Planning Commission ("APC") does: it serves the public sector in the planning and implementation of economic, community and transportation development for the Parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion. The APC is funded by grants from agencies such as the USDA, Delta Regional Authority, the Department of Commerce, and the Economic Development Authority. By joining forces, the seven parishes can enjoy economies of scale when utilizing public dollars. They can also speak with one voice when articulating their common needs. The parishes with smaller populations and fewer resources benefit from the resources brought to the table which gives them access to trained city planners who can assist with infrastructure development and procurement of grants to get the job done.

The Acadiana Metropolitan Planning Organization ("MPO") provides the technical staff for the work of the APC, even though the two organizations are separate and distinct. The MPO is funded by Federal Highway Transportation dollars, typically in the range of $6 to 7 million per year. Elected officials from six parishes and seven municipalities compose the MPO members who set priorities for transportation and infrastructure projects in the region.

Evangeline Parish provides a good example of how the APC works with its partners. In particular, Monique mentioned Donald Bergeron, Evangeline Parish's Secretary/Treasurer whom she calls a "Champion on the Ground." When local officials such as Bergeron are ready and prepared, and given access to the resources of the APC, economic development milestones are reached, such as the recent expansion of the Evangeline Ward One Industrial Park, a 96.5-acre site certified by Louisiana Economic Development, and the addition of a Rail Spur with a grant from the Delta Regional Authority. All of the City of Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish was also designated an "Opportunity Zone" under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which will prime the area to bring energy and investment to this poorest city in the poorest parish in Louisiana.

An important project in the works is the University Avenue Corridor Study in Lafayette which began in 2018. Local residents are excited about the possibility of new life being brought to the thoroughfare which serves as the gateway from I-10 to City Hall, UL-Lafayette, the Lafayette Police Department, and the Lafayette Regional Airport. The plan includes making the area safer for pedestrians, bikers and vehicular traffic, revitalizing the corridor and spurring economic development opportunities, and cleaning up and beautifying the area so that it serves as an appropriate gateway into the community. $4 to 5 million has been set aside by the MPO and a similar amount by Lafayette Consolidated Government to design the corridor, set up crosswalks to facilitate pedestrian traffic and make the "Center City" an attractive site.

Monique explained the problems which can arise when revitalizing old properties that previously housed gas stations or have other environmental issues. A "Brownfield" is a property "which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." The APC received a $300,000 grant to assess the properties located in the area between I-10 and E. Simcoe along University Avenue, and over 90 potential Brownfield sites have been identified. At the Four Corners area (University Avenue and Cameron Street),

"I like to always tell people you can't complain if you don't vote. One Acadiana doesn't endorse candidates. We take the opportunity to educate people on what the candidates stand for. We take the opportunity to educate the candidates on what our robust business-led public policy agenda is. We want people to know what the business community stands for and what they see as the things that are required for them to be successful."  Troy Wayman

Troy Wayman, One Acadiana’s President and CEO, is our guest on the episode of Discover Lafayette. One Acadiana ("1A") is a business-led, privately-funded economic development organization serving a nine-parish area in South Louisiana with over 900 member companies and individuals. Approximately 700 of the group's members are based in Lafayette Parish, the home base of the economic development organization formerly known as the "Lafayette Chamber of Commerce."

It’s been a busy time for 1A, between hosting candidate forums for the October 2019 elections and having Dr. Loren Scott deliver his annual Louisiana Economic Outlook. They’ve also just launched a five-year $15 million dollar strategic campaign, “IMPACT – The Campaign for One Acadiana", designed to sharpen its ability to capture new and expanding business opportunities and propel Acadiana forward.

While 1A doesn't endorse candidates as it has in the past, that doesn't mean the organization is not "political." They work to disseminate information on 1A's positions on policy issues affecting infrastructure, workforce and education, and healthcare to all candidates to ensure a unified voice for the region's business community.

