APPLAUSE

»In July, the Iberia African American Historical Society was awarded a Rebirth Grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities to host the Queen Mother Moore Legacy Symposium and Celebration to honor Audley Moore, known as Queen Mother Moore. The event was held July 27 at the Sliman Theater and was the first time that a commemoration program was held in her honor in her hometown of New Iberia. Born in New Iberia on July 27, 1898, Queen Mother Moore was a pan-Africanist, civil rights activist, theorist, African liberation leader and educator. 

»In June, the Ovey Comeaux High School Speech Team competed at the National Speech and Debate Association International Championships in Louisville, KY. The competitions began with the top 300 students from around the world. The OCHS Speech Team had three students reach the final rounds of main stage events, more than any other competing school. Junior Kylan Williams placed 3rd Internationally and Senior Peyton Poole placed 2nd Internationally in Dramatic Interpretation, each winning a $1,000 scholarship. Junior Jarkeylon Ismail is the 2022 International Champion in Program Oral Interpretation. The team also won the National Speech and Debate Association Speech Team of Excellence Sweepstakes Award for ranking in the top 20 out of more than 1,800 teams in competition globally.

»For the fifth year in a row, donors stepped up in a BIG way to support organizations providing programs and services to those most in need in our South Louisiana communities through SOLA Giving Day 2022. As the event wrapped up at midnight on May 5, the Community Foundation of Acadiana saw 195 nonprofits, churches and schools using the SOLA Giving Day platform to raise $1.41 million from more than 3,400 donations.  Additionally, more than 90 participating organizations secured nearly $475,000 in matching funds that were leveraged and promoted through the fundraising event. Another exciting component of SOLA Giving Day 2022 was its global reach. 

»In June, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) announced its 2022 Circle of Excellence Awards winners across the globe, which included Acadiana’s own South Louisiana Community College (SLCC). The college – one of only seven award winners selected in their category and the only community college – was honored with a Gold award for its most recent employee giving campaign, where faculty and staff were asked to invest back into the institution to support philanthropic initiatives including student scholarships, emergency fund programs, and more. At its conclusion, the campaign had the highest percentage of employee givers in the history of the college at 76% of all full-time employees. The effort raised a total of $26,418.68. 

»In June, BBR Creative hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate 25 years of service as one of Louisiana’s leading creative advertising and marketing agencies. Since 1997, BBR has not only worked to elevate and expand on more than 650 brand clients, but also to enrich the lives of those in their communities. Through the end of the year, BBR Creative will continue to honor their 25 years of commitment to community and positive growth, with events such as installing a Fightinville Fresh community fridge, public art displays, sponsoring Junior Achievement initiatives, supporting LSU and UL Lafayette students through sponsorship opportunities and constructing a Little Free Library in the La Place neighborhood.

»Jake Landry and Christi Gonzales have opened a new business in New Iberia called Teche Driving Academy. Gonzales teaches defensive driving to her students as an instructor and owner as well as a teacher at New Iberia Senior High. Gonzales also formed a local school chapter of SODA, which stands for the Student Organ Donation Advocates and supports student-led organ donation advocacy and registration efforts. The NISH SODA club will collectively work together with Teche Driving Academy to inspire, educate and advocate for students and adults in Iberia Parish about becoming an organ donor. Their first event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27, in the parking lot of the Office of Motor Vehicles, located at 1613 E. Main St., in New Iberia.

 

JUST IN 

»On June 3, in honor of National Donut Day, the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Village Deaux Donuts & More at 724 E. Admiral Doyle Drive in New Iberia. 

»In June, the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Baskin Robbins, located at 1104 E. Main St., in New Iberia. 

»In July, the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Thrive Nutrition, located at 616 S. Lewis St., in New Iberia. 

»In June, Towne Pharmacy hosted a 20th anniversary event and ribbon cutting alongside the Broussard Chamber of Commerce. Towne Pharmacy is a locally-owned pharmacy and gift shop located at 103 E Main Street in Broussard. It has been providing customers throughout the Broussard area with their pharmaceutical needs since 2002. 

»A small group of New Iberia citizens has organized to honor and thank New York Times best-selling author James Lee Burke for putting New Iberia on the literary map. Working with the city, they have secured a location downtown to erect a bronze statue of Burke. Burke grew up spending summers in New Iberia. He returned to New Iberia as an adult and lived on the Bayou Teche for a number of years with his wife, Pearl. The committee is raising the $125,000 needed for the statue and surrounding landscape through a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The committee accepts donations on GoFundMe.com or by mail. For more information, contact Paul Schexnayder at 337-321-1956 or paul@schex.com.

