DIGITAL DIALOGUE
July 29, 2015Galette released by Saints
July 29, 2015
Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes are set to do their part in helping Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana by hosting the two largest annual fundraising events for the statewide non-profit organization Aug. 1 – 2 and Aug. 22 – 23, respectively.
At the beginning of the month, volunteers will converge on the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center to encourage at-home viewers to call in and make a generous donation for those living with the condition typically caused by damage to the brain during birth. In addition to picking up the phone, viewers can also stop by the event and donate in person.
“We encourage the public to come down and drop $25 or more into the fish bowl,” Kathy Arceneaux, assistant to the organization’s executive director, said. “They get an ‘I Helped’ T-shirt and on Saturday, they can come to the fish bowl, drop $25 or more and get a free haircut courtesy of A Good Hair Day in Houma.”
Volunteers for the Houma event include Honorary Chairperson Chuck Weaver of South Louisiana Bank, as well as local bank employees, Terrebonne Parish Council members and Sheriff’s Office employees.
Each year, the organization selects locals with cerebral palsy to represent the fundraiser. This year, the Bayou Area Telethon is represented by Claire Toups, a 14-year-old Houma resident and student at Grand Caillou Middle School.
On Aug. 22 – 23, the organization will move to Bayou Lafourche, setting up camp at the Cut Off Youth Center to encourage donations from residents there as part of the Lower Lafourche Telethon. This event will be very similar to the Houma telethon and will include volunteers from the Lafourche Parish Council, as well as past and current area festival queens.
This event is represented by Amrys Hebert, a 13-year-old Cut Off resident.
Throughout both weekends, local musicians will also perform. In Houma, acoustic music from Kayla Hebert kicks things off, followed by the likes of variety band Fernwood, 2 Shots Til Sunday, singer Hannah Guidry, the TARC Bell Choir and more. In Cut Off, the Bayou Bell Ringers open the show, followed by Hannah Guidry, 2 Shots Til Sunday and more.
Arceneaux said those wishing to volunteer but not comfortable being on television can still help. Those wishing to do their part can work behind-the-scenes to make both telethons run smoothly.
“If you don’t feel comfortable coming in and manning the phone, we also do all of our processing at the telethon,” she explained. “In other words, as pledges come in, they are put in a tally machine. We also have a tally board to show the public what each area is bringing in. Once we put the pledges into the machine, it goes to a computer database to process the pledge. The pledge form is put in an envelope, we put a bank envelope in it, seal it and Sunday night, everything is ready to go to the mail.”
The Houma and Cut Off telethons have run for more than 40 years, Arceneaux said, and both offer tremendous financial support to the organization, which relies solely on donations to assist clients with wheelchairs, braces, eyeglasses, vehicle lifts and other medical equipment, as well as physical, occupational or speech therapy. These services are offered to organization clients free of charge. About $80,000 was raised in Terrebonne Parish last year, while Lafourche Parish brought in more than $90,000.
“Cut Off and Houma are our two largest telethons that we do every year,” Arceneaux explained of the events, which are also held annually in Lafayette and Monroe. “They get a lot of community support and it’s something people are looking forward to every year.”
Arceneaux, a Houma resident who volunteered with the organization for seven years before joining the staff full-time 17 years ago, said being part of such a beneficial event and organization is what makes the time spent all worth it.
“I’ve been around and seen a lot and it’s very rewarding,” she explained. “You get to see a lot of individuals grow up as children and young adults and it’s a great thing to be a part of.”
For Arceneaux, the events are a great way for everyone involved in the organization to spend time together while benefitting the work they are so passionate about.
“We have a lot of clients that come and see us and we have a lot of parents of clients that man the phones,” she said. “We get a chance to interact, which is great…We have a really good time. This is a time many of us get to have fellowship with each other.”