This fall, 1A hosted three forums that showcased the candidates for Lafayette's Mayor-President, Lafayette Parish School Board, and Lafayette City and Parish Council races. Each event gave its members and the general public the opportunity to hear the candidates in person and witness each candidate's demeanor. Fortunately for our community, the candidate forums have been conducted in a civil and professional manner, which reflects well on the persons choosing to run as our elected servants. Troy encouraged all people to remember to vote on October 12, 2019. It is best to prepare ahead of time as the ballot is lengthy and covers everything from local and state elections to 4 Constitutional initiatives.

Compete LA was announced recently at a 1A luncheon where University of Louisiana System President and CEO Jim Henderson announced the program's aim to re-engage the 653,000 Louisianians with some college credit but no degree. Troy explained that many adults have a significant amount of college credits but never completed their degree. With online classes, it has never been easier to earn college credits. The program is an opportunity to improve the state’s second to last ranking of those with bachelor’s degrees or higher. The program was introduced in early May and Compete LA has already engaged with more than 1100 students, 600 of whom have more than 120 course credits, the typical number of hours to earn a bachelor’s degree. 1A is supporting bills for the upcoming legislative session that will address impediments to students staying and/or returning to school: school debt racked up from parking tickets and other non-fee related charges prevent students from re-enrolling for classes or transferring to another university. Passage of a law that allows the university to work with students to develop a payment plan will allow students to move forward and universities to re-enroll students and receive tuition. “For Louisiana to be competitive in the economy of the future, we have to develop a more educated workforce,” Henderson said. “Compete LA is designed to cut through the red tape of returning to school and provide supports at every step of the student’s educational journey.

Life's journey takes one on twists and turns. When you're prepared, "luck" and opportunities present themselves and good outcomes may be enjoyed. In this episode of Discover Lafayette, close friends and work partners Beth Ardoin and Beth Trotter (affectionately known as "B1 and B2") share their unique journeys which led them to IBERIABANK leadership positions and the paths they follow to help others thrive and excel.

Beth Ardoin has been with IBERIABANK since 2002, at a time when the bank was in a transition, being converted from a thrift to a more traditional commercial bank. With a background in print media and publishing, she brought needed experience in marketing to their target audience of privately-held commercial businesses. In the 17 years she has been with the bank, it has grown through the acquisition of 25 banks across the Southeast United States. With that expansion came additional opportunities for Beth to manage operations affecting IBERIABANK's 3600 employees. Beth now serves as Senior Executive VP and Director of Communications, Facilities, and Human Resources, as well as chief of staff for CEO Daryl Bird. Beth also just concluded service on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's New Orleans branch.

Beth Trotter, a Tulane Law School graduate, joined IBERIABANK ten years ago as a staff attorney and is now an Executive Vice President and CRA officer. "CRA" stands for the federal Community Reinvestment Act, a law that directs banks to help meet the credit needs of low-and-moderate income neighborhoods in the communities in which they operate. Lending, Investment, and Service are the focus of the CRA. While the CRA doesn't directly mandate that banks provide grants to low-income homebuyers, the bank has chosen to implement a program that assists first time home buyers with up to $4000 in down payment assistance. "First responder" first time home buyers are eligible for up to $5000 toward their down payment. For the past few years, up to $1.5 million per year has been granted to first time home buyers affiliated with the CRA program; a total of $3 million per year has been granted to CRA-related programs. Beth's outstanding work in this field has garnered her a national reputation as a sought after expert.

One community partner which IBERIABANK is proud to partner with is the non-profit Habitat for Humanity, with its approximately 12 to 15 branches across the nine-state region in which the bank is located. Beth Trotter served on Lafayette's Habitat board for five years and chaired the Women Build committee in 2017 and 2018. Habitat not only builds homes but is a mortgage lender. The bank buys back loans extended by Habitat so as to allow the non-profit to invest back in the community and have available funds to loan to deserving participants. Habitat's success is exemplary, building approximately 12 homes per year, with an extremely low default rate (less than 5%) by their clients. All Habitat homebuyers must first qualify by having taking financial literacy classes as well as money-management and home maintenance classes. Clients must also invest at least 100 hours working to build their home and other Habitat client homes.

