Make the call for cerebral palsy

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A rivalry has blossomed between Houma and Cut Off, and in this philanthropic showdown, there are no losers.


Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana hosts five telethons each year: one in Lafayette, Monroe, Houma, Alexandria and Cut Off. The two located in the Tri-parishes year after year generate the most pledges, often dueling with one another for the top spot in the state, says Kathy Arceneaux, CPL administrative assistant and one of the telethons’ dogged organizers.


Last year, Houma’s event generated just more than $86,000 in pledged donations, while Cut Off’s telethon brought in about $73,000 worth of pledges.

“The strongest telethons are Houma and Cut Off,” Arceneaux says. “They have always been our two big shows. We kind of compete with each other. A lot of people in Houma know a lot of people in Cut Off.”


For context, the first two telethons this year raised $29,000 in Lafayette and $40,000 in Monroe.


CPL is a non-profit organization that provides assistance with the purchase, rental or repair of durable medical equipment. The group also assists those who have cerebral palsy with speech, physical and mental therapy.

All of the money CPL raises stays within the state, Arceneaux stresses.


The poster representatives this year are 4-year-old Thibodaux native Clay Buras (Houma) and 30-year-old Todd Pitre (Cut Off).


Clay has what Arceneaux describes as a mild case of cerebral palsy; he needs speech therapy because the soon-to-be W.S. Lafargue Elementary student hasn’t yet learned to talk. Clay enjoys solving puzzles and playing with toy cars, helicopters and airplanes.

Pitre’s case is more severe, Arceneaux says. He’s described as an avid weightlifter, which has helped prevent the condition from deteriorating his lifestyle. “Sometimes therapy will improve younger ones, but with Todd, it maintains,” Arceneaux says.

The telethons tell these stories and broadcast educational clips. A 14-member panel of VIP participants answer phones from a televised bank and five others sit off screen, all 19 rotating every few hours with the next shift.

Live music is broadcast: Uprising, Cameron Richard, Bandit and Blue Eyed Soul Revue, and others, are scheduled to perform. Various emcees entertain audiences during the live broadcast.

Anyone who stops by one of the two locations – the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center and Cut Off Youth Center – can make a $25 fishbowl donation and receive a gift.

Cerebral palsy, caused by abnormalities of the brain, is incurable. It is not a fatal disease, but its effects can facilitate life-threatening ailments. Medical costs for children with cerebral palsy are 10 times higher ($16,721) than for children without an intellectual disability, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Houma telethon, scheduled for Aug. 4-5, is broadcast on Charter channel 18 and Comcast channel 190. In Cut Off, Aug. 25-26, it runs on Vision channel 5. The telethons also stream live online at www.cerebralpalsyla.com.

To volunteer, call Arceneaux at (800) 375-8275.

Four-year-old Clay Buras is the poster representative for Houma’s cerebral palsy telethon, scheduled for Aug. 4-5.

COURTESY PHOTO