Benefit scheduled to help Vices

Mulberry Elementary School principal Mary Aucoin recalls a time when she asked the late Peggy Vice for help.

As a school principal, time is always precious for Aucoin, but when Vice was on her side, the job would always get done.

“She was such a generous person,” the principal recalled. “Peggy was the kind of person that when you gave her a task to do, she’d get it done, then come back and ask ‘OK, now what else can I do to help?’ She was truly a special person.”

Peggy Vice died in February after complications from a surgery, dealing a blow to the Mulberry community and everyone close to the teacher.

“We lost a true friend and a leader in the education field,” Aucoin said. “Our school and our children lost a teacher who truly cared about whether they were successful.”

Peggy Vice taught dyslexic students from first through six grades at Mulberry.

Aucoin said teaching the children with special needs is something that is a challenge to most teachers. But Vice loved her work.

“She made those kids feel good about themselves,” the principal said. “She cared about kids. She wanted kids to be successful. If there was one child in that classroom who was maybe struggling, she’d take that child under her wing and do everything she could to make sure they did better.”

To make things worse for the family, Vice’s husband, Dickie, is continuing a three-year battle with cancer and just began another round of treatments.

So now, with the Vice family in need, it is Aucoin and other family and friend’s turns to lend a hand to Dickie and the family’s two children.

On Sunday, the Dickie and Peggy Vice Benefit will be held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

“Her family needs our help now, so we want to do that, we want to help,” Aucoin said.

The benefit was originally planned to be a small gathering.

But thanks to the help of a few friends, the event has grown legs of its own.

“We want to help Dickie and the kids out and hopefully make their lives easier,” said Brad Rodrigue, who is helping to organize the event. “It was supposed to be a small event, but now its grown into a major affair.”

The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, and boiled shrimp is the meal being served.

A dinner costs $10 per person and the event will be organized as a drive-thru, pick-up. Proceeds will benefit the Vice family.

Rodrigue said the lunch was originally scheduled to be held at a smaller venue, but as word spread, the large civic center was needed.

Aucoin agreed and thanked the people with the civic center for their help.

“We are so fortunate to have been given this help from the civic center,” Aucoin said. “We wanted to keep this close to our community and we felt the civic center was a building that everyone in our community would be able to easily get to and enjoy some shrimp with us to help these great people.”

Those organizing the event want to provide aid to cover medical costs and living expenses during the family’s difficult time.

Aucoin said the family is doing its best to be strong during the difficult time.

“She was a tremendous person and there are so many of us who miss her,” Aucoin said.

Those who would like to attend the banquet are asked to contact Brad Rodrigue at (985) 804-7605 or Mary Aucoin at (985) 855-1626.

Donations can also be made by sending checks to Edward Jones Investments in Houma at 707 Grand Caillou Road.

Those interested may also e-mail vicefamilybenefit@gmail.com for more information.

Aucoin said the help would be going to a great cause.

“Peggy and the Vice family felt as though everyone they encountered was a friend. She would always do anything she could to help people, so now it’s our turn when her family is in need,” she said.

A benefit Sunday will help Houma’s Dickie Vice, who is pictured with his son, Matthew, and late wife, Peggy, who died during surgery in February. Dickie is being treated for brain tumors. * Photo courtesy of MARY AUCOIN