"Looking back over the past twenty years or so, the conversation was you were either a stay at home mom or you were a working mom. Today the conversation is completely different as 50% of the workforce is occupied by women. It's not about whether you will work, but how are you going to be successful as you work and provide a great life for your family. The banking industry is changing with lots of opportunities for women in leadership positions. There is no better time than now for women to find their spot and take opportunities that are there for them." Beth Ardoin

Approximately 60% of IBERIABANK's workforce is f...

"In Louisiana, Politics is Covered Like Sports."

Jim Engster, host of Talk Louisiana, a daily call-in radio show that originates in Baton Rouge on public radio station WRKF 89.3, is our guest on Discover Lafayette. Jim also serves as president of the Louisiana Radio Network and Tiger Rag Magazine, known as the “Bible of LSU Sports.”

In a broadcast career that started in September 1979 as a student working at KLSU (now WLSU) radio, Jim has interviewed nine Louisiana governors and has reported on every gubernatorial election since 1975. He hosts "Ask the Governor" with Louisiana's Governor John Bel Edwards on the third Wednesday of each month on the Louisiana Radio Network which airs statewide.

In 2018, Jim was named Louisiana Sports Writers Association's Columnist of the Year for his contributions to Tiger Rag Magazine. He was also inducted in 2018 to the LSU Hall of Distinction in recognition of his outstanding career and loyalty to LSU and was inducted into the LSU Manship School Hall of Fame in 2012.

"I remember Howard Cosell used to talk about ‘dugout vision”, where people only look at the scores and don't want to report anything that doesn't vary from who's on first. There is a lot more to sports than that, than just the games on the scoreboard. It's those people stories that really fascinated me then and now. And no matter whether I'm interviewing somebody from sports or the arts or business or politics, I try to find out more about them than just what their party affiliation is or who they're playing for or what's their next project. I'd like to know something about them. And I think that is really what makes life interesting."

He's watched Louisiana transition from majority Democrat to Republican over the past forty years. The Roman Catholic faith is still a predominant religion in Louisiana, and Jim shared that the Catholic vote is a good harbinger of how the nation will vote. One of the key reasons Louisiana swung to majority Republican is its conservative views on social issues, especially on its deeply-held anti-abortion beliefs.

Full of humorous anecdotes about politics, celebrities, and current affairs, Jim has a photographic memory that allows him to pull facts together quickly as he analyzes trends and provides insights on just about any topic you can bring up. Memorable quips included the fact that President Trump won electoral votes in the 22 most obese states (Louisiana is #6) and America has the most obese president since William Howard Taft. A heartwarming memory shared was how David Treen went to bat in the attempt to obtain a pardon for Edwin Edwards even though Edwards had unseated him in his re-election effort in 1983.

If you're interested in the mind behind a successful journalist and broadcaster, this is an interview you won't want to miss. You can listen to Jim Engster each morning on WRKF 89.3 or online at https://www.wrkf.org.

Emily Istre has experienced an artistic life blessed with adventure, travel, and now, the opportunity to encourage and inspire the region's music community. In this episode of Discover Lafayette, Emily shares her journey of moving from Crowley to Las Vegas and her touching realization that success wasn't truly meaningful if not shared with family in her beloved South Louisiana. She now takes her passionate drive for performing and promotes local songwriters by providing them a quiet and respectful space to perform and tell their stories at the Listening Room at The Pearl in Lafayette.

Emily Istre grew up in Crowley in a musical family that always supported her love of dance. From the time she took her first dance class at three years old, she knew she had found her passion. After attending UL – Lafayette, Emily moved to Las Vegas when she was 23, not knowing a soul or having a job lined up. Her family has supported her every step of the way.

After an entry-level job in Vegas, Emily was hired to dance with the renowned Pussycat Dolls, and eventually helped run the girl group and dance ensemble, and served as their lead singer for a while. She also performed as Dance Captain for the Las Vegas show put on by English singer-songwriter Matt Goss.

Emily has performed as Cleopatra for Caesars Palace and appeared on the Oprah show in Chicago with Celine Dion to announce her new show at The Colosseum. She’s danced on The Billboard Awards twice and performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London twice. Through the adventure, she soaked up every minute of it. Meditation and quiet contemplation about the enormity of her experiences kept her grounded and appreciative of each and every experience.

