UPDATE: Missing inmate caught
December 15, 2016CORRECTION
December 20, 2016
There’s no doubt that Jory Pitre is looking down from the sky and smiling, because what’s going on in Lafourche Parish right now is pretty special.
The Fourth-Annual JP Bash was a huge success. It generated more than $30,000 in revenue, which has been donated in Pitre’s name to Louisiana State Police Troop C’s Grant-A-Wish program – a special local project that puts smiles on the faces of locals all over the area who are stricken with tough times.
The event honors the life of Pitre, who died of cancer in 2012.
Before passing, he asked family and friends to hold the event each year as his way of giving back to those in need.
The Boura family (Scott and Lorey Boura and kids), which own Me-Maw’s Cajun Cuisine in Golden Meadow helped organize the event, and they recently held a dedication ceremony to donate the proceeds – inviting members of Troop C to enjoy a night out, while collecting the proceeds from the day, which featured music, food, raffles and much more.
“It is truly the most amazing experience I’ve ever been a part of,” said Scotty Boura with Me-Maw’s, one of the lead organizers for the event. “Giving back for something like this is so great. Pretty much everyone can say that they have been affected by cancer in some way or another. To help make a young person who may not be able to experience a full life’s wish come true is heartwarming, and we’re so glad to be a part of it all every year.”
The bash has really taken on a life of its own in southern Lafourche Parish.
It used to be hosted at L’Esprit Lounge – a bar that was previously owned by the Boura family.
But this past year, organizers expanded the day and held it at the Cut Off Youth Center so that everyone in the community could attend.
“Before, only people who were of-age to get into a bar could attend,” Scotty Boura said. “But we didn’t want anyone to be left out. We wanted to make sure that we had an all-ages JP Bash.”
That’s how JP would have wanted it.
Those who remember Pitre say he was one of the most fun-loving people on earth.
Family members and friends remember a man who had that rare ability to find the light in any situation – even as he was battling cancer.
He was a guy who loved to be outdoors and who loved to deal with cars and trucks.
Friends say he wasn’t picky about what he or his friends would be doing – just as long as everyone involved was having a good time.
“He was a special guy,” Lorey Boura said. “He was a great young man.
So, it began, and the bash has blossomed into one of the events Lafourche natives look forward to most each year.
But the efforts don’t end there.
Throughout the year, community members hold other fund raisers to honor JP’s memory, giving the proceeds back to Troop C’s Grant-A-Wish program.
Relative Janita Allemand held a bake sale at Lady of the Sea General Hospital earlier this year, which netted $1,419 in proceeds to the cause.
Like the staff at Me-Maw’s, she invited Troop C to her place of business to accept the proceeds, honoring them for their dedication to helping area children.
In 2017, Boura said plans are already ongoing to make the next bash the biggest one yet.
No doubt, the person this is all for is in heaven smiling, because his ultimate wish has been met – his fun-loving, giving spirit is living on in the lives of others, long after his passing.
Fly High!
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