2021 Terrebonne’s Young Achiever Award Recipients Announced

Ashlee Barahona, Layne Bordelon, and Noah Lirette all resonate with community members, and for good reasons. All three were recipients of the 2021 Terrebonne Young Achiever’s Award presented by b1Bank at the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce General Membership Luncheon.

© Heidi Guidry

Ashlee Barahona is a graduate of H.L. Bourgeois High School and earned her undergraduate degree in Government and Criminal Justice from Nicholls State University. In 2010, she earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of New Orleans and began her non-profit career as a loaned executive with United Way in 2007. She was promoted to Campaign Associate the following year and helped better communities in the position for eight years. She then began working at Compass Behavioral Hospital, and in her mental healthcare career, she served as a community liaison and was later promoted to the Director of the Outpatient Hospital. After six years with the hospital, she returned to the United Way.

In February 2021, she accepted a position as the Executive Director of the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence (TFAE). She has dedicated herself to being a stewardess of hope and has gone above and beyond since day one of Hurricane Ida’s landfall. The way she has stepped up to help others reflects her leadership skills and despite her not being an employee of the United Way, she still sat side-by-side with them and acted as the point of contact for not only United Way, but also, Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank. She helped facilitate food and donations to those in need in Terrebonne Parish and beyond. While still helping with United way, she fulfilled her role as Executive Director of TFAE. She helped write grants and raised over $1 million for Ida relief efforts. Alongside these efforts, she organized school supply drives to help children and teachers get the tools they need as they returned to classrooms. Not only did she help facilitate and raise resources for those in need, but she’s also seen out in the community helping distribute and being a pillar of support.

© Heidi Guidry

Layne Bordelon graduated from Catholic High in Pointe Coupee. She is a graduate of Louisiana State in 2005 with a Marketing degree. She began her career in Baton Rouge working in advertising and sales. She left Baton Rouge to settle in Houma with her husband, Jeff Bordelon. Terrebonne Parish has become her home and given her the opportunity to further her career and give back to the community in meaningful ways. Since joining Terrebonne General Medical Center in 2016, she has been working in marketing and is currently the Development Coordinator for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. 

Through her collective efforts with Terrebonne General Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and community leaders, they have been able to improve upon the quality of care for Houma residents who may not have the resources for early detection and treatment for various types of cancer. She also volunteers with other causes such as McDonell United Methodist Children’s Services, Houma Junior Auxiliary, Girls on the Run, and Team Terrebonne. 

The pandemic brought challenges when it came to fundraising, and Bordelon adapted in-person events to virtual formats including the Cancer Center’s signature fundraising event, the Gala. In March 2021, Bordelon planned the ‘Gala Goes to You’, which uniquely broadcasted live from the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center and streamed to several watch party locations in the community. The event exceeded expectations and raised over $80,000 for cancer patients. These are just a few examples of how she has improved medical care in the community, advanced charitable organizations, and advanced personal growth in young women in the community. 

© Heidi Guidry

Terrebonne Parish native Noah Lirette graduated from Terrebonne High School and later earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and entrepreneurship from LSU. He worked in the oilfield after graduation in order to return home to work on his passion, Bayou Terrebonne Distillers. The distillery was founded by Lirette and two cousins with the purpose of preserving a family tradition. The distillery was once a shrimp drying facility and is now a center for events and functions in downtown Houma, and their whiskey is the only certified Louisiana-made whiskey in the world. 

He has shown a passion for preserving the beauty of the bayou region, Houma, and specifically the Downtown area over the years, and eventually became the founder of the Hache Grant Association which is a non-profit organization that has a goal of bettering the quality of life and revitalization of Terrebonne Parish. The first main revitalization project was creating fundraising events to help fund a downtown bandstand to be constructed near the courthouse. He also serves on the Keep Terrebonne Beautiful and Downtown Development boards along with serving as president of the Hache Grant Association.

Hurricane Ida left a mark in Terrebonne Parish and the Hache Grant Association stepped up to help those in need. Although Hurricane relief wasn’t in the original plan, the group pulled up their bootstraps and extended a hand to the community. Lirette opened his distillery as a home-based distribution center for relief efforts and converted the facility into a grocery store allowing residents to “shop” free of charge. He stood shoulder to shoulder with those around him to deliver supplies to the hardest-hit areas in lower Terrebonne. He continues to come together with those in the community and constantly finds ways to help better those around him.

The purpose of the Terrebonne Young Achiever’s Award is to celebrate young professionals in the community who showcase not only outstanding careers but also impact the community in ways that pave the way for future generations. Congratulations to the 2021 recipients! It is well-deserved!