St. Bernadette Students Host Fundraiser to Benefit Local Animal Shelter

As if you needed a reason to add a stuffed animal to your collection! Houma-based beauty salon, Salon Sylvie, is hosting a fundraiser event to benefit the Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter!

Supporters can stop by the salon to purchase a squishmallow, toys, or make a monetary donation of $10-$15 towards the cause. Stephanie Marceaux, owner of Salon Sylvie, said her 12-year-old daughter Sylvie and 9-year-old granddaughter Emerson decided to put up their beloved stuffed animals in an effort to help fur-babies find their forever home.

“A year ago today my house got struck by lightning and burned. When I got the call I ran to the house and saw fire coming out of the roof, which was extremely dramatic. After they put the fire out, the firemen asked what did I want them to get out. They told me I couldn’t go in because of the chemicals but they’d get out whatever I wanted. All I could think of was my 12-year-old daughter and her love for her stuffed animals,” said Marceaux.

Instead of saving her family photos and other valuables, Marceaux instructed the firemen to collect as many stuffed animals from the charred house. “I told the firemen to grab every single stuffed animal they could find. We got all of the stuffed animals back, our neighbors washed them and aired them out and had them cleaned and they were preserved,” Marceaux added.

Sylvie had collected over 100 squishmallows over the years as birthday and Christmas gifts. One year following the fire, Marceaux’s home is still in the rebuilding process, leading the family to move five times since August 2021. The salon owner said while packing to move into the family’s new rental house, Sylvie, who’s approaching her teens,  decided it was time to part ways with her favorite childhood toys to support a great cause. “I asked my 12-year-old daughter, you know, we’re about to move and we can’t take all of these stuffed animals. She replied, ‘I know mom, I think I’m done with them. I want to donate them.’ So we began discussing who we could donate the stuffed animals to and I suggested a fundraiser for the animal shelter.”

This isn’t Sylvie’s first charitable effort; the St. Bernadette student hosted a fundraiser for the local animal shelter in 2020. Marceaux’s granddaughter Emerson, joined in the effort, donating a few of her favorite stuffed toys to support the fundraiser. Marceaux said the fundraiser has gained an outpour of support from the community, raising $850 and they’re not done. In addition to squishmallow, the two young philanthropists are selling fidget spinners, popper fidgets, Rubix cubes, key chains, and much more.

Marceaux said her hope is for Sylvie and Emerson to inspire their peers to express their love through charity and giving. “I’m really proud of them and it’s been so nice to see everyone come out and purchase a squishmallow to support a great cause. It’s good to get kids involved in charitable work, especially with something so dear to their hearts. I think that love is the highest expression that we can give each other and that charity and gratitude are love’s highest expression.”

Salon Sylvie is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The salon is located at 309B Bayou Gardens Blvd.