In 2012, Emily realized that family was important and she yearned to return home to Acadiana. She moved close, to New Orleans, where she created a small production company, acted on NCIS New Orleans for a couple of seasons, and worked as a makeup artist and dance teacher.

Emily Istre and musician/songwriter Lane Mack at The Listening Room at The Pearl

"My goal is to encourage and inspire our amazing music community. We are so blessed to have such a vast and impressive talent pool. I want them to know how valuable they are to our community and culture. I just want them to feel supported."

In October 2017, Emily moved to Lafayette where she has gotten very involved in the music scene. She has started a songwriter series called The Listening Room at The Pearl that showcases songwriters in a respectful quiet space where they can share their songs and tell their stories. She is also a dance teacher for Basin Arts, teaches gymnastics to little ones, and provides elder care.

Emily’s goal is to help make Lafayette a sustainable place to live for our creatives. I want to thank Taylor Marie Swift for being a part of this podcast and for bringing Emily Istre to my attention. Emily promoted Taylor's art at a showing and brought the same level of respect and encouragement to the event participants that she brings to the musical community. Thank you, Emily, for lifting up others with burgeoning talent by sharing your heart and soul.

Our guests on this Discover Lafayette podcast are Ron and Brad Gaubert, a father-son realtor team who joined forces with Keaty Real Estate in June 2019. Before that, Ron had operated his own realty firm, Ron Gaubert Realtors, since February 1978; he has always believed in the power of investing in real estate as a wealth-building tool and has practiced what he preaches, having personally invested in real estate throughout his career. 

Both Ron and Brad are lifelong Lafayette residents who believe that Lafayette is the "King of Opportunities" as a place for economic development and growing wealth. They focus on industrial and commercial properties with high capitalization ("cap") rates for their investors, as well as properties that yield dependable cash flow in businesses such as car washes, multi-family properties, and other retail properties. Ron has been instrumental in developing Garber Industrial Park, retail centers, subdivisions, hospitals, shopping centers, and even sold a race track once. He currently has many luxury homes in Acadiana listed for sale as well.

Ron has 41 years of experience in the real estate industry, as well as a diverse business background which brings a depth of knowledge in helping clients find the right piece of property. In his early career, Ron was active in the oil and gas industry and provided a variety of services for independent operators who needed assistance with accounting, engineering, field operations, and regulatory compliance. His entrepreneurial skills led him to design one of the first automated computer programs to calculate royalty payments for small independent operators, thus replacing the complicated and tedious manual accounting method. He managed approximately 150 wells per month in South Louisiana at one point. His experience benefits his real estate clients as he is knowledgeable in start-up companies and their needs.

Ron also worked many years in helping companies restructure and hire proper management. He is a Certified Expert witness and litigation specialist in oil & gas matters for State and Federal courts.

Brad earned his real estate license in 2014 and has been working with his dad for the past five years. Interestingly, Brad became a realtor right as the oil and gas market took a dramatic downturn; by 2015, a barrel of oil dropped in value from $130 to less than $30. Sociable and blessed with an agreeable temperament, Brad has never skipped a beat in sustaining success in the real estate industry. He focuses on customer service and has closed deals that reach beyond Louisiana borders when needed to satisfy a client's needs. As a two time Ambassador of the Year with One Acadiana, Brad brings a desire to spur economic development and the creation of jobs to his hometown, and emphasized the joy he receives from his career and the opportunity to work with his dad.

Celebrating Brad's 1st year in real estate.Celebrating Brad Earning His Real Estate LicenseFather and Son, Ron and Brad Gaubert

Both Ron and Brad are men of faith, enjoying family time together. Ron affirmed that "they've never had a cross word among themselves." Brad enjoys networking and finding the clients, and Ron brings his expertise to the table to propose a business plan, working out the details with Brad and their client.

Ron celebrating his second hole in one at The Wetlands.Ron's 1995 Porsche 911, one of five in his collection.Brad celebrating his wedding to Katie Hebert in 2017.

