Mahlon Joseph Bourgeois
July 7, 2009
Ronnie Jerome Labit
July 9, 2009
That group of retirees and homemakers seen around Terrebonne Parish lending a hand is the Terrebonne Volunteers for Family and Community.
“These ladies get out into the community because they love it,” said the group’s advisor, LSU AgCenter agent Margaret Burlew. “Their time is worth $17 an hour in dollar value for every hour that they volunteer in the community. That is per person, per hour and it goes back in the community, which saves the parish a lot of money.”
According to Burlew, the nonprofit organization’s mission is to educate. For more than 50 years, the ladies have been volunteering their time to help strengthen the area.
“The group is a community- minded organization,” she said. “As the group evolved the educational needs changed, but this still remains an education organization.”
TVFC maintains a full calendar of activities across Terrebonne Parish. Among the group’s volunteer projects are helping with Team Spirit (a program that helps promote drug-abuse awareness during Red Ribbon Week), the Salvation Army, various 4-H clubs, the LSU AgCenter and local nursing homes and food banks.
“TVFC can be very proud of its active involvement with the Team Spirit Program during Red Ribbon Week,” Burlew said. “Some of the women commit their time the entire week to work with drug prevention programs.”
The group also donates school supplies to various public schools, offers two scholarships to an accredited Louisiana college or university and gives a monetary donation to a civic nonprofit organization annually.
To raise money, the group sells a cookbook made up of recipes from different members.
The organization also holds a raffle every year, and they sell RADA kitchen knives.
Keeping with their mission, TVFC conducts a series of forums and workshops throughout the year. They include a women’s health forum, teen workshops on babysitting, alcohol- and drug-abuse awareness, literacy awareness, home and garden seminars, product safety and leadership training seminars.
Members of TVFC come from eight local homemakers clubs.
Merle Lirette of Chauvin is the longest-serving member of the TVFC board. She joined her local group, Les Dames de Chauvin, in 1953.
The former postal service worker said the Chauvin ladies banded together to help schools and small businesses in the area.
The second-longest serving member on the board, Betty Claire Rogers, joined the East Houma homemakers club, Homemakers Holiday, about 35 years, after working as a nurse in Terrebonne Parish.
She said the nursing position was not fulfilling her dream to help the community, so she joined an organization that would.
“I enjoy this,” she said. “This has been an eye-opening experience. We have been together for years.”
Homemakers Holiday was instrumental in bringing the educational presentations “Entergy the Clown” and “Anti-Litter the Clown” to classrooms throughout the parish to teach students about keeping the parish clean and lowering energy costs.
Rena Labat is another seasoned volunteer. She has worked her way from heading the local homemakers association to the national level in the 25 years she has been with the organization.
“I have always been a volunteer,” she said. “I joined this because I love the educational and leadership programs that the homemakers offered. I can say that your community is only as good as you make it.”
Bayou Blue’s club is headed by Carolyn Daigle. TVFC board president Janelle Bonvillain, a former seamstress, oversees the Bayou Magnolias homemakers club in Bayou Black.
“I liked being around people,” Bonvillain said. “As a professional seamstress for years, I had that opportunity. But when my husband retired, I gave it up. I wanted to be in a club that helped out in the community.”
Board member Betty Guilbeau is one of the newer members. The retired schoolteacher joined the Les Amies des Burkwall homemakers in 2004.
“I like being on the board because this is where it all happens,” Guilbeau said of her involvement with TVFC. “The local groups are working for a mission, but the board actually helps push the projects in the community.
“I like the way they get things done,” she added. “We are so grateful to have this organization here.”
Terrebonne Parish’s other TVFC homemakers clubs include Town and Country, which is led by Claire Porretto; a group in Montegut headed by Marlene Pinel and Una Hungate; and a club in Mulberry, which is overseen by Linda McCord.
Board members agreed they can always use new members.
Anyone interested in becoming a member can call Burlew at the Terrebonne Parish Extension Office at (985) 873-6495.
Terrebonne Volunteers for Family and Community members (from left) Audrey Guidry, Barbara Romano, Rena Labat and Janelle Bonvillain look over recipes submitted by members for their recently-published cookbook. Proceeds from cookbook sales help support the organization’s various forums and scholarships. * Photo courtesy of TVFC