»In July, the Lafayette Consolidated Government opened public comment for its recently unveiled Bicycle Lafayette Plan, which includes 47 miles of bikeways and trails, including the 8.8-mile Véloop connecting 16 neighborhoods from Rotary Point to Pontiac Point and a 10-foot wide, 1.95-mile trail connecting Girard Park to Moncus Park. Bicycle Lafayette is a collaboration between LCG, SO Studio Architecture, CARBO Landscape Architecture and Makemade. 

»The Acadiana Center for the Arts is calling for volunteer groups for Gulf Brew 2022. Acadiana-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations are invited to form a team of five to ten volunteers and commandeer a Brew Stop during Gulf Brew on Oct. 22, 2022 to raise money for their respective causes. Volunteer teams will serve beer to Gulf Brew attendees while collecting cash tips. For more details, visit AcadianaCenterfortheArts.org. 

»Downtown Lafayette Unlimited is looking for a retailer who’s dreaming of a downtown storefront for their business. The Retail Tenant Improvement Program is open to new retailers or existing retail businesses looking to expand current space by more than 30% within the Downtown Lafayette taxing district. Applications are due at the end of each quarter, and Friday, Sept. 30 is the next deadline. Contact Rachel Holland at rachel@downtownlafayette.org if you’re interested in applying.

»New installations coming to the Hilliard Art Museum this summer will help you escape the heat and the everyday: Little Things: Drawings and Photographs by Fred Packard, which opened July 22, and Stephon Senegal: When Monsters Tremble, opens Aug. 17.  Little Things features works on paper, including photography, oil crayons and pen-and-ink that will transport visitors to different places, times and photographic techniques, including from the artist’s varied life experiences, from serving in the US Army in Europe during the Cold War to his beloved home state of Louisiana. 

»EatLafayette is a celebration showcasing the restaurants that make Lafayette’s culture so appetizing. The campaign supports Lafayette’s one-of-a-kind, locally-owned restaurants and features deals and special events with more than 100 restaurant locations running all summer long through Sept. 11. For more details and a list of participating restaurants and their respective deals, visit LafayetteTravel.com/EatLafayette. 

»Downtown Lafayette Unlimited held a ribbon cutting ceremony in July for Noble Plastics, which recently opened a new downtown location in the Versailles Center, located at 102 Versailles Blvd., Suite 120 in Lafayette. Missy and Scott Rogers made the decision to operate Noble’s administrative, marketing and HR functions in the heart of the region they’ve called home for their 22 years in business.

 

MOVES & SHAKERS

»Each year, Acadian Ambulance recognizes its exceptional paramedics and EMTs for their tireless work ethic and dedication. The top winners are selected by a company-wide committee and were honored at a celebration at Acadian Companies’ annual company meeting that was held in Lafayette in June. Paramedic Jacob Musumeche represents Acadian Air Med and was a finalist for the top honors for Air Med Paramedic of the Year. Executive Aircraft Charter Service Captain Ben Jastram was recognized as the Air Services 2022 Employee of the Year. Safety Specialist Adam Smith was recognized as Safety Management Systems’ 2022 Employee of the Year.  Also at the meeting, 19 employee-owners were recognized for their 30 years of service, 10 employee-owners for 35 years, and two employee-owners for 40 years.

»In June, Acadian Companies welcomed Tori Tauzin as its orientation coordinator. Tauzin is in charge of the in-person and online orientation process for new employees spanning the company’s Houston, TX, to Jackson County, MS, service areas. In addition to the regular orientation schedule, Tauzin will be involved with expansion and acquisition onboarding. A native of New Iberia, Tauzin studied child and family studies and psychology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 

»In June, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana (BGCA) announced Tamara Anthony as the new Director of Operations and celebrated her 25th Anniversary of dedication and commitment to the organization. As Director of Operations, Anthony is responsible for overseeing club operations and programs with primary engagement in program development and implementation, safety, metric management and overseeing staff development within the clubs. Her role will entail seeking and reporting activities to ensure an optimal club experience for all club members. Anthony’s career with BGCA started as a part-time employee at one of the clubs moving to a full-time program director. 

»In June, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu held a change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Base Honolulu bidding farewell to Capt. Arex Avanni and welcoming Capt. Aja Kirksey. Kirksey, a native of New Iberia, was Chief of the Enlisted Advancement, Panels and Separations Branch of the Personnel Service Center responsible for enlisted boards and panels, advancements and personnel separation actions. Kirkey’s education includes a master’s degree in Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School at New England Institute of Business and she is a 2001 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where she earned a bachelor of science in Marine Environmental Sciences.