They also bring a love of the outdoors which they enjoy in their personal lives. Ron is a Porsche aficionado, owning five and having served as a former President of the Porsche Club of America's Whiskey Bay Region. He works on the vehicles and enjoys buying "parking lot queens" which need a bit of attent...

Dr. Holly Howat, Executive Director of Beacon Community Connections, is on a mission to improve community health and well-being by reaching out to those most in need to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and incarcerations for people in crisis. Since January 2018, Beacon's trained"navigators" have been helping people improve social functioning by providing compassionate, non-clinical case management which keeps their clients stable and healthy. In this episode of Discover Lafayette, Holly discusses how Beacon has saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs to Lafayette General Health and how the program has now been extended to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.

Holly has a unique background which led to her role at Beacon. She served as the Executive Director of the Lafayette Parish Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee under the purview of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. While there, she started the Justice and Health Collaborative which brings agency leaders and community stakeholders together to increase community mental health supports to reduce the number of individuals with mental illness in jail. Prior to that, she was a Project Director at the Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning where she directed research and evaluation projects involving Louisiana's after school programs and positive behavior interventions, as well as juvenile justice research.

She has learned over the years how lifestyle has a major effect on a person’s well-being. The social causes of poor physical and mental health greatly impact the healthcare's system ability to effectively treat patients. Hospitals have become revolving doors for patients who are struggling with multiple issues, like homelessness, chronic health conditions or serious mental illnesses. Holly refers to these patients as "familiar faces," a term kinder than "frequent fliers" or "super users" that some people use to describe the patients who use emergency rooms as their primary care providers.

Beacon Community is patterned after a similar program that originated in Seattle. In 2015, the Justice and Health Collaborative brought together a variety of stakeholders to discuss how best to address the phenomena of people with mental health issues who end up incarcerated because there was no other effective way to handle their needs. It was also common knowledge that these same individuals were cycling in and out of area hospitals due to a lack of follow-through on their health care needs. Key players in the discussion were the Acadiana Area Human Services District (known as "Tyler"), local hospitals including UHC, the Picard Center, UL-Lafayette's nursing program, the D. A., the Sheriff, Lafayette Chief of Police, local judges, the Public Defender's Office, and various mental health agencies. The group's goal was to focus on the humanity of this group of troubled individuals who needed compassion and assistance to get back on their feet.

Michael Tipton, CEO of Blue Cross, was supportive of the effort and suggested that the Beacon Project apply for a Special Projects Designation grant which was successfully awarded. The initial effort was set up through 232-HELP, partnered with Lafayette General Health System, and was expanded to St. Martin Hospital and Acadia General Hospital. Two navigators (caseworkers) worked with about 600 clients in the first year. Hospitals screen for patients who have social needs that are complicating their health issues, and the Beacon Project’s Community Care Navigators connect those patients with community sources for food, housing, jobs and more. Weekly phone calls provided a connection to the clients and assistance such as housing and transportation were arranged if needed.

Issues such as access to fresh food, safe housing, exercise, attending church,

Imagine farming without needing hundreds of acres or having to get your hands dirty in the soil. How about saving up to 90% of the water needed in conventional agriculture to successfully produce a high-yield, high-margin crop, and possibly serving as a catalyst for our next generation to explore a career in sustainable farming? Our guest on this episode of Discover Lafayette, Kohlie Frantzen, founder and managing partner of Helical Outposts, discusses all of this, and much more.

Kohlie Frantzen is a certified hydroponicist engaged in hydroponic farming, which is done in a controlled environment protected from the elements and doesn’t need soil to grow produce. You can grow the equivalent of 3 acres of crops in a space as small as 3000 square feet.  Picture a large storage container with a big greenhouse (pod) next to it that can fit in a small postage stamp of real estate.

