Lafourche Deaf Club hosting annual fundraiser Saturday

Lafourche’s Cajun Deaf Club welcomes the public to come and enjoy some great food and fun activities at its annual picnic this Saturday in Raceland.

The picnic will be held at the Raceland Lions Clubhouse, 600 Hospital Dr., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission for the festivities is $8 for adults and $6 for children. For residents wanting a hot plate meal, as well as to enjoy the festivities, the cost is $12 for adults and $8 for children.

For those residents who just want to come and get a hot meal, the cost is $8 for adults and $6 for children, said club member Rena Lemoine.

The meal consists of fried catfish or meatloaf with jambalaya, green salad, and bread.

Though the name says picnic, food is not the only reason to come out and have a good time. Residents in attendance will be able to play a game of Cotto for prizes.

The club will have an adult and children “parade of gifts” where items donated by local businesses and organizations will be given away to people in attendance.

Event goers will also have the opportunity to bid on some delectable desserts donated by various bakers in the area, and take a chance to win televisions, a laptop, a barbecue pit, a GPS system and more prizes.

The club has a 50/50 cash drawing, plus a $750, a $500 and a $250 raffle giveaway. Lemoine said the club added a surprise raffle drawing this year. The lucky person has to be present at the picnic to win.

Last year’s event brought more than 300 people to Raceland. This year, the club expects the numbers to almost double.

The Cajun Deaf Club was started in 1998 to offer social opportunities for deaf people in southern Louisiana. The club presently has 12 members.

Lemoine was born with her hearing, but became deaf at 2 years old after she contracted meningitis. She said she never had a problem fitting in with the hearing children when she was growing.

The 42-year-old Thibodaux native said that’s what she wants for the new generation of deaf kids.

“We should all be on equal grounds,” she said. “Being deaf doesn’t make them any different from the other children. That’s why people should take the time out to learn how to sign. That way we can all communicate with each other. No one will be left out.”

It is the club’s hope to one day build a clubhouse for deaf children and children with deaf parents.

“We would like to have a place where the kids can come for camp,” Lemoine said. “We can teach them how to sign, and how to communicate with others just like them.”