In Laf. front porch could be a bus stop
May 13, 2015
Remembering Albert "Sugar" Guidry: Engineer instilled love of hard work, education in offspring
May 13, 2015
Some came to run. Others came to cheer them on. One even came to prove he was “faster than a speeding bullet.”
But whatever the motivation, the thousands who participated in Saturday’s 15th annual 5K Run for Excellence, individually and collectively, helped make local schools and their students winners, by boosting the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence.
“This is our primary fundraiser,” said Rene Williams, a TFAE board member. “It covers operating expenses and partially funds our participation in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. We started that 3 years ago. Any child from birth to 5-years-old who is enrolled gets a book a month. They are really nice books, and right now we have close to 28,000 kids enrolled.”
The Foundation provides grants for teaching materials to schools throughout Terrebonne Parish, and other forms of support.
“We desperately need this grant money,” said Diana Eschete, a first grade teacher at Coteau-Bayou Blue Elementary.
The downtown Houma run, sponsored by Terrebonne General Medical Center’s Community Sports Institute, attracted more than 1,000 runners who brought friends and family along.
This year’s first place winner was 30-year-old attorney Richard Bouckaert with a running time of 16:18 minutes. Khanh Labat, a 35-year-old contract administrator for Danos, was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of20:45. Residents of Bayou L’Ourse, Khanh’s husband and 2 young sons also completed the race. “We decided to do this as a Mother’s Day weekend family thing.” she says.
When not running and winning 5Ks, Cory Bourg is the official time-keeper. He owns Split Second LLC and covers 35 races a year “just in Houma and Thibodaux. This is a big race for Houma. People come from out of town for this race because of the great after-party.”
Examples of the foundation’s largesse were evident throughout Saturday’s event, and attendees were only too happy to discuss details of what the foundation had done to help.
Teachers and students from South Terrebonne High School eagerly discussed a teaching aid that used Sherlock Holmes for engagement. Students would gather forensic clues to solve mysteries in physics and chemistry.
The TFAE grant the school received allowed purchase of a video camera and other materials.
The reasons runners registered for the 5K were diverse.
“My son, Zach Voss, works for the TGMC Community Sports Institute” said runner Jane Voss. “I’m here to support him.”
Guy Chabert from Larose and wearing a superman costume claimed to be there “to prove I’m faster than a speeding bullet.” His wife, Lacie, confessed “I have a serious running addiction, and it’s an excuse to wear cute running clothes.”
Chuck Weaver and wife Debbie came to “support education” and hoped to complete the race in under an hour. They met that goal, shaving five minutes off last years time of 56 minutes.
Jacob Dupre and Natalie Neubig, students from Terrebonne High, used the event to film a television commercial to promote next year’s race.
The courthouse square after-party was a festival in itself with a little something for everybody. As the Bucktown All-Stars deliv-
ered the music, courtesy of Whitney Bank, other Houma businesses and public personalities catered food or provided entertaining activities for kids.
Chris Robinson, managing partner at Raising Cane’s Martin Luther King Boulevard location, said his company has taken part in the event for four years now, because “we support active lifestyles.”
Also in the Kid’s Corner, the Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program, ran crab races. Bricks 4 Kidz featured Lego construction. Lowes provided small construction kits like a Mother’s Day planter, a dragon ride, and a flower delivery van. Dozens of parents and kids hovered over instructions and busily assembled them together. Shell Pipeline Company handed out bags containing coloring books, crayons and a frisbee. Teachers helped kids decorate pinwheels, visors and Mother’s Day cards. Vanderbilt Catholic Art Club painted faces.
At the food court, Kayla and Reggie Aucoin’s crew from Mr. Po’Boy put the finishing touches on their 80-foot roast beef po’boy sandwich. “We’ve been coming here for 7 years but got the restaurant involved 4 years ago” says Kayla. “We started out with a 50 foot po’boy and added 10 feet every year. When it gets to 100 feet, that’s where it stops.”
Other businesses served up pastalaya, jambalaya, char-broiled oysters, crawfish beignets, corn grits, nachos, chix-de-femme, Kasasa-ritas and even an “adult mystery drink.”
Sheriff Jerry Larpenter grilled up 1000 hamburgers.
“They’ll be gone,” Larpenter said. “No one here takes home leftovers. These runners worked up a healthy appetite for a healthy cause.”
Children take part in their own special competition as part of the 5K Race for Excellence in downtown Houma Saturday. The race drew several thousands of people to Houma on the warm, sunny afternoon.