Kohlie Frantzen and his partner at Helical Outposts, Dylan RatiganStudents at John Paul the Great Academy engaged in hydroponic farming.Helical Outpost showing solar panels

The son of the late Dan Frantzen, a co-founder of Stone Energy, Kohlie is an attorney who grew up believing he could chase his dreams just as successfully as his dad did as a wildcatter in the oil and gas industry. Kohlie has transitioned into the agriculture world and is now a proponent of the many benefits of hydroponic farming.

Kohlie co-founded Helical Holding with Dylan Ratigan, a former MSNBC host. He was initially drawn to the concept of hydroponic farming as a way to assist returning veterans in finding sustainable employment, or as he stated, "to give them a vocational path rather than a benefits path. However, his wife's family are farmers in Crowley and he was extremely skeptical of the claims made about hydroponic farming. In order to understand the concept of farming without soil, he attended a six-week course in Southern California which taught him a lot about the technical end of hydroponics, but not much in the way of practical knowledge as to how to sustain the practice as a successful business model.

Kohlie decided to use his oil and gas background and apply it to hydroponics. Utilizing standard operating practices in a similar manner to the oil and gas mentality of "quickly setting up, do what you have to do, and then pack up and move on to the next job," hydroponics gives farmers great flexibility in where their "farm" is set up and keeps costs down as compared to conventional farming which demands vast acreage and resources.

The advantages of hydroponic farming are many. First of all, the weather is not an issue as the pod protects the plantings from the elements and can be moved when threats such as hurricanes or floods are on the horizon. The plants grow faster as they receive nutrients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through recirculated water. Vegetables grow about 25 percent faster and produce 30 percent more in hydroponic systems Hydroponic farming systems use 90 percent less water, 90 percent less land, and produce the equivalent of as much as 3 acres of organic farm soil in as little as 5,000 square feet. It also has satellite internet access and a water filtration system. Each pod is a power station, communication hub, and a water purifier all in one.

Interestingly, hydroponics has actually been around for thousands of years. Many of us are familiar with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world. Built along the Euphrates River around 600 B. C., the gardens were watered using a chain pull system. Later in the 10th and 11th Centuries, the Aztecs utilized hydroponics on Lake Tenochtitlan, and similar floating gardens are in use today in Myanmar.

Hydroponic farming has great potential to provide healthy produce to...

Moon Griffon, conservative radio talk show host, is our guest.  Since August 23, 1993 when he launched the Moon Griffon Show in Monroe at KMLB 540 AM, the program has steadily grown and Moon's audience includes listeners in Lafayette, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Monroe, Natchitoches, Shreveport, Slidell, Thibodaux, and Winnfield, as well as Natchez, Mississippi. He has broadcast his show from KPEL 96.5 in Lafayette since 2014.

A native of Plaquemine, Moon graduated from Redemptorist High in Baton Rouge, and went on to play college basketball and graduate from Northeast, now known as UL – Monroe. Early in his career, he worked in sales and as a caterer, drawing upon his contacts made during his playing days at Northeast. These contacts served him well as he began a new chapter in his life and began his own radio talk show.

An interest in talk radio in the early 1990's motivated him to start his own show that would give a voice to the middle-class, everyday citizen. Always focused on "God, Family and Country," Moon's early shows were centered on First and Second Amendment issues, along with local issues that drew in listeners who wanted a say in community affairs. He's always conducted his own research for the show and has just as passionate a voice today as he did back in 1993.

Moon recounted the struggles in growing his program and jokingly stated that he's learned valuable lessons from his failures and still learns each day from his experiences. An early riser, Moon is disciplined in his approach to maintaining quality programming and staying abreast of issues. The late C. B. Forgotson, a conservative, seasoned lobbyist and former House of Representative's staff attorney, was a beloved mentor to Moon and taught him the ropes in conducting accurate research into the state budget and how the legislative process works. Moon was careful to point out that he makes mistakes and is quick to apologize when needed.

Steadfast in his belief that Louisiana has got to change its way of operating to enable a climb out of its lagging economy with stagnant job growth and a net migration population loss, Moon thinks we need "leaders" rather than the "deal-makers" who have run the House and Senate the past few decades. We discussed the apathy of voters as he recounted a declining turnout over the past couple of decades. Upper and middle-class residents who have left Louisiana to chase better opportunities out of state reflect the same trends in fewer people showing up at the polls. He lamented the loss of our "best and brightest" who have had to migrate out to pursue employment; the long-term implications and ripple effect will result in fewer students, fewer jobs and fewer opportunities for our residents. Louisiana is the only Southern state losing population and statistics bear out his fears.

