Houma-based krewes team up with Southern Axe to raise $60,000 for a local girl in need

This Mardi Gras season wasn’t just about the parades! Local krewes in Houma came together and raised over $60,000 for an 8-year-old girl in need.

Southern Axe in Houma hosted their inaugural Jell-O Shot Benefit , where they invited Houma-based krewes to see who could raise the most money for Kylah Eschete, an 8-year-old girl who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Between the 12 competing krewes, from $3 Jell-O shots and $2 pudding shots, the members were able to raise over $60,000 for Kylah.

“Kylah and her family are very close friends of ours, and she was recently diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumors, a type of kidney cancer that mainly affects children. After treatment, they found out the tumors came back, and the family is talking about relocating to either New York, Texas, or Tennessee,” said the owner of Southern Axe Blaine Theriot. “So we decided to find a way to raise money for them to help them out. We wanted to spread the word to the community as best we could.”

Theriot explained that he comes from a long line of Mardi Gras lovers and riders, and figured out a way to combine this good cause with local krewes. “My dad rode with Hercules and my mom rode for Cleopatra, and I always remember them talking about friendly competitions between the krewes,” said Theriot. “So we thought it’d be a good idea to set up a fun competition for the krewes to see who could raise the most money. They came out in full force, and I never expected them to raise as much as they did.”

At the end of the several-week-long competition, Cleopatra claimed the title of First-Place Winner of the Inaugural Southern Axe Jell-O Shot Benefit, singlehandedly raising almost $9,000. Aphrodite came in a close second, with Hercules taking third place. Other local businesses contributed thousands of dollars to the cause alongside what the krewes raised. 100% of the profits raised went towards Kylah and her family.

“The whole community is hurting right now from Hurricane Ida, the economy, you name it,” said Theriot. “But people still put their problems aside to help someone else in need.” Thanks to the success of the first Jell-O Shot Benefit, Southern Axe is planning to host this fundraising event every Mardi Gras season from now on.

For more information, and to see how the competition progressed this month/complete final totals, please visit Southern Axe’s Facebook page.