Passionate and fearless in expressing himself and his beliefs, this interview provides an opportunity to learn what drives Moon Griffon to host his call-in show five days a week, two hours a day. He loves Louisiana and challenges our elected officials to step up, prioritize and address unfunded accrued liabilities and infrastructure needs, and treat the "cancer" that has prevented our state from reaching its highest potential.

You can listen to the Moon Griffon show each weekday from 9 to 11 a.m. on KPEL 96.5. Visit https://kpel965.comfor more information.

Miles Perret Cancer Services' Executive Director, Richard Stegall, and Sherry Hernandez, Community Liaison, spoke with Jan Swift of Discover Lafayette about the 19th Annual Games of Acadiana which will be held on August 17, 2019. This annual fun and family-friendly event was created in the aftermath of the tragic loss of Hank and Debbie Perret's son, Miles Perret, to glioblastoma. Their vision then and now was to help others in Acadiana fight, survive and live with cancer with dignity and to have access to the services they may need.

Although Miles Perret lived only eight years, his was a life filled with curiosity, joy, and love. When Miles was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, his family determined right away that he would have as normal and carefree a life as possible. Their journey with him provided firsthand experience of the daily challenges of fighting cancer. Miles, unfortunately, lost his battle with cancer at the age in 1996.

A few years later, the Perret family started Games of Acadiana, a family-oriented fundraising event, first held August 25, 2001. The amazing success of the first Game Day enabled the Miles Perret Center to open less than a year later to help address the needs of local families.

Games of Acadiana is still the signature fundraiser of Miles Perret Cancer Services today, with approximately 100 sponsors making this free event possible. The Games are held as a tribute and way to say thanks to the community, the many volunteers that make Miles Perret's services possible, as well as the survivors who have bravely faced cancer. While the games are free, you can contribute to Miles Perret Cancer Services by buying a GPS wristband that gives you an exclusive look inside a few games at the event. Come "Play With a Purpose" and help our community fight cancer by supporting this worthy cause. You can also contribute by sponsoring the Games or giving through "I'm In" with any level of gift you wish. Visit www.milesperret.org for more information.

Since 2002, Miles Perret Cancer Services has served over 16,000 families in Acadiana. In 2018 alone, 3400 families were helped. 100% of the funds raised stay in Acadiana. Parishes in their service area include Acadia, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Iberia, Jeff Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion. They offer 25 services and programs to the community, including prostheses, wigs, nutritional supplements, transportation assistance, a variety of medical supplies and equipment, a Wellness Center offering exercise and nutrition classes, and support groups. The staff works closely with local oncologists and hospitals to ensure that their services meet the needs of their clients. Mobile Miles offers outreach services to clients living in the parishes outside of Lafayette to coordinate delivery of needed items and services.

The day begins early with a triathlon suitable for all fitness levels for the first 350 who sign up: there is a 200-yard swim at UL-Bourgeois pool, and an 8-mile bike ride and 2-mile run along Cajundome Blvd. Visit https://runsignup.com/Race/LA/Lafayette/MPCSTriathlon for details and to sign up.

Games of Acadiana starts at 10 a.m. with the Survivor Walk and Opening Ceremonies. At 10:30 a.m., the games officially begin. This year’s Games of Acadiana features over 50 games to be enjoyed by the whole family. There will be a toddler play area with a place to valet park strollers. Activities include life-sized Candyland, Home Run Derby, Hula Hoop, Monster Spider Jump, Zombie Laser Tag, and the Fastest Pitch game hosted by Rader Solutions, our podcast producer. Sherry's favorite games include Wipeout and Monster Spider Jump, which she enjoys testing out! Please also check out the Miles Perret signature $6.00 spaghetti dish, $1.00 bake sale cookies,